Question about breeding (sort of)

[jamband]

Its really a general breeding question...... So i have 29 Australorps (as best i can tell so far) I got as babies from a local farm/breeder. My long term intentions with chickens in general is to be as sustainable as possible with them for my family. I.E. provide our eggs and meat and I would like to hatch all my own eggs to limit my needs for outside chickens being purchased.

So the question is can I allow the 29 to reproduce since they came from (well I guess i dont know for sure how many roos and hens are involved but I guess i could assume the same dad at least). Or do i need to trade my rooster out for a new one not related? I dont want do anything to hurt or weaken the flock but also not necessarily breeding for show birds....just more australorps

 

[nivtup]

The odds of them coming from the same parents is pretty slim.

I would breed them with what you have and select the best, however in the future no sibling matings, father / daughter / mother / son is ok.


Good luck.

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are different strategies you can use. Keeping two, three, or four separate flocks and systematically putting the roosters with one flock with hens of the other flock, for example. The one that I use is that I keep one flock and every three years bring in a new rooster. I don't worry about sibling matings as long as I select for the traits I want, but I do bring in new blood.

Any strategy requires that you select your best breeders and do not breed birds that show problems but do breed birds that have traits you like. These problems can be physical deformities, but can also be behavioral or some other trait. I don't keep a hen that goes out of her way to be a brute to other hens. I'm talking about above and beyond the normal pecking order stuff. If a rooster attacks people, he becomes stew. If I have one hen that is barebacked and none of the other hens are, then she does not reproduce. If several are barebacked, then I look at the rooster instead of the hens. If a hen goes broody, I try to hatch a lot of her eggs. If a hen consistently lays double yolked eggs or soft shelled eggs, that means her internal egg laying factory is not working the way it should so she does not get a chance to pass on that trait to my flock.

Just select the traits you want and breed birds that have those traits. Don't breed birds that have traits you don't like.

Good luck and welcome to the adventure.

 

[Oregon Blues]

You can use the birds you've got. The only trick is to cull any birds with any weakness or deformities and only breed the ones that are strong , healthy, good "doers", and that lay well.

I also cull for temperament. I don't care how good the bird is, if it attacks me or kills other birds, it is table meat.