question about breeding

[MTLandscaper]

I was hoping someone could give me some insight regarding what birds to start with for breeding. I am going to use a spiral breeding program and am not sure if I should use birds from one source or from more than one source to begin with. I thought if I used more than one source to begin with there would be more diversity and was concerned that using just one source I would be breeding brothers and sisters together. I am going to set up three families with the offspring(for example red, green, blue families). So shouldn't I start with unrelated birds for the first matings to make the three families or am I going to more trouble than I need to? I thought if I used unrelated birds to begin with the breeding program would go further before new blood would have to be added. Does anybody have any experience with this?

 

[3riverschick]

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If you are using birds of long, pedigree which have their breed type well set....and your birds are excellent examples of the breed.. you can start off with 1/2 bro and 1/2 sis; or cousins. One exception is the Dorking which should have new blood every year.
If your chosen breed is of short pedigree ( foreign blood close up in the pedigree and the birds are not breeding totally true yet), you should start out with excellent examples which are closely related. Do not cross strains on birds of short pedigree or birds of complicated color patterns. Unless your breed is in a genetic bottleneck and you don't have any other choice, do not start spiral breeding with unrelated birds.
here is a wonderful pithy little book by an honored breeder. It covers breeding the different colors, establishing a strain and perfecting type.
http://archive.org/details/cu31924003158312
Best,
Karen

 

[MTLandscaper]

Thank you for replying Karen. Yes I have RIR & SL Wyandottes(from Dick Horstman) and GL Wyandottes(from Sandhill Preservation), Blue Andalusions(from both). I have seen that book and only glanced through reading parts but I will definitely read it more thoroughly. Thanks again for your help.