roosters and their mothers

[7kids12hens]

I aquired a laying hen and what was supposed to be 2 of her pullets. They were about 6 wks old at the time. Well, I'm pretty sure on of those pullets is a roo. I do want to raise chicks, but would it be acceptable for him to father chicks by his mother? Seems awful weird to me, but maybe chikckens are different. The "pullets" are between 5 and 6 months old now.

 

[FrizzlesRule]

Not a good idea. I've actually heard that the chicks may not live very long and something could be wrong with them if they do survive. He needs a hen he is not related too.

 

[gryeyes]

Chickens ARE different and don't end up with "inbreeding defects" for the first line or two. And the defects are more like recessive traits you just don't want to keep perpetuating. If Son Rooster breeds Mother Hen, he shouldn't breed with Great Granddaughter Hen. Mother, sister, daughter, granddaughter, are fairly safe for Son Rooster to breed. After that, you should be adding some new blood, though.

 

[GAchick]

And as I understand chicken breeding, it's often done to reinforce a desired trait.

 

[nicalandia]

Quote:
Wrong..


Quote:
correct.. Pros use Line breeding to make new colors all the time, you just have to be careful and cull the birds that don't show strong vigor..

 

[7kids12hens]

I have 13 hens total, so I can probably just remove her eggs for eating. For right now, she lays the only large brown speckled egg. I need a broody hen before I have any babies of any kind. They are sure in no hurry to sit on anything. Can't wait till my silkies get older. Thanks so much for the input.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Not sure where you heard this but it wasn't from someone who knew what they were talking about. Line breeding, one manifetation of which is mother/son matings, is the best way to ensure a predictable outcome. All successful breeders use some form of line breeding.

 

[extraordinaryfowl]

Quote:
Wrong..


Quote:
correct.. Pros use Line breeding to make new colors all the time, you just have to be careful and cull the birds that don't show strong vigor..

Line breeding is a great way to strengthen a strain. It can be useful to bring in unrelated bloodlines, but linebreeding is an excellent way to keep a single strain of birds indefinitely.

When something else is possible, you should never breed brother to sister, you should either breed father to daughter or son to mother if you are serious about breeding high-quality birds. I do this for my Cy-Hyde Onagadori, of which there are no other bloodlines in the US, and they are as healthy as any other chicken.

 

[7kids12hens]

I'm very glad to know that. I have a diverse flock, and I'm Not raising any birds to sell or show. My roo is a barred rock and the mother hen is a white sex-link. I've tried to do some reading about gentics, but it can be rather confusing. I want to raise some birds to eat, and some to replace layers as they age. My birds, except my silkies, are all dual purpose. My other birds are 1 welsummer, 2 BO, 1 RIR, 1 polish (for fun), 2 EEers, and 2 mixed beeds of some kind. I'm curious though, do they come out one way or the other, or are they some mixture of the two, or does it depend on the breed? Thanks again for this wonderful info.

 

[extraordinaryfowl]

Some will come out like the father, some like the mother and some a mix in most cases. The rooster is more likely to pass his coloring on to pullets, and the cockerels are more likely to be a mixture of both parents.