Safely breeding crested Swedish Flower

[StinkyAcres]

I am considering hatching eggs from my favorite hens who are Ameraucana-type Easter Eggers. It will be my first time hatching eggs and breeding my own birds. My cockerel is a Swedish Flower and he is crested. I know breeding crested to crested is not advisable. Anything I should worry about with this pairing? Also, one of the hens is nearly 9 years old - could this cause any problems? Thanks!

The roo:

The hens:

 

[SourRoses]

Interesting mix!

As far as the older hens, just candle the eggs before setting. One of my oldest hens lays very porous eggs that don't make it (too much moisture loss).
Our eldest lays strange shapes. It can be really amusing, but most of them are too narrow to hatch. The chick needs room to get into position when it has developed, so a narrow egg is too restrictive.
If the physical characteristics of the individual egg are fine, there's nothing wrong with hatching them.

* One might wonder about genetic abnormalities due to the age of the hens ova. Since there's that myth out there about human women and our ova deteriorating as we age. It's been found not to be true! The ova are stable in a non-matured state.
The increase in disorders like down syndrome, etc are actually from the sperm side of things, because older women are more likely to have older partners. Sperm are created continually, and over the years the production facilities deteriorate and start copying more errors. I thought that was interesting!

 

[StinkyAcres]

Interesting mix!

As far as the older hens, just candle the eggs before setting. One of my oldest hens lays very porous eggs that don't make it (too much moisture loss).
Our eldest lays strange shapes. It can be really amusing, but most of them are too narrow to hatch. The chick needs room to get into position when it has developed, so a narrow egg is too restrictive.
If the physical characteristics of the individual egg are fine, there's nothing wrong with hatching them.

* One might wonder about genetic abnormalities due to the age of the hens ova. Since there's that myth out there about human women and our ova deteriorating as we age. It's been found not to be true! The ova are stable in a non-matured state.
The increase in disorders like down syndrome, etc are actually from the sperm side of things, because older women are more likely to have older partners. Sperm are created continually, and over the years the production facilities deteriorate and start copying more errors. I thought that was interesting!

Thank you so much! Very good to know.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I am considering hatching eggs from my favorite hens who are Ameraucana-type Easter Eggers. It will be my first time hatching eggs and breeding my own birds. My cockerel is a Swedish Flower and he is crested. I know breeding crested to crested is not advisable. Anything I should worry about with this pairing? Also, one of the hens is nearly 9 years old - could this cause any problems? Thanks!

The roo:

The hens:

Where did you hear that breeding Crested to Crested birds weren't Advisable?

 

[StinkyAcres]

Where did you hear that breeding Crested to Crested birds weren't Advisable?

I think I found it researching Swedish Flower Hens through Google. Breeding two crested birds can result in vaulted skulls and other problems associated with the double crested gene.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I think I found it researching Swedish Flower Hens through Google. Breeding two crested birds can result in vaulted skulls and other problems associated with the double crested gene.

I've never had it crop up in my None Vaulted Skulled Silkies, or other issues. If I remember right Vaulted Skulls are a Recessive Mutation, so if a line doesn't have it, you're good to go.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I've never had it crop up in my None Vaulted Skulled Silkies, or other issues. If I remember right Vaulted Skulls are a Recessive Mutation, so if a line doesn't have it, you're good to go.

Interesting. Here are some discussions I've found:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/crested-swedish-flower-chicken-breeding.1465229/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/764778697059746/posts/2318020475068886/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/764778697059746/posts/2631150653755865/