Beth, I don't plan on double mating, unless I want to rehome my Ameraucana roo. I really only have room for 2 boys...
I essentially want to start my "breeding program" with the "best" all around stock I can find, if that means ordering hatching eggs and/or chicks for 2 or 3 seasons, growing out the results, keeping the best and culling the rest THEN starting my actual matings between birds that I feel meet the SOP, if that's what it takes, I'll do it.
I understand great birds don't always produce great offspring but if I choose to not introduce black tails into my flock, or pale legs, or squirrel tail, etc., etc. by being selective with intital starting flock then those are problems that I'm less likely to run into down the road. That's my theory.
Work smart, not hard.
I don't want to focus my efforts entirely on one aspect on the bird only to lose something else that's potentially needed, or to introduce bad genes by not being selective enough.
ETA: Also, I
just turned 21, I've got nothing but time to try and get it right!