Will try and answer some of the questions. First off I will be very to the point, no snappy slogans posted for feel good effect.
First thing for anyone to do is buy a SOP.
second go to Hardware and get a sharp axe.
Third watch for a used hardware scale at yard sales, flea market.
Just a reminder first if you can not cull fowl, you are basically wasting your time.
There is no reason that you can not work on multiple faults at the same time. If you work on faults one at a time you could spend 20 years and still have culls just like you started with.
Working on size and body type, never use a small female when trying to work on developing a larger bird. The scale is for weighing all of your fowl and record the weight as I am sure you have already either wing or leg banded all the fowl. Start a record book with one bird on each page this way you will have room to ad info. anytime you have the bird in hand. Record different items about the bird even the good and the bad. In my breeding programs I always use a large size female with as close to proper type as possible. The pinched tail can be remedied by useing a male that has a more open tail with extra fluff.
Try and start up a breeding program doing all single matings as you will over time have a lot less culls. With the parti color fowl it is always averages when breeding for color. The good colored male is the first step in producing good colored birds. Mark all chicks at hatch so you will have a record of what pens they are from , enter all this in the record book.
Cull anything with DQs and major faults. I would rather have one good pair, than have several pair that have major faults. Just remember faults produce fault when bred to like birds. To expect to raise good fowl you will have to first learn how to use a sharp axe.
they will visit some time soon
