Tell me all about breeding

[call ducks]

Don't think you are stuck with one breed. By the sounds of it you well be breeding Polish.

Look in to a program that well allow you to track your breeders very easly.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Quote:
Greetings! If your goal is to become a breeder, you want to aim at a certain level of autonomy, meaning freedom from the continuous importation of new blood, which will undermine your progress via introducing too much variability. You might want to think about, say, three breeding pens per breed. This wouldn't necessarily mean three houses, perhaps one house subdivided with chicken-wire into three or for inner compartments (depending on the size of your facility).

Then you want to consider where you're going to raise the chicks each year, for they can't grow up with the adults. It requires either two spaces, or one subdivided into two parts, for you'll need to separate the cockerels from the pullets by, say six to eight weeks of age.

The two breeds you selected are not easy to begin with, but if they call, they call. If will actually be easier to find quality stock in the Polish than the Crevecoeur. There is no more high quality stock left in Crevecoeurs. Anyone wanting to breed Creves needs to be willing to take them from a difficult place, breed heavy and cull heavier.

For both of these breeds, you would probably want to join the Polish Breeders Club. They have a strong club, and they would provide support and advice. Plus, they'd know where you'd find the best stock. If you start with low quality stock it will take you half a decade to get up to where you could have begun with a slightly greater financial investment. It's so worth it, though. An extra $100.00 at the beginning is only $20.00 a year over five years of "well begun is half done".

In the end, you might find it more rewarding and a stronger foundation. If you start with one breed you'll find your feet as a breeder, and then when you go to another breed, you'll know what you're getting into. When people start out with too many breeds, it often ends up discouraging them because they find themselves too overwhelmed to make progress. Each breed is a story and a rhythm to adopt.

Best of luck!!

 

[Chris09]

You have a lot of good information to go on so far so I will just add this.
If you are going to be breed fowl for show you should get a Standard of Perfection it will be you "Bible" in the poultry would and will be what you are breeding and comparing you birds against.

Chris

 

[joe17]

Wow awesome thread. Are there any tips when crossing different bloodlines? Is it just a hit or miss?

 

[Lordofchickens 86]

if you are going to inbreed it better to mate grandfathers to granddaughters and grandmothers to grandsons. that is the way to do it like the good breeders do it

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Quote:
I think it comes down to understanding that you're not just crossing two birds but, rather, two histories, which, when they collide, may be discordant. You can unleash entire body types you never new were there, huge defects that affect a majority of hatchlings. I think the trick is knowing what you want at the beginning and then be ready to cull like a crazy man. You might find yourself wanting three out of a hundred.

Then again....they could jive beautifully....so hit or miss sounds about right.

 

[saladin]

The Rolling Mating system that was explained in the beginning is basic; Yellow gave it a bit of twist (as many of us have done) but it works great.

The key is selection of breeders and culling. If you can't cull don't get started; you're wasting your time.

Is your original stock from a breeder or hatchery? This will make all the difference in the system.

 

[CrestedGirl]

Quote:
Thank you everyone so much! All of you have given me excellent info that I will be using.
Our Creves are from a breeder, we are still looking for quality buffs.

 

[CrestedGirl]

Quote:
We are going to be joining the polish breeders club, hopefully there will be some breeders on the directory.

 

[saladin]

Quote:
Thank you everyone so much! All of you have given me excellent info that I will be using.
Our Creves are from a breeder, we are still looking for quality buffs.

Ok, but do you know their history? Saying something is from a breeder doesn't mean much unless you know how long they have been in a breeders hands. What is the reputation of the breeder? What standard was being used in selection? How closely are you birds related? etc.