Testing genetics and toying them at home

[BirdHead]

Would it be possible to get the required tools to test blood and genetics at home without having a degree in animal science? I've been reading alot on mendels law and looking for further volumes, and i just ordered another book called Genetics of the Fowl from eBay for 45$ about 600 or so pages and reviews claim it does get in depth and scientifical for those who don't understand. I on the other hand only self educate on the matter and would like to move from pen and paper to nitty gritty most don't mess with. Help is always appreciated!

 

[3riverschick]

Would it be possible to get the required tools to test blood and genetics at home without having a degree in animal science? I've been reading alot on mendels law and looking for further volumes, and i just ordered another book called Genetics of the Fowl from eBay for 45$ about 600 or so pages and reviews claim it does get in depth and scientifical for those who don't understand. I on the other hand only self educate on the matter and would like to move from pen and paper to nitty gritty most don't mess with. Help is always appreciated!

Hi Birdhead,

Oh I am so like this too! If I am going to project something, then I want to know the bottom line so I have the complete picture before I start manipulating it. You can read "Genetics of the Fowl" online for free. at http://www.archive.org Sorry about that. Altho some books are just good to hold and fun to underline, I agree on this.
As for the testing tools, yes, I think you can get them from the same clearinghouses from which the commercial broiler industries do. However, Personally, I think the cost would far outweigh the value of the education from the 1st 5 books listed below. I say this because of the number of sex linked genes on poultry.
It's completely different from breeding mammals ( which I did in dogs for 15 years). The sex symbols are reversed in poultry, the male being the equivalent of XX and the female the equivalent of XY. That means one must take into account the genetics of the sire's dam in breeding.
There are a bunch of really good books out there. Here is a list of the 8 books I think make the core of a great poultry breeding library regardless of breed. The SOP and the 2 Van Dort genetics books I think are a must!
These are the 9-10 books I would use as the core of my library
and why :
1. The 2010 APA Standard of Perfection . If you don't know the Standard, it's hard to breed to it.
The 1st 40 pages are extremely educational. http://www.amerpoultryassn.com/store.htm
2. Van Dort, Hancox, and Friends, :The Genetics Of Chicken Colours- The Basics".
An understandable text on "breeding to feather", latter half includes a superb pictorial encyclopedia
of poultry plumage, the pictures are captioned with the genetic formulas. http://www.chickencolours.com/pagina3.html
3. Van Dort, "The Genetics Of Chicken Extremities", A slightly more scientific but readable text
on "breeding to type" devoted to topics not covered in the 1st volume. http://www.chickencolours.com/pagina19.html
4. , Card, Wetherell Henry. , "Laws governing the breeding of standard fowls. ". By a respected
veteran poultry man describing the major and minor breeding laws. Plus the value of (and a
time tested technique) for linebreeding. Despite the book's age, the knowledge is timeless.
Wid Card was Danne Honour's uncle's uncle. http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.087299559;view=1up;seq=5
5. Davis, J. H. "The Art of Breeding". A classic, entertaining book describing the basic philosophies
behind "the art of breeding". http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924003135401;view=1up;seq=5
6. Brereton ,Grant , "21st Century Poultry Breeding", A great treatment of breeding techniques
focusing mostly on Wyandottes, yet with information for all to enjoy.
http://poultrykeeper.com/book-reviews/21st-century-poultry-breeding-book-review Available thru http://www.Amazon.com
7. Brian Reeder, "An Introduction to Color Forms of the Domestic Fowl"
http://brianreederbreeder.blogspot.com/
8. Brian Reeder, " An Introduction To Form And Feathering Of The Domestic Fowl"
http://brianreederbreeder.blogspot.com/ Brian writes a column for this ezine: http://www.exhibitionpoultry.net/
9. One or two classic books on one's chosen breed.
Many of these classic books are online. My fav book databases are :
Hathi Trust Digital Library
(some texts not available "full view" outside the USA)
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?a=page&page=advanced
Google Books
As these old public domain books get reprinted, they often succumb
to "snippet", "preview" or "limited search" options instead of the "full view" mode.
If you see one you like, download it now.
http://books.google.com/advanced_book_search
The Internet Archive
I am having trouble with this site's security certificate , however, I
think it is the new security software I had installed, not the site.
https://archive.org/
Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA)
and of course the rest of the Cornell collections. The James Rice Poultry
Collection is esp. fascinating.
http://chla.library.cornell.edu/

This is the core of my breeding library. The only 2 books I have not read are 3 and 8. I look
forward to acquiring them this year, first 3 then 8. There are always more books to read,
however these 9 or 10 will form a firm foundation on which to begin. If I could only afford 5,
it would be the 1st 5 in descending order. Books 4 and 5 are readable for free online.

 

[BirdHead]

Thanks 3riverschick! I get a headache reading books on a screen for too long plus I get aggravated some how lol main concern is tools to do the testing, I figured it'd be expensive expensive to buy but worth doing so to get more exact answers to utilize data better (may more complicated but easier to understand what really occurs between breedings of two and their offspring). Learn more everyday and trying to memorize much information!

 

[3riverschick]

More than welcome, enjoy!
Karen

 

[Sydney Acres]

Great reference recommendations Karen. I have saved the list. Thank You.
--April

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I think the University of Arkansas has some genetic testing available. Exactly what all, I am not sure of... There are tons of places to get simple DNA gender testing, but I get the feeling that you are looking for more.

Jeffreys has a book that is supposed to be very good, and Carefoot's is another I would add to your list. Henk's http://kippenjungle.nl/basisEN.htm#basisEN is a very good intro

 

[3riverschick]

Oops. here's the right WorldCat URL:
https://www.worldcat.org/libraries

 

[3riverschick]

ok, here is how you surf WorldCat:

here is the search page:
https://www.worldcat.org/advancedsearch
put in your keywords, in this instance : Barnevelder
here are the results of that search:
https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=kw:poultry+ti:Barnevelder&qt=advanced&dblist=638
click on the book you want to know more about. In this case it is hit number 2. The book by William Powell Owen who was a legend in the poultry world.
Here is the information on that book and the libraries which have it:
https://www.worldcat.org/title/barnevelder/oclc/690999970&referer=brief_results
Note if the font of the library name is blue you can consider it having a copy. If the font is black, it means a limited search or just bibliographic information on the book.
Best,
Karen