Things you wish you could say

[RUNuts]

You were there too! Great! They tell me I had a great time. They even showed me the pictures. I looked really happy.

 

[Amer]

Autosexing is only a useful trait if you don’t plan on improving the breed.

 

[Sally PB]

Autosexing is only a useful trait if you don’t plan on improving the breed.

Can you explain what you mean by this? I would have thought just the opposite might be true...?

 

[Amer]

Can you explain what you mean by this? I would have thought just the opposite might be true...?

If you want to improve the breed you have to raise as many pullets and cockerels to adulthood as you can. If you are culling almost all cockerels at hatch (and if you sell sexed pullets) you won’t have a selection to choose your best breeders from to advance the breed.
You could be killing off your best bird before they ever reach one week of age. Therefore simply multiplying your chickens and whatever bad traits they may have.
Autosexing can be useful but I see many newbies bemoan how few breeds are autosexing or try to introduce it into their projects.
They don’t get why most breeds aren’t autosexing.
Because knowing a chicken is a pullet or a cockerel isn’t useful to the people that created those breeds until they have reached sexual maturity and can be chosen either to advance the next generation, be sold, or sent to the stew pot.
Autosexing isn’t a harmful trait but from a breeder’s standpoint it isn’t a useful trait.

 

[Amer]

Obviously not everyone’s goal is to improve the breed. But the people that created every breed had breed improvement in mind.
And some people see autosexing as the ultimate trait to have and don’t understand why most breeds aren’t autosexing.

 

[ShrekDawg]

If you want to improve the breed you have to raise as many pullets and cockerels to adulthood as you can. If you are culling almost all cockerels at hatch (and if you sell sexed pullets) you won’t have a selection to choose your best breeders from to advance the breed.
You could be killing off your best bird before they ever reach one week of age. Therefore simply multiplying your chickens and whatever bad traits they may have.
Autosexing can be useful but I see many newbies bemoan how few breeds are autosexing or try to introduce it into their projects.
They don’t get why most breeds aren’t autosexing.
Because knowing a chicken is a pullet or a cockerel isn’t useful to the people that created those breeds until they have reached sexual maturity and can be chosen either to advance the next generation, be sold, or sent to the stew pot.
Autosexing isn’t a harmful trait but from a breeder’s standpoint it isn’t a useful trait.

Obviously not everyone’s goal is to improve the breed. But the people that created every breed had breed improvement in mind.
And some people see autosexing as the ultimate trait to have and don’t understand why most breeds aren’t autosexing.

Who’s culling at hatch though? If they’re a good breeder, they wouldn’t be doing that anyway. And it’s useful for the consumer and/or for hatcheries.

 

[DLA]

Ugh, we've had snow on Mother's Day before. A few years in a row. Snowing now actually. Supposed to get 4-6 inches. Might as well call school off!

Got to hate that lake effect snow. Thankfully I'm far enough south in PA to not get hit with that to often. We've only got light flurries here.

 

[Sally PB]

If you want to improve the breed you have to raise as many pullets and cockerels to adulthood as you can. If you are culling almost all cockerels at hatch (and if you sell sexed pullets) you won’t have a selection to choose your best breeders from to advance the breed.
You could be killing off your best bird before they ever reach one week of age. Therefore simply multiplying your chickens and whatever bad traits they may have.
Autosexing can be useful but I see many newbies bemoan how few breeds are autosexing or try to introduce it into their projects.
They don’t get why most breeds aren’t autosexing.
Because knowing a chicken is a pullet or a cockerel isn’t useful to the people that created those breeds until they have reached sexual maturity and can be chosen either to advance the next generation, be sold, or sent to the stew pot.
Autosexing isn’t a harmful trait but from a breeder’s standpoint it isn’t a useful trait.

AH! Thank you, that makes sense.

 

[Amer]

Who’s culling at hatch though? If they’re a good breeder, they wouldn’t be doing that anyway. And it’s useful for the consumer and/or for hatcheries.

So then it’s not useful if you plan on improving the breed, which was my original statement.

 

[ShrekDawg]

So then it’s not useful if you plan on improving the breed, which was my original statement.

Hmm I guess that’s a good point but I would say it could still be useful if you want to raise both genders separately and can separate them from the beginning