Hey Folks,
First i am not an expert in genetics, but i am learning fast.. After a phone call with a great breeder friend we got talking about the genetic strength of these imported breeds. And if we can not do ennough to preserve North American breeds, and the breeds we have now should we really be importing more breeds?
Let me start by saying if you are really willing to breed these imported breeds good for ya! I do not mean to say that importing breeds is bad, i am not saying it is good ether. i well start with explaining now.
When these breeds are imported upwards of 20 birds maybe imported sounds like a lot yes? While it could be a starting point for the breed in North America it seems as if everyone is thinking more momentary and not geneticly, from my observation people grab the newly imported breed, "breed" them and sell them for XX ammount for a year once the market comes flooded they move on to the next breed, not preserving the breed and deficiently not helping it. We have lost focus in NA for the most part. We breed to reproduce the orginal, and most never do any selecting or do not hatch large ennough numbers to keep the limited number of genetics going. When you start with such a small number of chickens hatching 10,15,50,100 chicks a year is simply not enough! Think about it this way, if there was only 100 highland cattle left in the world we would want to breed the most we could from those hundred cows in order to get the most genetics from them right? Chickens are no different really. Susstanin these genetics with say 100 breeders hatching 50 chicks to select the best 5 to breed for the next year is not fesable. That would be like driving your car off a cliff. The genetics in these breeds you know those genetics that allow those breeds to lay large eggs, have a great dressing weight large breasts are gone with in 10 generations with out selecting (ok that can differ but my point is with out selection we lose traits FAST). And hatching only 100 chicks to keep 10 does not allow you to select for traits. If we want these breeds to stick around with there great traits we need people who are welling to hatch 300-500+ chicks and then select the best 70, with traits that are disrable, and even traits that may not seem like they are needed this year. We need breeders who are welling to weigh the chicks every week keep detailed records from hatch to cull (or death). Importing new genetics is simply not the correct answer because this well not solve anything it well just give it a tempory boost.
I have seen this happen in many breeds, Delawere (sp?), Rhode Island Red, Black Australorp, Orpginton, Dorking, Sussex, Wyandotte, New Hampsire. There are different digrees to what this has happened to though for each breed and strain. Don't belive that this took place try locating a great dual puropse Sussex, or Dorking they simple do not exist any more (though great efforts and time are being spent to restore these breeds).
Any way point is we need to start hatching LOTS and LOTS of chicks out if we do not want these imported breeds to be a flop. And breeding to new lines is not allways the answer. We as poultry breeders need to rethink the way we breed our birds. We need to stop producing chicks and selecting for traits, selecting for the shape, keel, egg laying, egg size and more! Just one generation of hatching large numbers and culling down to only your best can boost egg weight, keel depth. I have seen it done i know that hatching large numbers of chicks is better then hatching small numbers of chicks. With large numbers of chicks you get to see a great range of genetics that may have been hidden in the past generation. You get to look at all the colours of the rainbow rather then just one or two colours.
So maybe my wording sucked, but i think i still got the point across? Numbers, Numbers Numbers! In order to keep these breeds the way we see them now. We must not think about these chicks, eggs, what ever as mometry source, and think about them as genetic banks that they are
-Cheers
a bit to chew and think on. What are your opions?
First i am not an expert in genetics, but i am learning fast.. After a phone call with a great breeder friend we got talking about the genetic strength of these imported breeds. And if we can not do ennough to preserve North American breeds, and the breeds we have now should we really be importing more breeds?
Let me start by saying if you are really willing to breed these imported breeds good for ya! I do not mean to say that importing breeds is bad, i am not saying it is good ether. i well start with explaining now.
When these breeds are imported upwards of 20 birds maybe imported sounds like a lot yes? While it could be a starting point for the breed in North America it seems as if everyone is thinking more momentary and not geneticly, from my observation people grab the newly imported breed, "breed" them and sell them for XX ammount for a year once the market comes flooded they move on to the next breed, not preserving the breed and deficiently not helping it. We have lost focus in NA for the most part. We breed to reproduce the orginal, and most never do any selecting or do not hatch large ennough numbers to keep the limited number of genetics going. When you start with such a small number of chickens hatching 10,15,50,100 chicks a year is simply not enough! Think about it this way, if there was only 100 highland cattle left in the world we would want to breed the most we could from those hundred cows in order to get the most genetics from them right? Chickens are no different really. Susstanin these genetics with say 100 breeders hatching 50 chicks to select the best 5 to breed for the next year is not fesable. That would be like driving your car off a cliff. The genetics in these breeds you know those genetics that allow those breeds to lay large eggs, have a great dressing weight large breasts are gone with in 10 generations with out selecting (ok that can differ but my point is with out selection we lose traits FAST). And hatching only 100 chicks to keep 10 does not allow you to select for traits. If we want these breeds to stick around with there great traits we need people who are welling to hatch 300-500+ chicks and then select the best 70, with traits that are disrable, and even traits that may not seem like they are needed this year. We need breeders who are welling to weigh the chicks every week keep detailed records from hatch to cull (or death). Importing new genetics is simply not the correct answer because this well not solve anything it well just give it a tempory boost.
I have seen this happen in many breeds, Delawere (sp?), Rhode Island Red, Black Australorp, Orpginton, Dorking, Sussex, Wyandotte, New Hampsire. There are different digrees to what this has happened to though for each breed and strain. Don't belive that this took place try locating a great dual puropse Sussex, or Dorking they simple do not exist any more (though great efforts and time are being spent to restore these breeds).
Any way point is we need to start hatching LOTS and LOTS of chicks out if we do not want these imported breeds to be a flop. And breeding to new lines is not allways the answer. We as poultry breeders need to rethink the way we breed our birds. We need to stop producing chicks and selecting for traits, selecting for the shape, keel, egg laying, egg size and more! Just one generation of hatching large numbers and culling down to only your best can boost egg weight, keel depth. I have seen it done i know that hatching large numbers of chicks is better then hatching small numbers of chicks. With large numbers of chicks you get to see a great range of genetics that may have been hidden in the past generation. You get to look at all the colours of the rainbow rather then just one or two colours.
So maybe my wording sucked, but i think i still got the point across? Numbers, Numbers Numbers! In order to keep these breeds the way we see them now. We must not think about these chicks, eggs, what ever as mometry source, and think about them as genetic banks that they are
-Cheers
a bit to chew and think on. What are your opions?