What is a "breeder?"

I am new to chickens, so I don't and won't (for a looooooong time) consider myself to be a chicken breeder, but I'd like to share my experience with purebred dog breeding as it may help just a tad to explain what a responsible, quality breeder does and does not do.
Although I have had over 20 (adult years) experience with dogs, when I started in my rare breed (I wanted a breed that wasn't overpopulating the earth) I did not consider myself a breeder. Just someone that had a supurb eye for a good dog. I could "see" movement, breed type, and quality. I started with the very best quality foundation female (don't understand why we can't say the correct word on here, but oh, well...just out of curosity can you say cock?) that money could buy and I turned down stock from people that were "top" breeders in their mind, because the pups were not up to my standards. I looked for the best male to compliment by female and traveled to do the breeding. I didn't just use my friends dog because it was close or cheap. We evaluated the pups with a harsh eye and only showed the cream of the crop. Some of it was good genetics and excellent nutrition, but we made hard decisions and stuck to our ethics about putting show dogs in show homes and pets in pet homes. We took responsibility for everything we produced. And I understand in chickens that means culling in many situations. After 10 years in the breed we have accomplished what few 30 year breeders have...including having top winners in the Country (based on the dogs merit not politics) and my female will go down in history as the top producer in her breed. So...if dog breeders are like chicken breeders, I think it depends on a lot of factors and hard work. It's knowing what to use and not use in the program. It's being ethical. And it's DOING a LOT of hard work.
 
Oh, and I would add to my post that you need to have others with a good "eye" evaluate your stock. You can't just "think" your stuff is good. It must stand the test.
 
Well, I live in a very rural area where the local hatcheries are as good as it gets. Ive been in horses and dogs my whole life, at a higher level, any kind of show within reasonable driving distance is a joke. But maybe I just look at this from a horse breeder's perspective.


I am familiar with standards, how to read one, breeding for it, etc.... But I am saying they are very subjective. For example, a quarter horse and a saddlebred are on two different sides of the spectrum as far as horses go, but I believe the standard calls for a bright clear eye, ears finely shaped and well placed on head (I'm not certain of this, so it is just an example). Now, you'd think quarter horses and saddlebreds would have the same ears and eyes? NOPE they are night and day different. THis is an example of how subjective standards are.
 
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Let's say a person hatches some eggs from a pretty good line (or 2 lines, or 3 lines, whatever). Then, the person decides to mate these chicks (after culling out a few). Without ever hatching and raising some of these chicks him/herself, would this person (wanting to sell eggs) be correct in claiming him/herself a "breeder?"
 
Well, we're going to have to agree to disagree.

I think one can be the best breeder one can be without going to shows, but I don't think that one can be considered in the "best breeders of the breed" without showing. Sorry to offend.

Edited for clarity.
 
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Im a little confused, lol, might be reading it wrong.

If a person hatches some chicks from a couple lines, mates those birds together, and then sells the eggs, without raising offspring from those birds themselves, no, I would not call them a breeder.

So a breeder doesn't necessarily have to hatch hundreds of chicks a year to call oneself a breeder?

I dont think so, IMO. I hatch around 100 chicks a year, which leaves me with some nice birds to keep for myself next spring. The rest I cull and sell as pets locally, or (starting this fall) will list some birds online. I don't have the room to hatch hundreds of chicks and Im sure lots of other breeders don't either.​
 
Is there anything wrong with calling oneself a beginning breeder, or an aspiring breeder or a small breeder?

I have hatched exactly one Delaware chick, thanks to my broody. This is from stock I got from someone else. I do not think I can call myself a breeder yet, since I have bred basically nothing myself. However, in wanting to learn more, in wanting to cultivate and improve the breed and in culling and planning to add to my line with the view of meeting the SOP, I feel I could be called an aspiring breeder. Once I have hatched out several bunches of chicks (or someone else has hatched out my eggs) then perhaps I could be called a beginning breeder.

It takes more than study and "book learnin'" to be anything. Hands on experience is important. You can read as many books as you want to about riding a horse, and you can talk the talk. But until you have gotten up on one and actually done it, you are not a rider. And you aren't a rider after the first ride, either. It takes practice. It takes hours.
And so actually having bred something yourself might be a major part of the definition - no?
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I was told by an APA judge that I have come to respect and admire greatly that one needs to be very careful in claiming the term breeder - it takes some time and experience and some results. It doesn't matter how large the flock is, small breeders can be as successful as people with huge farms and flocks. But it takes a combination of study and experience, in my opinion.
 

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