what makes a breed a breed?

[ziggywiggy1]

Do chicken breeders keep track of bloodlines to verify breed or is it all based on sop? I have a splash maran rooster and salmon faverolle hens and from what I’ve read if I breed them all the off spring will be blue so I’m wondering if I can create blue faverolles over time this way? I’m looking to experiment next year to see what they produce since I know there will be other things that will probably muddy the color. This would be more for fun than anything, I don’t know that you can show other types of faverolles but I would like to pay attention to their conformation, and most important to me, their personality.

 

[DarJones]

What makes a breed is repeatable genetics. Breeding according to a standard has a place, but it is not the only way breeds come into being. How did Buckeye's start?

 

[3KillerBs]

Unlike dogs or horses that have pedigrees and registration, any chicken that resembles the SOP for that breed to some reasonable degree can be considered of that breed.

 

[Rosto]

I think—A breed has a written sop and offspring breed true to that written standard. So if it’s just a color change then you would be able to list the attributes that make your bird its own type under the breed’s standard so when outsiders start producing your type they can re create that type exactly generation to generation.