White Cornish: Building a Quality, Sustainable Flock for Meat and More.....

[Fairview01]

hey Fairview, do you have the family groups from Fatdaddy?

Just from his B pen. One rooster, one hen. I'm using that rooster over an entirely closed bred line to create my own.

FD mentioned he was less than thrilled with his B pen as surprises would show up from time to time.

I have to think this is what he was referring to as another individual who had his stock has one of these also. That eliminates the possibility it is a natural mutation of one of the alleles.

 

[Fairview01]

I got mine from @Fairview01

I know who you are!!!! lol. They should almost be ready to candle?

 

[Kiki]

I know who you are!!!! lol. They should almost be ready to candle?

She's Redhead Rae with side kick lil MD.

 

[Fairview01]

So at 5 weeks this one caught my eye at 3. Hatched 13 March, first hatch of the year. The smaller one beside it is 10 days younger hatched 23 March. I have ones mixed in their from 30 March still with down that are as big or slightly bigger than that hatch.

 

[Redhead Rae]

I know who you are!!!! lol. They should almost be ready to candle?

They'll have been in a week tomorrow. I'm going to wait until Saturday (day 10) to candle, like you said.

 

[sobaka]

So at 5 weeks this one caught my eye at 3. Hatched 13 March, first hatch of the year. The smaller one beside it is 10 days younger hatched 23 March. I have ones mixed in their from 30 March still with down that are as big or slightly bigger than that hatch. View attachment 1355113 View attachment 1355114

So, do you have three family groups that could be used in a spiral breeding program? I guess really I'm looking for hatching eggs from three groups...can you help?

 

[Fairview01]

So, do you have three family groups that could be used in a spiral breeding program? I guess really I'm looking for hatching eggs from three groups...can you help?

Nope. I have that rooster supposedly from pen B and a different set of hens from a closed flock. Just starting out a 3 pen program will, IMO, will create more problems than successes. The first year and I suspect for a several years thereafter it will be difficult to have enough quality offspring to work 2 pens.

The first year only one pen, pen A is needed. Your best rooster is used to cover your 3 or 4 best hens. Everything egg laid is hatched. From those hatches the best rooster is selected for pen B. If that rooster is significantly better than the rooster in pen A from the prior year, the original pen A rooster is retired to the soup pot. The pen A rooster that starts everything off should be as close to the standard as possible. After you have that, pen B is populated.

There are several ways to approach a spiral breeding program. When using completely separate lines each year is equivalent to an out cross and as each generation is hatched the negative impact becomes less and less.

In my program the F0 hens are bred to the best F1 rooster. The best F1 hens are bred back to the original F0 rooster. In my program that's why the F0 rooster has to be as close to the standard as possible.

Trying to fill 3 pens prematurely requires

the breeder to make compromises in quality that shouldn't be made. A successful breeding program revolves around extreme selective pressure. I have 30 chicks running around. I make my first non kill cull selections at one month. Right now I only have six that I like that will definitely make it to the grow out pen, one has already been destroyed at 2.5 weeks, the other 24 will be culled again at 8 weeks for Cornish .game hens. My goal is to hatch 100 Cornish this year and am hoping I will get 10 suitable for use in my breeding program.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Nope. I have that rooster supposedly from pen B and a different set of hens from a closed flock. Just starting out a 3 pen program will, IMO, will create more problems than successes. The first year and I suspect for a several years thereafter it will be difficult to have enough quality offspring to work 2 pens.

The first year only one pen, pen A is needed. Your best rooster is used to cover your 3 or 4 best hens. Everything egg laid is hatched. From those hatches the best rooster is selected for pen B. If that rooster is significantly better than the rooster in pen A from the prior year, the original pen A rooster is retired to the soup pot. The pen A rooster that starts everything off should be as close to the standard as possible. After you have that, pen B is populated.

There are several ways to approach a spiral breeding program. When using completely separate lines each year is equivalent to an out cross and as each generation is hatched the negative impact becomes less and less.

In my program the F0 hens are bred to the best F1 rooster. The best F1 hens are bred back to the original F0 rooster. In my program that's why the F0 rooster has to be as close to the standard as possible.

Trying to fill 3 pens prematurely requires View attachment 1356620 the breeder to make compromises in quality that shouldn't be made. A successful breeding program revolves around extreme selective pressure. I have 30 chicks running around. I make my first non kill cull selections at one month. Right now I only have six that I like that will definitely make it to the grow out pen, one has already been destroyed at 2.5 weeks, the other 24 will be culled again at 8 weeks for Cornish .game hens. My goal is to hatch 100 Cornish this year and am hoping I will get 10 suitable for use in my breeding program.

Are you following a breeding plan similar to this one?

This is the one I'm thinking of following so I only need two breeding groups.

http://www.maransofamericaclub.com/inbreeding-chickens.html

I found that viewing this visual representation of the breeding plan to be very helpful.

 

[Fairview01]

Yup, everything keys off that F0 rooster in that plan. That's why it's really important to have the best. That's why if an F1 rooster is not just better but hands over fist better, the F0 should be replaced. Strengths as well as weaknesses are passed along. Roosters should always be replaced whenever a better one exists.

That particular plan can be extended to 3 or more pens but only having 2 pens ensures only the best can be kept as breeders.

I'm seriously thinking about acquiring a second line of hens to start a distantly related family line. That way when the time comes to out cross I'll have something that won't have such a negative impact.

 

[Fairview01]

Are you following a breeding plan similar to this one?

This is the one I'm thinking of following so I only need two breeding groups.

http://www.maransofamericaclub.com/inbreeding-chickens.html

I found that viewing this visual representation of the breeding plan to be very helpful.

FD used 3 different pens and 3 different lines. With a 2 pen plan its possible to have just one more pen to have two family related lines.