Why Did You Become A Chicken Breeder?

[Peaches Lee]

Looking for chicken breeders to share some of their wisdom.

What made you decide to become a chicken breeder?

How many eggs do you incubate or place under a broody hen?

Birds that don't make the cut, do you sell or give them away?

Do you have to show your birds?

What is showing typically like?

I'm not sure if I would ever want to become a chicken breeder, it's an idea that comes across my mind once every Blue Moon!

If there is anything else you can think of to add by all means please share!

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Looking for chicken breeders to share some of their wisdom.

What made you decide to become a chicken breeder?

How many eggs do you incubate or place under a broody hen?

Birds that don't make the cut, do you sell or give them away?

Do you have to show your birds?

What is showing typically like?

I'm not sure if I would ever want to become a chicken breeder, it's an idea that comes across my mind once every Blue Moon!

If there is anything else you can think of to add by all means please share!

To raise bantams, sell the chicks or eggs, and breeding projects

I probably incubate around 150-200 eggs a year.

I do not show my birds but I am wanting to get into breeding show quality bantams.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Just started with it, myself, so I don't know how helpful my answers will be beyond for the first question of why I decided to. That was because I fell in love with silkied Cochin bantams years and years ago, finally got my hands on just a few of them, and then for many years could find no one else with them to try to get any more of them. When I finally found someone to get more birds from, I decided I never again wanted to have that feeling of watching my birds grow old and die off while wondering if they could be the very last of the variety, or have to scramble to decide what outcrosses I could make with what I had available to me to keep them going while my birds were still young enough to reproduce. So the obvious thing to do was to get serious about preserving them while I had the opportunity to get more of them. There are several silkied varieties of other breeds that I'd like to do the same with if I can ever get my hands on them as well. The silkied varieties that pop up in random breeds every now and then are terribly underappreciated and unfortunately often disappear into obscurity as a result. I love silkied feathering and I want to make any effort I can toward preserving silkied varieties of breeds as much as I can.

As for the rest, I can only answer with what I plan to do as this is my first year actively being a 'chicken breeder'. I plan to hatch around 100 chicks this year, and I expect to keep maybe the 10 best out of them. If all goes well, next year I'll aim a little higher, but this is my first go at it and I don't want to overwhelm myself early on. Ones that don't make the cut I'll sell with full disclosure, and put that money toward feed and upkeep for the ones I do keep. I don't have any intention to show my birds at any point, though, so I can't really answer your questions about that.

I at one point had what sounds like the same point of view as you, that breeding chickens was something that sounded interesting and like it could be fun, but not something I was sure I could really do let alone be willing to commit to doing, and before the silkied Cochins all the breeds I liked were readily available anyway so I had no reason to try. I guess it just takes finding the right breed and a compelling reason to dedicate yourself to that breed. The hard part for me is knowing I can't keep them all. The chicks I'm hatching, I just don't have the room for them all as adults. The adults I've raised and gotten to know, some will have to move on as younger birds come in to take their place in my flocks. It's tough, but I want to see this variety thrive, and part of that is not just breeding the birds, but also getting them out there for others to gain interest in and maybe even fall in love with as well.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Just started with it, myself, so I don't know how helpful my answers will be beyond for the first question of why I decided to. That was because I fell in love with silkied Cochin bantams years and years ago, finally got my hands on just a few of them, and then for many years could find no one else with them to try to get any more of them. When I finally found someone to get more birds from, I decided I never again wanted to have that feeling of watching my birds grow old and die off while wondering if they could be the very last of the variety, or have to scramble to decide what outcrosses I could make with what I had available to me to keep them going while my birds were still young enough to reproduce. So the obvious thing to do was to get serious about preserving them while I had the opportunity to get more of them. There are several silkied varieties of other breeds that I'd like to do the same with if I can ever get my hands on them as well. The silkied varieties that pop up in random breeds every now and then are terribly underappreciated and unfortunately often disappear into obscurity as a result. I love silkied feathering and I want to make any effort I can toward preserving silkied varieties of breeds as much as I can.

As for the rest, I can only answer with what I plan to do as this is my first year actively being a 'chicken breeder'. I plan to hatch around 100 chicks this year, and I expect to keep maybe the 10 best out of them. If all goes well, next year I'll aim a little higher, but this is my first go at it and I don't want to overwhelm myself early on. Ones that don't make the cut I'll sell with full disclosure, and put that money toward feed and upkeep for the ones I do keep. I don't have any intention to show my birds at any point, though, so I can't really answer your questions about that.

I at one point had what sounds like the same point of view as you, that breeding chickens was something that sounded interesting and like it could be fun, but not something I was sure I could really do let alone be willing to commit to doing, and before the silkied Cochins all the breeds I liked were readily available anyway so I had no reason to try. I guess it just takes finding the right breed and a compelling reason to dedicate yourself to that breed. The hard part for me is knowing I can't keep them all. The chicks I'm hatching, I just don't have the room for them all as adults. The adults I've raised and gotten to know, some will have to move on as younger birds come in to take their place in my flocks. It's tough, but I want to see this variety thrive, and part of that is not just breeding the birds, but also getting them out there for others to gain interest in and maybe even fall in love with as well.

Love that your trying to save the silkied verities!

I’m trying to do the same with with brown red Japanese bantams. Sad thing is I only have a rooster so I’m out crossing him to my white black tailed hen, and will continue working on the breed. I do hope that someone else also raises these beautiful birds and wants to help save the color.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Thank you everyone for your contributions! I like hearing perspectives from everyone--those just beginning their journey or those who've been at it for awhile!

I would really love it if ya'll shared some photos of your birds too!

@Egg Snatcher Those are a lot of eggs! What incubator do you use?

@pipdzipdnreadytogo Wow, Silkied Cochins I didn't even know such a breed existed!!

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Thank you everyone for your contributions! I like hearing perspectives from everyone--those just beginning their journey or those who've been at it for awhile!

I would really love it if ya'll shared some photos of your birds too!

@Egg Snatcher Those are a lot of eggs! What incubator do you use?

@pipdzipdnreadytogo Wow, Silkied Cochins I didn't even know such a breed existed!!

I don’t know I’ll have to get a pic of it. I don’t recommend it though

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

@pipdzipdnreadytogo Wow, Silkied Cochins I didn't even know such a breed existed!!

All the sass and cuteness of a regular Cochin bantam with the added bonus of lovely fuzzy feathering. And they were a spontaneous mutation out of regular Cochin bantams so they don't have any Silkie traits or Silkie in their background. I'm not much for Silkies, but love silkied feathering and Cochin bantams, so these little guys are just right for me.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

All the sass and cuteness of a regular Cochin bantam with the added bonus of lovely fuzzy feathering. And they were a spontaneous mutation out of regular Cochin bantams so they don't have any Silkie traits or Silkie in their background. I'm not much for Silkies, but love silkied feathering and Cochin bantams, so these little guys are just right for me.

View attachment 3461128View attachment 3461129

They’re so cute! Wish I could have them!
So when the verity was made, were silkies bred to the Cochins to cause the silkied feathering?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

No, from what I've read it just popped up spontaneously, similarly to how it happened with silkied Ameraucanas (as seen here) but not documented nearly as well. No Silkie blood at all. It actually happened twice in Cochins from what little I've found on them, once in a hatchery line of Reds and one in a breeder's line of Blacks. Generally speaking, this is why silkied Red Cochin bantams aren't as nicely typey as the silkied Blacks and closely 'related' colors like the Blues I posted above.

And for the record I'm always happy to help people find them if they really want them!

 

[Egg Snatcher]

No, from what I've read it just popped up spontaneously, similarly to how it happened with silkied Ameraucanas (as seen here) but not documented nearly as well. No Silkie blood at all. It actually happened twice in Cochins from what little I've found on them, once in a hatchery line of Reds and one in a breeder's line of Blacks. Generally speaking, this is why silkied Red Cochin bantams aren't as nicely typey as the silkied Blacks and closely 'related' colors like the Blues I posted above.

And for the record I'm always happy to help people find them if they really want them!

Wow! That’s pretty cool! Do you also breed the reds? Or just blue.