Woes of selling potentially good Roos for my project

[rascal66]

You did the right thing. The most common pitfall in selective breeding anything is trying to keep too many because of indecision. The animals end up being too crowded, they develop poorly and are sickly. If you stick with it, other birds like the ones you miss now will come along.

I appreciate your words! Very true when it comes down to keeping too many. We haven't started hatching yet for the season, but I'm very excited to see the next generation of genetics!

 

[raingarden]

I appreciate your words! Very true when it comes down to keeping too many. We haven't started hatching yet for the season, but I'm very excited to see the next generation of genetics!

Selective breeding has always been tedious and difficult. But it has become more complicated in the last decade because they discovered epigenetics.

Epigenetics is a process where the parent's nutrition, physical fitness and health puts temporary markers on it's DNA that influence subsequent generations to be like them. They still have basicaly the same DNA but turn out better than others of their type. It sort of upends the whole nature versur nurture discussion. You'll have to read about it.

Anyway, this means that you not only have to carefully select and grow enough offspring to become the next generation, you have to give them the best possible care as they develop. When you accomodate epigenetics, the space requirements for a selective breeding project increases a lot. Maybe double.

 

[troyer]

How interesting!! I think that's also roughly more or less what we hatch here too! I'm a sucker for easter eggers, so I'm curious about what she's after in the birds (or is it just egg color?) I remember a looong time ago when I just started learning about chicken breeds, the cubalaya peeked my interest a bit. They seem rare though? Good luck with your project

Her main focus is colorful eggs.