I was thinking of buying some trios of different breeds i like. Id sell chicks and hatching eggs from them to help with feed costs. If they work out for me and i still like them id get more and expand. If they don't work for me id sell them. Would i be a breeder? Is this wrong to do in anyway?
What I normally think of as a breeder is someone who hatches out great numbers of chicks, severly culls the ones that do not meet the "standards" of the breed, and only breeds chickens that come closest to meeting those standards. They continue to improve the breed. It is fairly expensive and takes a lot of hard work, hard decisions, great record keeping, and a study of genetics. From what you posted, I'd think you are doing about what the hatcheries do, selling eggs or chicks that just conform to the general overall approximate appearance of the breed, not maintaining the standards or improving in any way. I would not consider what you are proposing to do as being a breeder. If you clearly state up front that you are not breeding to standards and advertise your hatching eggs and chicks as for pets or eggs only and not as show quality, I would not consider what you are proposing as unethical. But, in my mind, if you called yourself a breeder without severe culling and breeding to standard, I think that would be unethical. Just my opinion. Thanks for asking.
Ridge has it right a BREEDer is someone that breeds to the SOP with a mind to improving stock. Otherwise you are just producing more chickens with no real improvment plans. Whatsome call a backyard breeder but I do not. I just call it a producer. One does not have to breed tons of chicks each year to be a breeder. If your breeds are seprate and just do follow the SOP you can cull smaller numbers to the same effect. But what you are after you can make it a breeding project and just sell culls to those that want pets chickens and keep better stock or sell better stock to those that want breeder stock. BTW what you are thinking might not work because your feed cost would go up alot. Since chickens would have to be penned and kept seperated you would be feeding alot more since folks want purbred birds mostly not mixed. So count on all of that to see if it is worth it too you. Personally it is easier doing it with one breed than more and more cost effective too.
wow I didn't think of it that way... what are you planning on breeding??? I will be in the market for silkies in spring.... or maybe some other bantam breed.... pm me and we could combine an order.... I live on the IL side of QCA too!
