AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Unlike plants, where you can take cuttings and propagate an exact copy, chickens have to be bred from 'seed'
Any breeding plan of any worth is looking to replicate the example of the best bird you have. The youngsters must be as good or better than the original bird/birds. You may be looking to improve on a line/strain you already have, so knowing what to look for to correct a fault will help.

If you mate two unrealated birds the resulting chicks will carry 50% of the genes from both birds involved.

Start with a Rooster that is good example of the breed ( Rooster because some breeds carry genetic make-up for egg colour and egg numbers and other idents) and the best pullet/hen you can find and breed from just those 2. If you use more than 1 female you will not know which chick came from which hen, unless you bag or cage hatch the eggs in an incubator and if you don't have the equipment it's difficult to do.
You will know the 'pedigree' of the chicks, but unless you have the history of the original pair your breeding blind.

You need to follow the progress of the chicks very carefully. Note those who feather up fast (usually the pullets).
Any grower that shows any sign of weakness or gets left behind the others in weight gain disgard. You must be prepared to do this or you will end up with many more to feed and look after than have room for.

At sexual maturity (pol) and when the male birds are in full feather (not totally adult feathers yet, as that can take 18 months depending on breed) select the very best pullet and to do this you must know to what standard the breed has. She is your top pullet. If there are any other that are as good, keep them but do not breed from them all just because you have them (I use any nice ones in the eating egg flock)

When this top pullet starts into lay you can 'trap nest' by penning her with other birds that lay a different colour egg or take a weekly/ monthly total to guesstimate he laying numbers.

Hopefully by the 2cnd season you have the original Rooster and the hen, plus a very good pullet or 2 and maybe another very good young rooster. If the young rooster isn't as good as his father in any way, disguard him as your original rooster has got life in him yet.

The best pullet carries 50% of he fathers genes and if you need to enhance the genes he gave her mate her back to him. You can still run him with hen number 1 IF the birds that you reared from them are of quality. (You need to breed hundreds to get a clearer vision of what the mixture will be from the 2 birds involved).

You could, if the young rooster is good enough mate him back to his mother (and create 2 lines) gaining off springs of 75% mothers genes.

Sibling mated (Brother /Sister) will only result in a new mix of the genes, still only 50% from each original bird. It rarely results in serious weaknesses UNLESS the weakness already exists. It will magify possitive and negative traits.

If you sib mate for more than 3 generations you start to lose size of bird and egg and end up with maybe a line doomed to failer.

I hope this helps in someway. Every breeder has thier own way of doing things, so I expect some feedback on this..Discussion is a great information highway.

That is excellent reading thanks for posting it

Is it best to start with 1 rooster and 2 or 3 hens or 2 roosters and 4 or 6 hens in different coops

Any breeding programme I start has just 1 rooster and 1 hen, as then you know exactly what the genetic make up of those 2 birds have between them. You can get a deeper look into this genetic pool, if (when mature) the resulting chicks are mated together. You would obviously only use the birds that show the best growth rates and have the most vitality. Never ever breed from a bird that has a health issue in the growing stage.
If more than 1 female were to be used you would have to guess the mother of any chick that showed promise or failer.

The rooster selected should be of the best quality, do not delude yourself into thinking you can breed good birds from bad.
Coming up with a mate for your rooster that hopefully will compliment any good points and result in off springs as good as and better than the best bird in the pen will be difficult, coming up with more than 1 near impossible.

If your just running a multi pen of birds that are just in there because they look like the same breed your going to end up feeding a load of rubbish and fooling yourself into thinking they are a wonderfull example of the breed.

Breeding pedigree poultry takes time and commitment, but I recon you Aussies can do it no worries.