Wanted: Chicken Breeding 101

[ReseisCL16]

I have been thinking about starting to breed Rosecomb bantams and I have absolutely no idea how to start! I have already obtained 2 high quality hens from a breeder. What kind of housing should I set up? Are there any breeds that would be best for a novice breeder? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Kiki]

What are you wanting to breed for.....personal use/selling chicks?

 

[ReseisCL16]

Showing mostly, but also sellng chicks. Docile breeds would be best

 

[Lady of McCamley]

For start up breeding, the best thing is to get the best quality stock for parents, both hens and rooster, that you can find and/or afford. Next is to get a good quality egg incubator. You will also need a breeding pen, brooding area, and grow out area.

In small flocks, some of these can be combined (ie if you only have 1 rooster, you don't need a breeding pen).

You will need to set a lot of eggs or your efforts will be sorely truncated. Hatching small batches at a time severely restricts your ability to choose the best quality for breeding forward. (I have small acreage, and hobbyist, so I work in small batches, which means my program progresses very slowly...if I were serious about this, I would hatch in larger batches for best outcome choices).

Look at the breed standards beforehand to make sure you know what a proper bird looks like.

From that make a plan of what you want to breed for keeping health, temperament and standards in mind at all times. It is pointless to breed a pretty bird if it is unhealthy or of poor temperament.

That means you will have to take time to establish your birds before you breed from them to make sure they meet your qualifications. (Buying adult stock short cuts this process...but after that...each generation must be assessed). Generally your breeders will be at least a year old so that you can see their type and temperament, some, especially roosters, may need to be 2 years old before you see all their elements.

Breeding can be hard in that you must force yourself to keep a critical eye towards your flock and cull (re-home, sell, or kill) any bird that does not meet your standards no matter how much you personally like it. (Allow yourself some pets, but don't allow them in the breeding stock).

Start with one focus (perhaps, for example, frizzle) and work towards that goal. Introducing too many types, especially divergent (say you are working for blue as well as auto-sexing) can produce ambiguous results by producing too many variables. If you want lavender, work for lavender. If you want frizzle, work for frizzle. In time you can combine more complicated goals.

I'll ink some good genetic articles to read through, as you need to have a clear understanding of how genetics works.

Finally, as to your breed choice, I'm not overly familiar with bantams as I work with larger fowl, but I do know that bantam Cochin are both beautiful, sweet tempered, do well in confinement (important unless you have acreage), and overall hardy. You will likely need to do some vent trimming as the fluffier types can have trouble with fertilization if overly fluffy. Cochin have some really great colors to work toward, such as mille fleur, as well as frizzle. They also are popular in shows and in general which makes it easier to sell. (A lot of 4H kids start with bantam Cochin.)

Good luck with your endeavors. Keep us posted here at BYC. (Find your breed thread for support and encouragement).

LofMc

https://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/category/chickens/genetics-mini-series/page/3/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/books-and-siites-on-poultry-genetics.940222/ (I found post #4 especially helpful as well as the "Laws Governing the Breeding of Standard Fowl" by Card.)

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I had Rosecombs but wasn't going to have time to start a breeding program so I sold them. They are great birds. All the info posted is great and very good advice (except the Cochin, frizzle, fluffy vent stuff lol)

 

[Lady of McCamley]

LOL...I agree...frizzle isn't for everyone. (I personally prefer the mille fleur pattern in Cochin...I love my spotted ladies).

One thing I should have also mentioned...and this sounds cold and hard but has been reinforced to me several times over by serious breeders...cull (spelled k.i.l.l.) any bird that is unthrifty if you are breeding for good stock.

Don't waste time trying to treat anything other than seasonally treating parasites (internal/external), no matter how much money you spent to get them or how hopeful they were to your program. Sickly birds produce sickly prone offspring.

And always choose the naturally resistant and naturally healthy stock to breed forward.

Otherwise, you will be on a constant spiral downward with intervening drugs and methods resulting in weak, poor stock.

LofMc

 

[ReseisCL16]

WOW, you have no idea how helpful this is to me! Thank you so much!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

You are very welcome. Good luck on your project.
LofMc