Breeding a calm hen

[Jayteetee]

Hello all,
Having trouble locating threads on this topic.

I have a beautifully calm & docile barnevelder chick. From the day she hatched she has enjoyed being held and loves snuggles. She’s incredibly relaxed to the point where sometimes I’m concerned that she’s sick. Her weight & growth is tracking along nicely though.

I’ve had experience raising Polish, pekin, sussex, Plymouth rocks & barnevelder chicks and I’ve never come across a chick like this.

I had never considered breeding but because she has a lovely temperament/nature, I’ve been thinking about it. Do chicken genetics work the same? Would her offspring be likely to inherit her calm temperament? Is it equal parts of mum & dad?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Hello all,
Having trouble locating threads on this topic.

I have a beautifully calm & docile barnevelder chick. From the day she hatched she has enjoyed being held and loves snuggles. She’s incredibly relaxed to the point where sometimes I’m concerned that she’s sick. Her weight & growth is tracking along nicely though.

I’ve had experience raising Polish, pekin, sussex, Plymouth rocks & barnevelder chicks and I’ve never come across a chick like this.

I had never considered breeding but because she has a lovely temperament/nature, I’ve been thinking about it. Do chicken genetics work the same? Would her offspring be likely to inherit her calm temperament? Is it equal parts of mum & dad?

I'd say it's equal parts mom and dad, maybe erring more towards dad. But chicks raised by a hen will definitely learn from her, especially if she considers humans a danger. They'll grow up literally running from humans.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Yes, chickens can definitely inherit temperament. That’s why it’s not recommended to breed an aggressive rooster, for example. So I say go for it and try breeding her. You’d have to find a calm rooster though too.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do chicken genetics work the same? Would her offspring be likely to inherit her calm temperament? Is it equal parts of mum & dad?

There has long been a debate about how much is nature (genetics) and how much is nurture (How they are raised), with humans as well as animals. To me it is both and will vary between individuals as to which dominates.

But yes, chicken genetics work the same. With the sex linked genes the girls get more genes from their father than they do from their mother but I have no idea how many of these may relate to personality or behaviors. If you want a rooster that immediately attacks any other rooster, breed a rooster that immediately attacks any rooster he sees. If you want hens that go broody a lot hatch eggs from a hen that goes broody a lot. It helps if the rooster hatched from an egg laid by a hen that goes broody a lot. He passes on those genetics too.

There are a lot of different genes that make up a chicken's personality. Some are dominant, some recessive, some partially dominant, some only act if another particular gene is present. That genes can be mixed in many different ways giving you many different results. You will not get a guarantee that pullets hatched from her eggs will share her personality but you have a greater chance of getting a calm one from her than one that is not calm.

 

[Jayteetee]

There has long been a debate about how much is nature (genetics) and how much is nurture (How they are raised), with humans as well as animals. To me it is both and will vary between individuals as to which dominates.

But yes, chicken genetics work the same. With the sex linked genes the girls get more genes from their father than they do from their mother but I have no idea how many of these may relate to personality or behaviors. If you want a rooster that immediately attacks any other rooster, breed a rooster that immediately attacks any rooster he sees. If you want hens that go broody a lot hatch eggs from a hen that goes broody a lot. It helps if the rooster hatched from an egg laid by a hen that goes broody a lot. He passes on those genetics too.

There are a lot of different genes that make up a chicken's personality. Some are dominant, some recessive, some partially dominant, some only act if another particular gene is present. That genes can be mixed in many different ways giving you many different results. You will not get a guarantee that pullets hatched from her eggs will share her personality but you have a greater chance of getting a calm one from her than one that is not calm.

Woah! Thank you for the information. It makes sense! We probably won’t breed her because we’d need to find a good rooster & better equip ourselves to manage the process. She is so delightful & it would be nice to share her genetics.