I'm looking for some pointers on breeding chickens. I've kept a flock for a few years now. Last year I had a hen hatch some chicks and this year I incubated a few in an incubator. I really like the look of some of these chicks and would like to develop a breed or just a predictable outcome over time. My problem is all the chicks look different. There is one which I would just like to duplicate over and over. Breeding her would obviously not produce chicks exactly like her. Is there some guide on breeding chickens and maybe getting certain colors? Or how does one breed for something that isn't there. Like a longer tail or a smaller comb? Is the only way to do this to hatch many many chicks, grow them up and then choose among them?
What I am trying to do is breed a "streamlined" wild-type chicken, mainly for aesthetics, (cold)hardiness and one that is also a good egg producer. I will be hatching marans and have an araucana and would be interested what egg color traits they eventually settle with. There are so many traits to breed for but like i said how does one breed for something that isn't there?
What I am trying to do is breed a "streamlined" wild-type chicken, mainly for aesthetics, (cold)hardiness and one that is also a good egg producer. I will be hatching marans and have an araucana and would be interested what egg color traits they eventually settle with. There are so many traits to breed for but like i said how does one breed for something that isn't there?