Steinagarden
In the Brooder
- Oct 22, 2024
- 5
- 23
- 29
I am not sure I have put this thread in the right forum, admin please move it if it's the wrong place!
I wanted to share my journey as I try to create my own chicken breed. This is not something I take as a light or easy task... I know it's a lot of work and there is much patience in making it a success. I hope to be able to get input as my project develops, and that is excites other people who is eager to learn some genetics along the way. But first, some background; why make a new chicken breed when there is so much to choose from?
All of 2023 and parts of 2024 I hatched and I kept many different breeds to find out what I really like. To mention some of them; black copper marans, silkies, brahmas, sultans, paduans, amrocks... Today I have a selection of Ayam Cemani, Icelandic Chickens, Silverudds Blue, Cream Legbar and Bielefelder. I have not found a breed that gives me all the factors/qualities I want in a chickenbreed... There just is no such breed. And the worst part is that many of the pure bred chickens today is not bred to be fit and healthy. Some of them barely lay any eggs, or take long breaks in-between laying. Many of them also have really poor health.
This is my starting point; I love several of the breeds I have today, but none of them have all the qualities I am looking for. This is my main reason for starting a chicken breed project.
My future breed is called "Steinahøns". "Høns" is the norwegian word for "chickens". "Steina" is the history/original name of our farm from the 1600's. So the name is very norwegian much like the norwegian Jaerhons (Jærhøns in norwegian). And Eksjøhøns (Eksjohons) like the swedish breed.
When making a new chicken breed you need mainly three things;
- A good plan/a goal - you need to know where you're going to get there
- A understanding of what time, effort and knowledge it takes to be able to make it through
- Enough space and enough chickens to be able to breed a strong and big enough genpool for the long term aspect
That said my main goal is not to get in approved in the standard. Maybe in time if it really is a breed that people like, I will consider this, even though that's an even longer road to take. But first of all I do this for myself.
So! Now that I have that sorted out, I want to give you the breed standard as I have so far written it.
- A medium, elegant bird. Hen: 1, 5 - 2, 3 kgs. Rooster: 2-3 kgs.
- Dark brown eggs preferable with speckles
- Barred (auto-sexed)
- Buff/cream colored
- Dark melanistic skin and legs
- Single combed, fairly small/not too much comb
- Crest, not too big or enabling the chicken to see
- Overall good health, good hatching ratio, very rarely loosing chickens in early ages
- Egg laying capability of about 200-250 eggs per year
- Egg size of about 55-65 grams (preferably 60 grams)
- They could be broody, but not all the time
- I want curious outgoing chickens with enough spunk to not be very skittish, but at the same time not too much aggression in the roosters. There is a good balance in this, I have had both in different parts of the scale...I want an easy going chicken that is not too tough with other breeds as well. The mentality of animals is very much inherited, so I will definitely choose good chicken attitudes in my breeding program.
I would show you a photo of what I am thinking, if it existed. But it doesnt, so here is what inspires me, please just look at the feather color and not the type, none of them are what my end results are supposed to look like in type, but they give a good idea of the main base of my color ideas. The two last photos shows a good idea of the type and skin, and the colour is beautful, even though I might want it a little bit more gold. I also really want an even base colour without any much leakage of black.
I will keep posting about my hatchings and pairings of parents... I have a list of breeds that are planned for this. Very open for ideas and critics, I am no expert at all!! Just very very excited to try this by myself! I use kippenjungle calculator alot, I thought it would be fun to see if the calculator is pretty accurate in my breeding, or how much diversity I will get combining the different breeds I have planned to use in making this breed.
I wanted to share my journey as I try to create my own chicken breed. This is not something I take as a light or easy task... I know it's a lot of work and there is much patience in making it a success. I hope to be able to get input as my project develops, and that is excites other people who is eager to learn some genetics along the way. But first, some background; why make a new chicken breed when there is so much to choose from?
All of 2023 and parts of 2024 I hatched and I kept many different breeds to find out what I really like. To mention some of them; black copper marans, silkies, brahmas, sultans, paduans, amrocks... Today I have a selection of Ayam Cemani, Icelandic Chickens, Silverudds Blue, Cream Legbar and Bielefelder. I have not found a breed that gives me all the factors/qualities I want in a chickenbreed... There just is no such breed. And the worst part is that many of the pure bred chickens today is not bred to be fit and healthy. Some of them barely lay any eggs, or take long breaks in-between laying. Many of them also have really poor health.
This is my starting point; I love several of the breeds I have today, but none of them have all the qualities I am looking for. This is my main reason for starting a chicken breed project.
My future breed is called "Steinahøns". "Høns" is the norwegian word for "chickens". "Steina" is the history/original name of our farm from the 1600's. So the name is very norwegian much like the norwegian Jaerhons (Jærhøns in norwegian). And Eksjøhøns (Eksjohons) like the swedish breed.
When making a new chicken breed you need mainly three things;
- A good plan/a goal - you need to know where you're going to get there
- A understanding of what time, effort and knowledge it takes to be able to make it through
- Enough space and enough chickens to be able to breed a strong and big enough genpool for the long term aspect
That said my main goal is not to get in approved in the standard. Maybe in time if it really is a breed that people like, I will consider this, even though that's an even longer road to take. But first of all I do this for myself.
So! Now that I have that sorted out, I want to give you the breed standard as I have so far written it.
- A medium, elegant bird. Hen: 1, 5 - 2, 3 kgs. Rooster: 2-3 kgs.
- Dark brown eggs preferable with speckles
- Barred (auto-sexed)
- Buff/cream colored
- Dark melanistic skin and legs
- Single combed, fairly small/not too much comb
- Crest, not too big or enabling the chicken to see
- Overall good health, good hatching ratio, very rarely loosing chickens in early ages
- Egg laying capability of about 200-250 eggs per year
- Egg size of about 55-65 grams (preferably 60 grams)
- They could be broody, but not all the time
- I want curious outgoing chickens with enough spunk to not be very skittish, but at the same time not too much aggression in the roosters. There is a good balance in this, I have had both in different parts of the scale...I want an easy going chicken that is not too tough with other breeds as well. The mentality of animals is very much inherited, so I will definitely choose good chicken attitudes in my breeding program.
I would show you a photo of what I am thinking, if it existed. But it doesnt, so here is what inspires me, please just look at the feather color and not the type, none of them are what my end results are supposed to look like in type, but they give a good idea of the main base of my color ideas. The two last photos shows a good idea of the type and skin, and the colour is beautful, even though I might want it a little bit more gold. I also really want an even base colour without any much leakage of black.
I will keep posting about my hatchings and pairings of parents... I have a list of breeds that are planned for this. Very open for ideas and critics, I am no expert at all!! Just very very excited to try this by myself! I use kippenjungle calculator alot, I thought it would be fun to see if the calculator is pretty accurate in my breeding, or how much diversity I will get combining the different breeds I have planned to use in making this breed.
