The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Breeding
Breeding Procedure Question
Holiday Hatch:
The way I started my flock is as follows; and I would like advice if this is good or bad policy.
I started with hatching eggs. From that hatch, I separated out the cockerel from the pullets and put them into two groups.
I got eggs from second breeder and kept only one cockerel to put with the pullets in the above group.
I got eggs from a third breeder and kept one pullet which I put with the cockerel in the above group.
I was working with stock from 3 different breeders.
Out of the chicks I got from the above crossings, I've taken the best cockerel from one group and plan to cross him with the pullets from the other group.
Is this crossing procedure too closely related? Would I be better off bringing in an outside cockerel and do line breeding in the future?
Thanks for the help - Linda
John:
--- Quote ---Out of the chicks I got from the above crossings, I've taken the best cockerel from one group and plan to cross him with the pullets from the other group.
Is this crossing procedure too closely related?
--- End quote ---
I don't think so and it sounds like a good plan.
My personal opinion is to start with the best quality stock of the variety you want from one source. Then develop two or more (more is better) breeding groups (stains/lines) from them, crossing cockerels from one group over the hens/pullets in the other as you said. Close breeding without breeding siblings or parents with offspring, after that first year, is my suggestion.
My concern would be crossing birds, of the same variety, from different breeders/sources. Generally it won't be a problem, but not every strain of a variety is necessarily built on the same e-locus genes or made up of the same genes from there on up. Outcrosses of birds from two show quality lines may reveal some traits that neither displayed. This is more apt to happen with some varieties than others.
Holiday Hatch:
Close breeding without breeding siblings or parents with offspring, after that first year, is my suggestion.
Thank you for the feedback John. I have Wheaten/Blue Wheaten. Per your above statement, I know not to do siblings, but I thought father to daughter and son to mother is good practice.
John:
--- Quote ---I thought father to daughter and son to mother is good practice.
--- End quote ---
It is to set a trait that you see in the parent bird, but other than that I wouldn't do it as a regular breeding practice.
Holiday Hatch:
There's so much I need to learn and I appreciate the input. My concern was the gene pool I'm working with from 3 breeders stock wasn't big enough. Because with those original hatching eggs, one cross beek chick hatched which I never used for breeding. I've had a couple of very slight cross beeks hatch since which I've culled. I thought crossing the lines the way I did might have caused that. Any more thoughts on this are appreciated. Linda
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