Line breeding is a form of in-breeding where maximum use is made of one outstanding individual. The rotational mating of a large, closed flock is what is necessary to keep a very good strain going. Line breeding is what went on before. Imagine if you have bought a trio, have bred a good bunch and one of the cockerels has won some Best in Show awards. The obvious next step is to breed from him, and the following year to breed from him and his daughters. If he lives that long, continue with his grand-daughters and great grand-daughters. You will gradually be building up the numbers so that by the time the original champion goes off to the great free-range in the sky, you will have enough birds to switch to the rotational system above. This, with careful selection and some luck will be the foundation of a succession of future champions. The aim of breeding for the shows should not be a Holy Grail style quest for the perfect specimen, but rather many years of regularly being ‘in the cards’ at the shows.
This is what I want to do with my Cochin rooster and his pullets if I can keep him from killing me. I may catch him and cut his spurs off like I do the dogs toe nails.
If I did this I would have to live another 10 years to really get a good line going.
About Me
- patsy
- born in arkansas, lived here all my life, 75 years old. keep chickens and I like to read.
3 comments:
Patsy, we do this with the sq. dogs. Not direct but in line and it helps produce an offspring like you want when the dogs in line are what you want. More of the pups will be what you want. They do this in all animals...cattle, horses, etc.
Yes years ago I used to breed Poms.I had a real nice little male about 4 pounds. Everything about him was fine. I had a little female about 3 lbs...Really smaller than you would like to breed but she had a great line behind her...I bred her to my little male I had to have a c section on her but got 2 fine little pups....these pups often weigh 2 oz and are about the size of a small mouse....The 2 pups looked great I sold the little male for I think 700. I kept the female. She was a little bigger than her Mama just under 5 lbs....when she was old enough I bred her back to her Daddy. When it was time for her to whelp I stayed with her, In the middle of the night a head started to come out, It was almost as big as the Mama's head! I knew I was in big trouble. I could not get that pup out.the vet pulled out a dead pup about 3 hours later. The pup weighed over a pound....That was the LAST time I line bred.....
So don't you get problems with in breeding?
Post a Comment