Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Cross
is taking two strains and using a male from one and a female from the other
and mating them.
Outcross
means introducing unrelated genetic material into a breeding line.
Dominant
means a trait that always shows or expresses itself when it is present in
either the homozygous or heterozygous condition.
Recessive
means a trait that only shows or expresses itself when it occurs in the
homozygous condition.
Incompletely dominant
is neither dominant nor recessive, but a blending of the
two alleles for the trait.
Polygenic
means multiple genes involved in a trait.
Splash
is a color that occurs when a blue-to-blue mating occurs, and is usually a
faint bluish white with bluish spots.
True breeding
occurs when offspring look like their parents.
Begin feeding the birds a decent breeding ration at least three weeks before you start
saving eggs. It is sometimes a good idea to switch the feed at the same time you set up
the breeding pen, if not slightly before then. If a breeder feed is not available, add a vit-
amin and electrolyte supplement to the water. You can also purchase water additives that
increase fertility and hatchability.
Alternatively, dry dog food can do the trick in a pinch. On a small scale and with
good results, I've tried adding dog kibbles to their birds' and seen a remarkable increase
in hatch rate. I used the 27 percent protein dry dog food, added to their laying feed at a
ratio of 1:5, and mixed in with scratch grains at a ratio of 1:4. While this is not necessar-
ily a perfect ration, it does work well if you are on a small scale and do not have access
to a perfected breeder feed.
Foraging is usually not an option when you have breeding pens, as you want them
confined to keep the lines of breeding straight and pure. Greens and table scraps are al-
ways good additions to their diet, however.
Thorny Gene Traits
Entire topics are written on the inheritance of certain genetic traits, but a few exist that
even the average beginning breeder will encounter.
CHICKEN COMB STYLES
