It is the responsibility of every breeder to be a good representative and protector of their breed, safeguarding their integrity, maintain their standard of excellence, and continue to improve his strain. It is every breeder’s responsibility to inspire new breeders to preserve their breed for future generations.
Bred to Perfection – Ep1 – Welcome to the show!
As you know we have created a new podcast show called “Bred to Perfection.”This show was created for two reasons, to inspire a new generation of breeders and to hopefully give you greater insight into all aspects of selective breeding.
ARE THEY PURE?
Are they pure? It’s quite easy to pick out traits that are dominant, but difficult to determine the purity of that trait. For instance, pea-comb is dominant over single-comb, and white legs are dominant over yellow legs, which in turn is dominant over green legs. And let’s not forget that Silver/Grey feathering is always dominant over Red feathering. But can you tell, just by looking at a bird, whether it is pure or mixed? Strangely enough you can, but only if the expresses traits are recessive.
THE ENVIRONMENT HAS A POWERFUL INFLUENCE
A change in environment (location, climate, soil, and food source) has the power to create many biological variations, first, in the form of phenotype variants, and eventually affecting genotype. This is especially true when it comes to the characteristics of our fowl. For example, a new environmental condition can change the way a bird develops, and in time, those changes can become permanent. A new environment can also create genetically induced variations, such as sports and mutations. While some of these changes are beneficial, there are many that can be detrimental to the strain.
ACCLIMATIZATION
Preparing fowl for a new environment is as important as the fowl themselves. They must adapt easily and quickly to be successful, and there are many things you can do to help them in the process.