There is a lot of confusion in this area. I see so many breeders calling their Foundation Fowl “Seed Fowl”, and calling their Seed Fowl “Foundation Fowl.” To make matters worse, they skip any and all regards or reference to the fowl in the middle, the fowl in the Transitional Stage, which I call my Transitional Fowl. It is my hope that by clearing up the description and meaning of the three stages, you will better understand their function and purpose throughout the Founders Program.
WHAT ARE “SEED” FOWL?
This is the beginning of your breeding program. In most cases, you will be starting out with birds that are unrelated, maybe even crosses. For instance, the cock may be a pure Hatch that comes from one breeder, and the hen may be a pure Sweater that comes from another breeder. Or, both, cock and hen, may be far from pure, and be hybrid crosses. Also, they can both be of the same breed and variety, but the fact they come from different breeders, means they are not related. Either way, these 2 birds (seed cock and seed hen) are the fowl you have decided to start your breeding program with, and create your new strain.
I like to use the biblical origins of creation, genesis, and that of Adam and Eve. It seems fitting in a way. We are creating a new strain, therefore, the cock and hen we select to begin the process will be our Adam and Eve.
The other term that will be used in this process is “Seed Fowl.” As with crop farmers, they plant their seeds, water the fields, and grow their crops. They even select the best fruit and vegetables to collect their seeds for future crops. In time, the plant, or strain improves. This is true for chickens too, and is very fitting here.
The Seed Fowl have one purpose, to begin the process of creating your new strain. Therefore, they must be as perfect and high quality as possible. Do they need to be pure? No. But they cannot have any genetic defects or faults, they cannot be sickly or substandard.
WHAT ARE “TRANSITIONAL” FOWL?
These are descendants of the Seed Fowl, but are not yet fixed in their characteristics and traits, which means they are not ready to be replicated. There is still quite a bit of variation amongst the offspring (conformation, color, temperament, and performance ability, etc). Therefore, they still need some improvement before they can be considered a true strain. It is at this time, you will see the most progress. It is at this time you will also be tempted to add or infuse outside blood. Don’t do it!
Many breeders fail, because they don’t understand this stage of the Founders Program, or any other breeding programs. This is where strains are made or lost. If you saw the fowl I started with, in the creation of my Maximus Line, you would be shocked! (include pic of before and after). Not only were my Seed Fowl flawed, but there were many transformations on their journey to becoming a strain. Many times, I was tempted to add or infuse new or outside blood.
WHAT ARE “FOUNDATION” FOWL?
The term Foundation Strain is so misunderstood, mostly because there are very few breeders that have true Foundation Strains. We see evidence of this when we visit their farms. They have multiple breeds (Names), nothing looks uniform or consistent, and they use terms like ¼ of this, and ¾ of that to describe their family of fowl. Or, they have strains that express multiple alleles of the same trait.
Purity of blood is avoided or misunderstood, and it shows in their fowl. They use line-breeding, and only line-breeding, for a few generations, and then infuse outside blood to “refresh” the blood. The truth is, you cannot create a pure strain, without keeping the strain closed, and using a proper breeding program. This is what the Founders Program is all about.
So, what is a Foundation Strain? These are fowl that are good representatives of their breed and variety, and come uniform and consistent as a strain. They have been family bred for multiple generations, and when bred, the offspring are extremely predictable in all their characteristics and traits. There are no surprises.
There’s a lot of great nuggets of information that I know you will not want to miss.
Join the Breeders Academy and get the complete package of Show Notes, Pictures, and Bonus Materials.
You can also learn more about our breeding program, called the “Founders Program,” in the Breeders Academy.
