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.
To accomplish this, a breeder must:
- Be knowledgeable in the areas of selective breeding, health care and disease prevention
- Be properly educated in the areas of modern day general management practices
- Be knowledgeable of the bird’s purpose (reason for which it was created), and the origins and history of the breed, and its evolutionary development
The difficulty of maintaining a breed: Contrary to popular belief, it is not easy to raise and breed superior fowl. In fact, it is extremely complex. Although there are many who think it’s as simple as putting a cock with some hens, it takes a great breeder to know which cock should be bred with which hen(s).
This lack of experience and understanding has an enormous effect on the breed as a whole. You don’t have to look very far to see evidence of this fact. American Games are a good example of the difficulty that is involved in maintaining a breed.
American Games suffer from problems that are caused by a lack of great breeders, who have the ability to create great strains, and the lack of respect among other chicken breeders, not to mention the perception the general public has about the breed. American Games also lack support from poultry organizations, such as the American Poultry Association. Needless to say, it has been an uphill battle to maintain and preserve the breed.
We don’t need breeders who are only interested in producing large quantities of fowl; we need breeders who are interested in producing great strains, birds that are good representatives of the breed.
Let’s clarify wannabe breeders from true breeders
Many claim to be breeders, but don’t know the first thing about breeding: Its funny, but everybody who raises fowl believes they are a true breeder. The truth is, only a small percentage of those who breed fowl know what they are doing. To make matters worse that percentage drops considerably when you include Master Breeders. With such a discrepancy as to who the real breeders are, there is no wonder we have confusion within our ranks.
We begin with the Master Breeders: These breeders are dedicated to the craft of perpetuating great fowl. They put all their time and effort into learning everything possible about breeding (including genetics), health care and disease prevention, and nutrition (including feedstuffs and supplements), and good farm management practices. They apply what have learned to achieve specific results, striving ever closer towards perfection with every breeding.
It is because of this devotion to perfection that they have proven their worth and achieved a definite level of authority amongst their peers. These breeders are important because they not only maintain their chosen breeds, but they progress the breeds for future generations, and they show others how to do the same. These breeders are known as the experts in our field, and account for less than 1% of all breeders.
Then we have the apprentices. These breeders are important because of their willingness to learn what it takes to breed and raise great fowl. Some read books, while others search for good mentors. These are the beginners, or Amateurs Breeders in our field, and account for about 14% of all the breeders.
And the rest, I like to call them the “85%er’s”: It’s interesting, but once you get past the Master Breeder and Amateur Breeder status, the quality of breeder drops considerably. This is a bit unsettling, for the fact that the majority of all breeders don’t know what they are doing. In fact, these are individuals who know nothing about breeding, but think they are breeders. They neither read nor search out good mentors. Instead, they follow their friends, who in most cases, depend on “old wives tales” and “superstitions,” and in many cases, undisciplined speculation. These individuals account for about 65% of all breeders.
Don’t get me wrong, some of the best breeders are speculators to some extent, however, there is a big difference between someone who operates through guesswork and someone who uses well thought-out theory’s based on scientific knowledge and proven breeding principles. One has no foundation or system to follow, while the other is methodical and systematic. One operates by chance or trial and error, while the other is guided by science.
The other 20% or so, that produce fowl each year, are those who do it unintentionally, or by accident. These breeders contribute to the breed, but not in a beneficial way. The fowl they produce could trickle into our established bloodlines and by doing so they introduce traits that don’t belong. Although they only account for 20% of all breeders, and only 1% of the fowl they produce ever make it into the mainstream, they could have a devastating influence on the breed as a whole.
I admit that the percentage is low, however, all it takes is the introduction of one bad trait to ruin a strain.
It is important for every breeder to know the ancestry of every bird they breed, especially if the birds come from unknown sources.
I would place the lower 85%, who breed and perpetuate fowl, into four separate categories. I refer to these breeders as – “the ignorant breeder,” “the neglectful breeder,” “the mixer,” and “the accidental breeder.” Let’s discuss them now:
- The first type is what I call “the ignorant breeder.”They will select and breed a cock to a hen, but will not take the time to learn the basics, such as genetics, breeding methods and record keeping. They don’t understand the breed or their structure and makeup, so they don’t know which traits are important and which traits should be culled. They have a general idea of the proper conformation of body and color of plumage, but they are unaware of the defects that are common with that breed. In short, they have no idea how to improve and maintain the breed. These breeders tend to move towards the crossbreeding category because they don’t get the desired results and become discouraged with the status quo.
- The second type is what I call “the neglectful breeder.”They will concentrate their effort on a particular trait, but will neglect traits that are extremely important. Or they will select a bird, that overall looks great, but expresses a serous defect. They select traits, with the hope of improving the family or strain, but they don’t cull traits that are harmful to the future of the family or strain.
- The third type, I call “the mixer.”These breeders use crossbreeding as their main method of breeding. They resist any and all methods used to create, improve, and maintain strains. They gravitate towards the quick and easy method for producing fowl. If you were to ask them what they thought of creating and maintaining pure lines or families, they would tell you there is no such thing as pure. These breeders prefer quantity above quality. You will also find that these breeders tend to drift towards superstitions and “old wives tales.” Breeders such as these are easy to identify by the number of breeds or strains that they raise. I would stay clear of anybody that breeds and raises more than three strains. Peddlers fall into this category.
- The fourth type is “the accidental breeder.”These individuals raise fowl, but for the joy of having some birds around the house. They don’t have any aspirations to maintain a strain or to produce offspring. However, the offspring that are produced, due to a lack of flock management practices, are accidental. The fowl these individuals produce can have devastating effects on the breed, because they find their way into the system (other breeders bloodlines), but are not standard bred.
The three most dangerous breeders
I’m not going to say “my way is the only way,” I’m sure there are breeders out there who are achieving great results using other methods of breeding. However, there are three types of breeders, practicing particular ideologies, which I believe can have a devastating effect on the breed as a whole. This is a dilemma that concerns me very much, as it should concern you as well. In the following paragraphs I will discuss their breeding practices, and what I believe is the eventual result of those practices.
The firstbelieves in combining the traits of two separate and distinct breeds, such as American Games and Aseels, each having contrasting characteristics and traits, with the hopes that the traits of both breeds will be expressed in the offspring. Not having a basic knowledge of genetics, and knowing the effects of dominant and recessive traits, seldom do they get the results they are looking for.
I have no problem with those who use crossbreeding to achieve superior performance, but I do have a problem with these hybrid crosses being used as brood fowl. These breeders are unaware that the results they are getting are not from the combination of traits, but from hybrid vigor. And when they breed to hybrid crosses, the results are unpredictability in the offspring and ultimately a transformation of the breed.
These breeders are oblivious to the science and practice of selective breeding and that there is a better and more proper way to get the results they are looking for. Thanks to men like Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin, as well as, advances in modern science, especially in the areas of evolutionary biology, we now have a better understanding of the Laws Selective Breeding. It is time to step out of the Dark Ages of breeding and start practicing proven principles.
The second type of breederthinks they can mix the traits of two separate strains, such as Hatch and Sweater, and produce offspring expressing the best of both strains. They attempt this by breeding two separate strains of the same breed, but one is known for its superior performance ability, while the other has exceptional conformation of body. It is their belief that when the two strains are crossed, and the traits of each strain are combined, they will produce offspring having superior performance ability and an exceptional conformation of body. Again, this is wishful thinking.
Once you understand genetics, you will realize that specific biological laws dictate the inheritance of traits, and that traits are not mixed, but that some traits are expressed, while others are passed but remain hidden. To further complicate things, some traits can disappear entirely. If they happen to achieve the desired results, in most cases, it’s due to hybrid-vigor, not the mixing and recombination of genes.
It’s important to know that a substandard bird is a deficient bird, and a bird that has defects, is a defective bird. A bird that lacks in any traits, whatsoever, is substandard. A breeder should never breed a family of fowl that is dependent on another family of fowl to fix their faults. It’s the job of each breeder to make sure every strain on his farm is as complete as possible.
The third type of breederthat concerns me most is the breeder who believes that performance overrides all other factors. They place no importance on conformation of body, color of plumage, or temperament. Even defects are tolerated if the bird performs with excellence.
This type of breeder believes in the idea that winning is everything, and preaches, with conviction, the axiom – “As long as they’re winning, nothing else matters.” This kind of thinking can be very dangerous for the future of the breed, for the reason that the bird is performing well despite its defects or deficiencies. There are no guarantees his offspring will have the same ability to overcome their faults and perform well.
If this method of selection is practice by enough breeders, it could have a harmful effect on the structure of the breed. This way of thinking could be detrimental to the breed as a whole.
Here is a conversation I had on Facebook, with one of my readers. This was his response after reading my weekly newsletter, “The three most dangerous breeders.”
Reader: I read your newsletter, and I agree with you on all but one thing, some of the best breeders in the country breed Orientals to American Games. The great Bobby Boles being one. If you’re breeding to create battle-fowl then only one thing matters – are you producing winners at a high parentage? To me there is a difference between battle-fowl and brood fowl.
Kenny Troiano: Hey Brock, I can understand your point of view, however, to put this in perspective, battle-fowl are nothing more than hybrid crosses. I think we all can agree on that. It becomes a problem when you decide to put that hybrid cross in the brood pen. I believe a well-bred family does not need to be crossed to produce great fowl, and that, everything that is achieved by crossbreeding can be achieved through line-crossing. This is the breeding of related lines, both from the same family or strain.
Reader: Yes, but the whole reason for crossing is to make battle-fowl, and to put a trait that the pure family is lacking, which will make your battle-crosses perform better than the pure fowl, at least that is the goal of crossing.
Kenny Troiano: That is the goal, but the fact is, genetics and the passing of traits, and the expression of those traits operates much differently than most think. The results they are getting are from hybrid vigor, not from the recombination and exchanging of traits. The truth is, crossbreeding is the lazy way of producing superior performance, and can be destructive to the breed.
Reader: I do agree that you don’t breed to battle-crosses, but I don’t battle brood fowl, at least I don’t like to, because in my experience crosses perform better than pure.
Kenny Troiano: Your pure fowl would do much better if you would create multiple lines within the same family and line-cross between the two lines. Trust me, this works much better than crossing unrelated strains. And the best part is, if you like how they perform, you can include them in your breeding program.
Breeding practices such as these only demonstrate how ignorant and inexperienced these breeders actually are. They rely on “Old Wives Tales” and “Superstitions.” Creating and producing superior, high quality fowl will always elude them. If they should ever be lucky enough to acquire some, they will not maintain that level for very long. Breeders who think and practice in this manner will never reach the statue of Master Breeder, nor will they gain the respect of their peers. Without the proper knowledge and knowhow, to put these principles to practice, they will never reach the highest levels of success.
Within a few years they will become discouraged, lose interest, and quit. If they should persist, eventually they will blame the person they got their birds from, never taking responsibility for their actions. They will blame everyone but themselves. To satisfy their insatiable need to have something better, right now, they will spend their days looking for new blood.
I believe that until they are satisfied with what they have, and are willing to commit to one family, in addition to taking the time to learn this craft properly, they shouldn’t be breeding and perpetuating fowl at all. I want to see those who care about the breed, and the future of the breed, to take the lead. I want to see those who are proficient at breeding high quality fowl to take care of all the breeding.
Until we understand, as a group, that it’s the total package we should perpetuate, such as, conformation of body, temperament, and ability, and yes, even their feather plumage, the breed as a whole will never improve. By selecting fowl, all having a complete package, we produce offspring that are true representatives of the breed.
As a family, your fowl must be well rounded and have great uniformity. Why is this important? It is important for the reason that each and every trait has a strong connection with other traits. Favor performance ability, while neglecting conformation of body, and you will ruin your fowl! All factors are important, and it is the complete bird that you should strive towards.
As lovers of American Games, we must become breeders again, and take responsibility for the fowl we produce.
Breeding can be a challenging undertaking, but with the basic knowledge and understanding of the principles and practices of selective breeding, not to mention lots of patience, progress can be made.
