By Kenny Troiano
Copyright © 2020 by Kenny Troiano/Maximus Troy Publications
If we were to examine the wide variety of fowl that exist today, we would see that they span the spectrum of our imagination. We have fowl of a variety of forms, functions, and beauty. We have fowl of every color and combination of colors and types. We have them separated into classes, breeds, varieties and strains. We have perfected and standardized them, and we even have a book that documents their exact makeup and place of origins, it’s called, “the Standard of Perfection,” published by the American Poultry Association.
To fully understand what constitutes a strain, we must first recognize that all breeds of domestic chickens and gamefowl, that exist today, owe their origins to the Wild Red Junglefowl of South East Asia, and that they are the product of selective breeding.
For every breed, there are many varieties, within every variety, there are individual strains. Each strain is the result of one man’s vision, and his attempt to perfect and perpetuate fowl that are uniquely linked to him, with the hopes of securing his legacy for future generations. If successful, he has the power to change and improve the breed.
In the creation and improvement of a strain, a breeder will begin with Seed Fowl, usually a cock from one strain and a hen from another. From mere Seed Fowl, he will establish a foundation in which to build his bloodline. As the bloodline takes shape, and becomes more and more uniform, a strain (family) is created. He will breed this strain for many generations, only adding outside blood when absolutely necessary. And by culling any, and all, defective individuals, and selecting the superior individuals from the top ten percent of the available progeny, and culling the rest, he will continue to improve his strain. If successful, his fowl will have very distinguishable, and easily recognizable traits, that make them uniquely different compared to other strains (families) within the same breed and variety of fowl.
To be a true strain (family) they must be well put together, having good conformation of body and color of plumage. They must also have good temperament, and superior performance capabilities.
A true strain must also have the ability to reproduce and pass their qualities onto their offspring, which means they must be bred in-line from a common ancestor, preferably from a highly superior cock or hen.
How to know if you have a true strain? The creation of a strain is accomplished by taking a group of birds, all belonging to the same breed and variety, all sharing the same characteristics and traits, of form and function, but, selectively breeding them so that they have special qualities that stand out from all the rest.
The way to know if you have a true strain is when all your fowl come uniform and consistent in all their characteristics and traits, year after year, generation after generation. When you go into other people’s yards, that happen to raise your fowl, you should be able to easily recognize fowl originating from you.
What if I were to buy a strain from another breeder? If you were to purchase an established strain from a well-known breeder, other breeders should be able to easily recognize the origins of those fowl.
That’s the idea; to create a strain of fowl that are uniquely different from all the rest, but still retains the important qualities and traits related to their breed and variety. For instance, they will like American Game black-breasted reds but they will be easily recognized as originating from you.
How common are true strains? There are but a few well-established strains in this country, and that’s a shame. Reason being, most breeders are using crossbreeding as their main method of breeding, introducing new blood at every opportunity. Genetic diversity is at an all-time high.
A strain can only be created by practicing methods, such as inbreeding and line-breeding, which most breeders are hesitant to practice. They let the fear of “Inbreeding Depression” discourage such practices.
The truth is, the development of a strain is an incredibly simple and ingenious concept. In fact, the best breeders in the world have been known to breed and maintain the same family of birds for over fifty years, never adding outside blood of any kind. The thing that all great breeders share in common is that they all have solid breeding programs. Their breeding plans are well thought out, from start to finish. They keep a tightly closed yard, and they select wisely, and cull ruthlessly.
How long will it take to create a strain? Results vary with each breeder, but for most breeders, if they make good decisions, and take good care of their fowl, it usually takes about five to ten years to create a family that is uniform and consistent in all their characteristics and traits. Five years to evaluate their potentiality, such as their genetic manipulability and eventual formability, and ten years to “fix” or “set” their characteristics and traits, which would make them a true strain.
With that in mind, I always wonder why so many breeders keep jumping from one strain to another, or they will cross (or infuse) the blood of unrelated birds into their bloodlines, continually upsetting their gene pool. It seems strange, but it never occurs to them that the road to success is accomplished through careful selection of favorable traits, and ruthless culling of harmful or detrimental traits, and not the continual modifications to their gene pool.
Progress may be slow, but with proper selection, your fowl will improve. The introduction of new blood will give short time success, but the results are usually not lasting, and in many cases disastrous.
