Breeding

[REDCHEQHEN]

Just a curiosity question really. You have a good cock and hen but neither has ever bred anything, would you pair a son of a hen, and a hen offspring from the cock (son & daughter) not related, and do you think they would have a better chance of producing the goods, where the parents did not - or is it just pot luck?

[Wiley]

If they have never bred anything tbh I remove the whole line from the loft, nothing gets bred from unless it's done the job required, if it's a stock bird it's got to breed winners or birds to score, if it hasn't I wouldn't try anything from its children but that's just me.

[Roland]

Maybe. But think I would mate to completely unrelated birds that have 'Homed' or flew well.

 

 

Had a cracking cock bird. won as a y/b then twice to two different lofts. Won Thurso and Bergerac about 2- 3 weeks apart.

Never ever bred piperly dip. Mated to the best and worst for several years... never anything. Others thought a waste of time trying. Yet they bred good birds and often- over the years I, like many others can trace their good birds down to a line or two of a couple of pairs.

Edited June 26, 2019 by Roland

[W.D.]

Had the same problem a few years ago with a really good bird I was gifted.

Never bred any to race at all, infact they seemed a bit soft & dopey, didn't even want to fly.

One of his daughters paired to a cock I liked during the season, took a pair off them, and the birds they bred were great.

If I knew then what I know now I would have kept all his daughters for breeding from.

[W.D.]

Jack Curtiss who wrote a book on George Busschaert, looked at the way he bred his birds, and I think explains why his birds were so successful.

Basically.

If he had a good racing cock for example he would put it to as many hens as possible, then pair the young from them, half brother x half sister, to increase & retain the winning line from the cock.

[leslie24williams49]

Jack Curtiss who wrote a book on George Busschaert, looked at the way he bred his birds, and I think explains why his birds were so successful.

Basically.

If he had a good racing cock for example he would put it to as many hens as possible, then pair the young from them, half brother x half sister, to increase & retain the winning line from the cock.

Line breeding to the cock,good as anything

[W.D.]

Line breeding to the cock,good as anything

 

Jack Curtiss really looked into his breeding, and could tell which lines from certain hens gave better results than others.

[walterboswell59]

If they have never bred anything tbh I remove the whole line from the loft, nothing gets bred from unless it's done the job required, if it's a stock bird it's got to breed winners or birds to score, if it hasn't I wouldn't try anything from its children but that's just me.

me to Wiley

[Michael J Burden]

My old friend Eric Fox of Bakewell used to say that his best birds rarely ever bred anything good however he used to keep some of their children who would nearly always become good producers. If they are distance type birds try pairing to a faster type pigeon. MJB