CHICKEN Assessment for improving productivity

Chapter 3

Ongoing Selection of Breeding Stock

Don Schrider, Communication Director, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
This outline for selecting desirable production traits
in chickens was developed as part of an American
Livestock Breeds Conservancy pilot project to recover
breed production characteristics of endangered poultry.
These guidelines are from well-established parameters
developed by old school poultrymen, as documented
in some of the early to mid-20th century poultry texts.
This once commonplace knowledge and practice has
become unknown to most modern chicken farmers due
to the ready availability of chicks that can be purchased
from large hatcheries.

sound overall appraisal. Because there is a link between

the breed, the environmental system for which it is designed, and the products the breed is meant to produce,
selection of breeding stock should favor those animals
that excel within conditions in which the breed is meant
to be raised. In other words, when planning to use a
breed designed for range-base production, an animal
that grows quickly in confinement should not be favored over a slightly slower growing or smaller animal
that was grown on pasture. In such a case, the differences between the production systems, and not genetic
differences, may cause the differences between individuals. Comparison of individuals within the same system
does correlate, to a large extent, to selection based upon
a measure of genetic makeup, and thus breeding potential and quality.

The following information can be used by the producer

to identify birds that would be good candidates to retain
for breeding stock. Keep in mind that any bird that is
selected for breeding must also meet the established
historic standards for the breed. These historic standards
were written at a time when chicken breeds were being
used for commercial production within several production systems. Input from the top breeders of each breed
was used to establish the particulars of size and other
qualities that would produce the best specimen for the
role each breed was designed to fulfill.

In 2006 and 2007, ALBC worked with Buckeye chickens and developed a model for the recovery of production characteristics within endangered chicken breeds.
Through this work, it became clear that the key to success was in selecting birds for six basic qualities: rate
of growth, mature size, egg-laying ability, breed type,
color, and fertility and vigor.

A producer needs to retain far fewer males than females

for breeding stock. With this in mind, rigorous selection of the males is an important component to a sound,
breeding program. It should also be remembered that
adult size is controlled by the size of the female stock
undersized or otherwise poor quality females should
not be retained. Therefore it is better to hatch more
chicks from fewer hens than to retain undersized or
poor quality hens.

Basic Qualities for Selection

1. Rate of Growth Speed of weight gain influences
profitability and can indicate strength of the immune
system of the bird as well as suitability for system of
production. It is a well-documented fact that both excessively fast growing and extremely slow growing poultry
have less robust immune systems. Excessively fast
growing birds can be more prone to diseases because of
thinner gastrointestinal tracts which allow both faster
nutrient uptake as well as easier penetration by bacterial,
and possibly viral, agents. Historic level of productivity
is a good guide for optimum rate of growth for the breed
under consideration. For many of the American breeds,
historic rate of growth, i.e. the time it takes to grow to
processed size and weight, is between 12 and 18 weeks
of age with the majority of breeds falling toward to
the higher end of this range. Rate of growth must also
include fleshing; as it matters not how large and heavy a
chicken is if it has no flesh when it is processed.

Understanding the historic role of the breed being evaluated is critical to success if the breed is to serve in the
purpose for which it is designed. Dual-purpose breeds,
such as American breeds like the Buckeye, Delaware,
New Hampshire, Plymouth Rock, and Rhode Island
Red, should have equal consideration given to egg production indicators as to meat considerations in order
to retain their practical usefulness. Egg-laying breeds,
such as the Leghorn, Minorca, or Ancona, should have
more emphasis placed upon the sections of their bodies
devoted to egg production, but will still benefit from a
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CHICKEN Assessment for improving productivity

2. Mature Size The ideal weight for each breed

is outlined in the American Poultry Associations
Standard of Perfection. The figures given are an ideal
with a permissible range of plus or minus one-half
pound. It is important to remember that mature size
also refers to the fleshing in the economically important
sections of a birds body. In order to reach ideal mature
size, the bird should reach desired weight and have
ample flesh in the sections important for that breed. The
weights and body proportions given were determined
by the top poultrymen of their day, who used these
breeds commercially and identified the most productive
fowl for the systems and used this knowledge to create
the standard descriptions.

found superior overall health and production in pullets

that begin to lay at or near six months of age over those
that begin to lay at eight to nine months of age.
4. Breed Type As stated above, the American
Poultry Associations Standard of Perfection outlines
the ideal of the breed. Type is comprised of body shape
and conformation and is important because it affects
the size and shape of the internal organs and the distribution of flesh, and thus the breeds suitability for
the system of production. Breeds like the Wyandotte,
Buckeye, and New Hampshire have rather compact but
deep and wide bodies. Such bodies are ideally suited
to retaining heat, so it should be no surprise that these
breed do well in cold regions. The Leghorn, Ancona,
and especially Minorca tend to be rather longer and narrower proportionally and are well suited to hot climates,
reflecting their Mediterranean origins. But Leghorns
are also designed for egg production primarily, whereas
Buckeyes should produce eggs and meat. So breed type
is an important consideration for purpose as well as regional adaptation.

3. Egg-laying Ability Chickens that do not lay

eggs do not reproduce. Egg-laying ability is an important economic consideration fewer breeding hens are
needed to produce a given number of offspring when
the hens lay large numbers of eggs. Selection for egglaying ability is a trait of primary importance in egglaying breeds, of significant importance to dual-purpose
breeds, and of some importance even in meat producing breeds though high egg production and high rate
of growth are not completely compatible traits. Most
breeds will begin to lay at around six months of age.
It has been found that selecting for earlier production
reduces adult egg size. Rhode Island Red breeders have

5. Color You cant eat color. So why should any

consideration be placed on this trait? Color can and
does impact a breeds suitability for different systems
of production. For example, while white chickens are
healthy and will do well on pasture, white chickens are
slightly more prone to predation. Color can also be an

Notice the outline of this Rose Comb Dark Brown

Leghorn: full deep breast; long body; deeper in the
rear where the egg organs are located; and legs set in
the middle of her body. Such a hen will be productive
for many years. Photo courtesy of Paul Gilroy.

Notice the outline of this American Game hen: full large

breast; narrow, pinched saddle area (where egg organs
are located); and shallow body evenly deep. Such a
body is designed to produce large breast muscles but is
not suitable for sustained production of eggs.
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CHICKEN Assessment for improving productivity

Notice the compact body found on this Delaware. Such

a body retains heat well, but is only productive if large
capacity is maintained with exceptional width and
depth of body.

Rhode Island Red chickens maintain capacity by being

long, deep, and broad in their bodies. Notice the size of
the comb on this rooster; such a comb indicates excellent egg production for his daughters. Photo by Don
Nelson.

indicator of breed purity, and therefore an indicator of

the genes that gave the breeds the abilities for which it
is noted. Historically, individual strains sometimes had
slight differences in color which were valued for giving the ability to identify and discriminate a breeder
might recognize that a given bird was not a pure representative of a particular strain, and therefore may not
produce the desired results expected of that strain.

function as well as production, type, and feathers.

A well-known Leghorn breeder and poultry judge, Mr.
Richard Holmes, used to tell a story about a master
breeder of White Leghorns who in his early years hired
an older poultry judge to come and cull his flock. The
old judge locked himself in the poultry house and started catching and killing Leghorns. The story goes that
the discards came fast and heavy. When the judge was
finished the breeder had only one trio left out of 150
birds. The breeder later commented that from that day
forward he made progress!

6. Fertility and Vigor No animal that exhibits a

lack of vigor or good health or which proves low in
fertility should be used as breeding stock. The only exception is when salvaging a rare line, variety, or breed.
High levels of vigor and fertility are the foundation
upon which economic value is built. Both of these traits
are of the utmost importance and together they give the
breed the ability to withstand challenges including
inbreeding or disease.

Disease Resistance
The old-time breeders used to say to never use a
bird in the breeding pen that had been medicated that
year. While the bird may seem healthy, that the bird
suffered disease is one indicator of low immune function. Also, in some cases of disease, the symptoms may
have dissipated but the animal may not have completely
recovered.

Culling
An entire book could be written on culling. It is the
single most beneficial practice that poultrymen can use
to better the quality and health of their flocks. An old
saying is that the best tool you can use to improve the
quality of your birds is an axe! This applies to immune

Culling all birds that become sick is one way to

positively select for disease resistance in breeding stock
within the region in which the flock is located. Many
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CHICKEN Assessment for improving productivity

The chicken on the right has medium-sized feet and

somewhat narrow shanks. The chicken on the right
shows large feet and thick shanks a sign of vigor and
good health.

A wide back leaves more room for egg organs and

intestines. When wishing to maintain egg production
within a line, males should be appraised for width of
back as shown in this photo.

poultry breeders have found that after a few generations

of culling all sick birds, illness will no longer be found
in the flock. This practice should not be expected to
work for highly pathogenic diseases.

The Law of Ten

Quality versus quantity. It is an old breeding axiom that
improvements and high quality are found in small portions of a population. The law of ten states that in order
to find one good representative, ten must be produced;
to find one great individual, one hundred must be produced; to find one exceptional individual, one thousand
must be produced. Retaining only the top ten percent
each season will allow a breeder to make progress toward their desired goal.

Master breeder of Brown Leghorns, James P. Rines,

Jr., said many times, Your flock will have only what
you tolerate. This saying can be broadly applied to all
aspects of breeding, including disease resistance.

Vigor
Selecting for vigor requires selecting from amongst
the dominant cockerels and pullets when choosing future breeding prospects.

As ALBC began work on the Buckeyes, culling was

organized such that the best representatives from each
mating were retained so that no mating was favored
over all others, even ones that produced more superior
individuals. This approach allowed progress in productivity to be made while still retaining much needed
diversity in the breeding population. The law of ten was
also applied by retaining as breeding stock only those
individuals that made it to the top ten percent of those
produced that year. Three years of breeding represented
significant progress and overall increase in quality of
the stock produced.

Select male and females that have bright red combs

without dark tips. Dark tips can be an indicator of heart
trouble.
Select birds with bright, strong eyes with wellformed irises and correct eye color for breed. Some
diseases, such as leucosis, prevent the iris from forming
a nice round shape and may leave the eye off colored.
Very active and animated individuals are often highly
fertile and vigorous.

Some Other Breeding Points

Birds that have thick, well-fleshed shanks for their

breed tend to be more vigorous.

Monroe Babcock, creator of the Babcock B2000

commercial egg-layer, recommended using hens for
breeding that lay before 10 am. He noted that such hens
tend to lay more eggs, and are generally healthier and
long lived.

Fertility into old age and longevity are indicators of

vigor.

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CHICKEN Assessment for improving productivity

Eggs from the best layers tend to hatch as well or

better than those from poor layers.

Do not weed out different lines. Try to hatch enough

offspring from each line so that diversity may be conserved while selecting the top ten percent for retention.

Evidence indicates that breeding from only two-year

old and older hens increases longevity and reduces mortality within a strain.

Evaluate the young birds for rate of growth. For

the Buckeyes we choose 16-week weights and evaluations as ideal because this age was a good choice for
selecting potential breeders, and because the young
birds would be at or near processing age. Superior birds
should be banded for retention.

Keep track of your most productive hens. Sons from

these hens should be favored during selection and mated, when possible, to hens that lay near the top of your
flocks ability in order to produce highly productive
offspring.

Keep records of egg laying, fertility, and molting

ability of the parent stock used. Mark individuals that
excel in any of these qualities and retain for use again
in year two.

First- and second-year egg production should guide

retention. Hens with high records from these two years
should be used as long as productive.

Year Two

Malposition of chick or air cell accounts for chicks

that do not make it out of the eggshell this is highly
heritable. Cull all chicks that are unable to hatch
unassisted.

Set up matings to avoid close inbreeding and to make

good use of the genetic diversity available.
In late February appraise the hens and mark those
that have begun production and which indicate potential
superiority as appraised for egg laying ability. These
should be retained for continued use as breeders.

Overly large eggs result in chicks that have faults

such as extruded yolks and other incubator-related
weaknesses and hatchability problems. Placing too
much emphasis on large egg size can result in poor
hatchability for your flock.

Also in February, appraise the males for the potential

to pass on good capacity for egg production in their
daughters and make notes as season progresses on
fertility.

Rough, coarse comb texture can be linked to reduced

fertility.

Adult weights should be taken in March or April, as

at this time all cockerels and pullets retained from the
previous season should be approaching adult weight.
Compare weights with standard requirements for the
breed.

Applying Selection
Though there is an annual cycle to breeding, there is
also an entry point and a desired goal when improvements are needed. Below is a sample breeding plan for
dual-purpose poultry, which can be adjusted to fit the
particulars of any poultry breed.

Hatch. Again, allowing for selection of the top ten

percent. Ideally, produce 10-30 chicks per female used
so that hens can be evaluated as well as males for the
quality of their offspring.

Year One
Hatch. If attempting to make progress, it is best to
hatch in sufficient numbers to allow selection and retention of superior individuals rather than maintain the
status of the strain. By understanding the law of ten, it
is easy to see that a target of thirty offspring should be
set to simply find one good trio sixty to find two trios
to retain as breeders.

Evaluate young birds at 16 weeks of age. Mark superior individuals and compare to last years appraisals.

In the first year, selection should be harder on male

offspring than females when starting from a small
group. In the Buckeye work, the first year produced
only five pullets thus all five had to be retained as
breeders for the following spring.

Throughout the year make note of egg laying, fertility, and molting ability of parent stock.

During the late summer, observe the molting of

the adult birds. Make note of individuals that molt in
late August or September and those that drop all their
feathers at once. Preference should be given to these
individuals.

Cull parent stock as necessary to retain quality for

egg production, rate of growth, fertility, and diversity
while fitting flock size to facilities.

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CHICKEN Assessment for improving productivity

Appraise all retained breeders for proper type for

breed special emphasis should be placed that females
have correct type.

Color and plumage quality will certainly be considerations for young males this year.

Year Three

Parent stock that continues to meet requirements

should be retained in the breeder flock as long as viable.

Set up matings.

Year Five

Appraise cocks and hens in late February as before.

Continue as in year four.

Weigh adults.

Eggs may be culled for color before being placed

into the incubator.

Plan hatching to facilitate desired number of offspring and good quantity from each hen.

Females may now be culled based on color and

plumage as well as males.

Evaluate young stock same age as previously. Set

minimum requirements for rate of growth that all young
must achieve to be retained this will likely equate to
year ones better rates of growth.

Minimum requirements may need adjustment.

Summary
Breeding is not simply a static, intellectual pursuit, but
requires a certain level of creativity and flexibility. The
choices made by the individual breeders not only help
to mold a strain of poultry, but they can be a source of
pride and satisfaction for the effort of managing the
breeding stock. Breeders should feel empowered to tailor choice of selection criteria to fit their desired goals
and needs.

Evaluate molting of parent stock as before.

Cull adult males based on a combination of rate of
growth, capacity for egg production, adult size compared to the standard for breed, fertility, and vigor.
Color may be included at this stage if numbers allow.
Appraise all retained breeders for proper type.

Year Four
Continue as in year three, but minimum requirements
should be increased.

Consistency of size, rate of growth, and color should

be more apparent in young stock.

However, there are some basic ideas that should be kept

in mind as you progress. In the first year of selection
there is much advantage to emphasizing rate of growth
and body capacity. Males in particular must be viewed
not only for their obvious positive qualities, but also
for their potential to produce both excellent sons and
daughters. To that end, appraising males as if the were
hens in production of eggs greatly supports the maintenance of egg production within the strain. It is better

Healthy, robust chicks should be the goal of every

breeder.

A nice pen of Buckeye chickens showing deep, productive bodies.

Eggs may be culled for size and shape before being

placed in the incubator, though pullet eggs should be
compared only to other pullet eggs and not hen eggs for
size.

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CHICKEN Assessment for improving productivity

to keep your second best cockerel for breeding if he is

close to the best male for rate of growth and fleshing,
and if he has superior width in the back and a larger
distance between keel and pelvic bones. Such a male
will produce offspring that will grow well and lay well.
It is also best to give small consideration to fine points,
such as color, in the first few years. As progress in other
areas is made, emphasis can be added first to male offspring and in later years to female offspring.

Hogan, Walter, The Call of the Hen, American Poultry

School, 1914.
Rice, James E., Judging Poultry for Production, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1930.
Jull, Morley A., Poultry Husbandry, McGraw-Hill
Book Company, 1938.
Jull, Morley A., Poultry Farming EM820, McGraw-Hill
Book Company, 1945.

There are some cautions worth considering that help

to make sound long-range decisions. Intelligent breeders must keep in mind their long-range goals and avoid
shortcuts so that the final result is a strain that has the
diversity to stand on its own while producing as expected. Much faster progress can be made by discarding
matings that do not excel for the traits focused upon,
but later the diversity these lines lend is well worth
the effort to bring them up to the levels of the other
lines of the strain.

Jull, Morley A., Poultry Breeding, John Wiley & Sons,

Inc., 1952.
Warren, Don C., Practical Poultry Breeding, The
MacMillan Company, 1953.
Lamon, Harry & Rob R. Slocum, The Mating and
Breeding of Poultry, Orange Judd Publishing Company,
Inc., 1927.
Hutt, F.B., Ph.D., D.Sc., Genetics of the Fowl,
McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1949.

Resources and Suggested Reading

Hagedoorn, A.L., Poultry Breeding, Crosby Lockwood

& Son LTD, 1953.

American Standard of Perfection, the American Poultry

Association, various editions.

Published by the
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
PO Box 477
Pittsboro, NC 27312 USA
phone (919) 542-5704 fax (919) 542-0022
[email protected]
www.albc-usa.org
2007 American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

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