Ameraucana Forum
The Official Ameraucana Forum => Breeding => Topic started by: Cesar Villegas on December 21, 2018, 12:06:51 PM
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Like OEGB breeders who breed female and male lines, mostly with their multi colored/patterned varieties (e.g. Wheaten, BBred, Silver)
Do Bantam AM breeders do the same? I havent heard much of anyone doing it
Im considering just concentrating on a female line due to logistics and limited space. I was thinking of hatching a lot and keeping the females and only a handful of males.
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I personally do not double mate, perhaps some varieties may need that in order to get really exceptional show quality? The variety that comes to my mind first would be silver. I choose to try and produce both exceptional male and females instead from the same line. It's just my preferance to have a line of birds that are capable of producing something worthy of shows in both gender.
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Here are a few topics that touch on the subject of double-mating.
...but what is generally referred to as double mating is breeding for a cock line and a separate hen line of the same variety using breeders in each mating to produce show quality males and females. This is done by some with varieties that don't generally produce show quality offspring when mating show quality birds. One example would be using a partridge male with some red in his breast, which wouldn't be good for exhibition, to produce well penciled show quality pullets.
Neither of us like the idea of double mating to achive show quality "standard" birds of both sexes. I feel that if it is needed then you are actually breeding two varieties, due to the fact that without double mating they don't breed true.
Quote from: BANTAM CHICKENS by Fred P Jeffrey, page 204 - Silver
It is not necessary to have double matings to produce good silvers of both sexes. Select males with well defined black striping in hackle and saddle and freedom from white ticking in body. Females should be chosen which are free of reddish tinge in wing bows and back and for high quality body stippling which extends to the tip of the feather.
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If it is a multi-coloured pattern yes I do and I know of at least two others who do as well, it is part of why I went to parti-coloured birds and have been dropping the solids except for white. Merry Christmas
Suki