KEEP’EM PURE AND KEEP A CLOSED FLOCK As we all know, a chicken inherits a large percentage of its traits from its direct parents. Although they only inherit a small […]

WHAT SELECTIVE BREEDING IS ALL ABOUT? Breeding, in the case of domestic fowl, refers to the reproduction and inherent improvement of breeds, varieties and strains. […]

Things to Lookout For when Purchasing Fowl If you are like many who have decided to purchase mature brood fowl, it is a good idea to select them in person. This allows you to […]

Are changes produced by the environment inherited? There has been quite a bit of discussion these days about acquired characteristics – “Are changes produced by the environment […]

Is There Such Thing as a Perfect Bird? Let me begin by saying that purchasing fowl through the mail is similar to playing the lottery. You hope for high quality fowl, but […]

Gregor Mendel's Second Law of Inheritance, and how it applies to breeding gamefowl and chickens Developed by Gregor Mendel, “The Law of Independent Assortment,” also known as “Inheritance Law,” is the second of two major […]

What to Start With (Eggs, Chicks or Mature Fowl)? Once you know the kind of fowl you want, and who you are going to buy them from, the next step is to decide whether to purchase brood […]

Gregor Mendel's First Law of Inheritance – The Law of Chromosome Segregation Gregor Mendel, who is known as the “father of modern genetics,” studied variations in pea plants. Between 1856 and 1863, Mendel […]

Best Sources for Good Fowl – And, Never Settle for Second Rate Feed stores and mail-order hatcheries do a great job marketing and selling layers and meat chickens, not to mention general purpose […]

Improving Traits and Genetic Diversity through Crossbreeding INTRODUCTION: The mere mention of the word “hybridization” tends to bring out a very negative reaction from many […]

Form, Function and Purity of Blood The total package is what counts! Special note of interest: Although I use American Games as the example, this information is good […]

ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION OR NATURAL INCUBATION Which do you prefer? I’m often asked, which do I prefer, the incubator or the setting hen? I like to use both, but for different r […]

The Origins of Our Fowl and Modern Colors As far as the origin of the gamecock is concerned, I have found that many writers have very different theories of where the original […]

THAT SENSATIONAL SETTING HEN What would we do without her? (The rooster may crow, but the hen delivers the goods) “As sitters and mothers they are invaluable, q […]

COLOR IS IMPORTANT FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR BREEDS? Every book I have ever read on the subject of selection and breeding, emphasized the importance of having the proper plumage color. […]

CREATING YOUR OWN COLORS Once the characteristics and traits of the strain, such as conformation and performance ability, are up to your standard, you might […]

INHERITANCE OF CHARACTERS 101 The breeding pen is to us what the test tube is to the chem­ist, an instrument whereby we examine the nature of our organisms and […]

Homozygous or Heterozygous, what do they really mean? We hear the words “homozygous”and “heterozygous,”but do you really know what they mean, and how they affect the breeding of our fowl? […]