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Can you create greatness from pet quality?
DISCLAIMER: I am not saying my birds are great by any means! Just demonstrating what you can do with a little time and dedication.
This is not about crested (that's a whole other discussion) but just about line breeding in general.
We need to start at the very beginning
This is a lovely crested drake that I got from a local friend. He's a big boy, and he's got some amazing width.
Pet quality? I dunno you decide
Here's another pic of him with some appleyard hens from 2022
I paired that white drake with some pretty big gray hens that I had and got some nice crested offspring. He is too big for small girls so luckily I had larger hens.
At that point, I knew I was going to need a nice drake to use on these crested gray hens so I contacted good friend Cindy Rusk with a somewhat unusual request.
Send me a medium to large nice quality drake that can cover these big girls!
She sent me the perfect drake! Here he is with the F1 hens
The next year I put him with his daughters.
I know what you are thinking...but this is where the magic happens!
These are his granddaughters
They aren't all this size, nor do all have little crests--but I can't wait for the next generation!
Appleyards then and now
It's a long story but the birds that I started with were miles from where I am now and definitely not 100% appleyard
Some of my appleyards today
I hope that you have enjoyed some photos of my journey and gives you ideas for your own breeding program!
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