By Manny Pinol
I started the day yesterday doing one of the most exciting aspects of chicken breeding which is the setting up of the breeding yards.
This is the most important part of poultry raising because this is when you choose which pullet or hen should be paired with which rooster.
It is at this point when the breeder could be likened to a painter choosing the hues and colors he would like to use to paint a portrait or a scenery.
A poor selection of colors will result in garbage while a masterful mixing of colors will produce a masterpiece.
In breeding, the breeder is guided by a very basic question: What kind of chicken would you like to produce?
The breeder must also be careful not to mate hens and roosters which are closely related because it could result in a “degeneration” which could be manifested in smaller sized or weak chicken.
This morning I set up the breeding pens for at least 60 young pullets which will be mated or bred for the first time.
Most of the Manok PiNoy pullets set in the breeding yards this morning were hatched August of last year, thus they are only about five months and a half old.
In setting up the breeding pens, I had to personally look at the markings of the pullets to make that sisters are placed in one pen together and mated to a single rooster so that I will be assured of uniformity in the appearance and physical characteristics of their offsprings.
I also had to personally hold each and every pullet to feel their bodies and determine their physical deficiency. Those with leaner bodies had to be paired with roosters with robust and rounded bodies.
At least four months from now, I will already start to see for myself whether the breeding yards which I set up yesterday would produce the results that I envisioned – robust and healthy chicken which could be raised in the free range and grow on locally available feeds.
With yesterday’s breeding pens set up, I now have about 100 hens in the breeding pens and I expect to have about 1,000 breeders before the end of the year.
Next month, as another batch of Manok PiNoy pullets reach breeding age, I will again personally go through the process of setting up the breeding pens.
Once again, I will savor the joy of being a genetic artist who dreams of creating a masterpiece – an ideal naturally grown meat chicken for the Filipino family.
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