The hidden traits of gamefowl
The three elements of a good gamefowl are stability in substance, splendour in form and efficiency in function. Of the three, quality of substance is most important. Remember that substance is the genotype or the total genetic composition of the gamefowl. Genotype is all the genes and traits in the gamefowl while phenotype are only those that can be seen or observed. Genotype dictates phenotype or form. It also dictates how efficient the gamefowl can perform its function. The hidden substance in your gamefowl is vital.
An ideal genotype is either pure or heavy with the traits you desire to constitute your bloodline’s type. The ideal substance is one that will enable the characteristics you want in your gamefowl to manifest in order for it to fulfill its function. Therefore you aim for seed fowl for the traits you want. You want breeding materials with the characteristics you desire. We can only make a seed fowl by continuously and repeatedly pairing individuals that possess the traits we desire.
For example by breeding individuals with high flying ability we may end up with a bloodline with members possessing high flying abilities. Same with consistently breeding power to power or speed to speed. The end result may be individuals heavy with those traits.
Of course, when it comes to fighting ability, this principle is easier said than done. Fighting ability is polygenic, dictated by so many different genes. For simple traits, we can aspire for pure. For traits that dictate fighting ability we cannot. An individual heavily packed with genes of the desired characteristics would suffice as a seed fowl for these characteristics. In polygenic and quantitative traits we aim for preponderance of positive traits.
Purifying traits
The purpose of repeatedly breeding in the traits you desire is to purify or make these traits preponderant in the bloodline.
The common practice of purifying traits is inbreeding or the mating of related individuals. The idea is that related individuals, because they have some common ancestors, have more common or identical traits. The more you breed these related individuals with one another the more you will increase homozygosity within the population.
However, since inbreeding minimizes genetic variations, likewise, it increases the risk of inbreeding depression. Inbreeding results in high number of identical traits within the population. Not all of these traits are desirable. There are also many identical bad traits. If these bad traits are paired, then these bad traits become homozygous. This causes inbreeding depression. Inbreeding draws the best and the worst of the population. Some homozygous genes are deleterious. Some are even lethal.
Avoid inbreeding
When a breeder wants consistency in his flock, and fixed certain traits he desires, he resorts to inbreeding. But inbreeding is not the only way of purifying desirable traits. We can purify good traits without resorting to in-breeding.
We can produce pure pea combs or pure straight combs even without inbreeding. We can produce pure straight combs by pairing a pure straight comb individual with another pure straight comb individual even if these two individuals are not related to each other. We can do the same with plumage and leg color. Or, even with complex characteristics such as cutting ability, flight, speed or power.
These characteristics are not simple, but polygenic and quantitative, meaning dictated by several genes and factors. However, we might be able to produce roosters with speed or power by mating a cock with excellent speed and power over hens whose bloodlines are also known for excellent speed and power; by breeding flight over flight, speed over speed, and power over power. If we do this enough number of times, we might be able to fix these desired traits even if we will not use related individuals.
The advantage in this method is that we are likely to purify only the traits we selected. Because we are mating not related individuals the chances of hidden identical genes are less. And all the while we are seeing and selectively breeding the good traits that we desire in our gamefowl.
Yes, that’s it. You can purify traits even without inbreeding, and there are even advantages to it. You can make desirable traits homozygous or predominant by selective breeding, particularly positive assortative mating or mating like to like of unrelated individuals. If you do this, you reduce the risk of unseen identical bad alleles as in the case of related individuals. However, because you select for the desired traits you are nonetheless assured that these traits are common in the individuals you mate and can become homozygous or preponderant even if these individuals are not related.
THE FIRST COCKING EDUCATION FORUM THAT WILL EXPLAIN WHY AND WHAT IS A GOOD GAMEFOWL AND HOW TO CREATE ONE..
MGA PRAKTIKAL NGUNIT SIYENTIPIKO AT MAKABAGONG PANANAW SA PAGPAPALAHI. ONLY FOR THE BRIGHT AND SERIOUS STUDENTS OF GAMEFOWL.
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