Breeding & Genetics

Breeding poultry is one of the central parts of Pritchett's Small Pets. We are interested not only in producing chicks, but in understanding the genetics behind the birds, setting goals for each line, evaluating results, and deciding which animals should shape the next generation.

This section brings together our breeding philosophy, preservation work, selection practices, autosexing projects, incubation information, and educational material about linebreeding, backcrossing, and long-term flock development.

Purpose Before Production

A breeding program should answer a question: what are we trying to preserve, improve, create, or understand? Depending on the project, that may include breed type, autosexing traits, body size, egg color, production, temperament, fertility, hatchability, vigor, or maintaining a historic genetic line.

Records, Observation & Selection

We believe useful breeding decisions come from repeated observation across generations. No single chick, hatch, or mating tells the whole story. We evaluate what a pairing produces, retain the birds that best fit the goal, and use those results to guide future matings.

The pages in this section explain more about how we approach that work.