15 Things to do to Become a Good Poultry Breeder
American Poultry Association · September 2021
Rip Stalvey framed good breeding as a long-term discipline rather than a shortcut to show wins. His advice begins with learning the Standard of Perfection and then building a program around honest evaluation, careful selection, manageable flock size, useful records and experienced mentorship.
Learn before you breed
Rip urged breeders to study the Standard beyond their own chosen breed and to learn how experienced breeders evaluate birds. He considered a knowledgeable mentor especially valuable because practical judgment develops over years.
Protect the direction of the line
A breeding program should have a clear purpose. Rip cautioned against chasing too many traits at once or casually mixing unrelated lines. He favored starting with quality stock and making each mating serve a defined goal.
Cull, limit numbers and keep records
The article emphasized rigorous selection and realistic flock size. Breeders should raise only the number of birds they can properly care for, keep detailed long-term records of matings and results, and retain only birds that genuinely move the program forward.
Support and share the hobby
Rip closed by treating poultry breeding as a community responsibility. He encouraged participation in the APA and breed clubs, taking responsibility for the results of one’s own breeding decisions, and passing useful knowledge to newer breeders rather than allowing hard-won experience to disappear.
Recovered from a surviving indexed copy of the original article. Poultry Showcase presents a detailed archive reconstruction in its own words while preserving the original author and publication attribution.
