Successful breeding begins long before the first eggs go into the incubator.
In this episode, Carey Blackmon and poultry nutritionist Jeff Mattocks explain how to prepare a flock for breeding season—from choosing the right birds and setting breeding goals to managing lighting, nutrition, housing, and nest boxes.
We discuss:
- The difference between hatching chicks and building a breeding program
- Choosing breeders with the fewest serious faults
- Deciding what you want your flock to become
- Using linebreeding to improve consistency
- What inbreeding depression really looks like
- Choosing the right time of year to hatch
- Preparing breeders through lighting management
- Adjusting light for younger and older birds
- Improving breeder nutrition before collecting eggs
- Egg size and its effect on chick quality
- Amino acids, vitamins, and chick vigor
- Preparing clean, comfortable nest boxes
- Whether greens have a place in the breeder diet
Breeding season is not simply a matter of putting a rooster with a few hens. Better chicks begin with healthier breeders, clearly defined goals, and thoughtful preparation.
If you enjoy thoughtful, experience-based poultry information like this, that’s what this channel is all about.
Poultry Keepers 360
Helping Poultry Keepers Make Better Decisions.
Chapters and Timestamps
0:00 Opening Conversatio
7:22 Getting Ready for Breeding Season
9:38 Hatching Chickens vs Breeding Poultry
11:12 Where a Breeding Program Begins
12:52 Where Should Your Flock Be in Five Years?
15:58 Turning Goals Into a Breeding Plan
16:20 Linebreeding, Inbreeding, and Predictability
18:05 What Inbreeding Depression Really Means
22:38 Choosing the Right Hatch Season
23:19 Preparing Breeders With Light
25:22 Light Color and Intensity
29:40 Increasing Day Length Gradually
32:15 Lighting Older Breeding Birds
38:55 Continuous-Flow Watering Update
43:15 Feeding Birds for Breeding Season
44:35 Egg Size and Hatching Quality
46:29 Amino Acids and Chick Vigor
49:17 Nest Boxes for Breeding Pens
50:57 Bedding and Nest Cleanliness
53:32 Five-Gallon Bucket Nest Boxes
59:57 Do Breeding Birds Need Greens?
1:03:33 Alfalfa and Other Green Feeds
1:06:03 Final Thoughts
This Audio Edition was adapted from a PK360 LIVE originally broadcast on September 18, 2025. Prefer to watch the original Video Edition? You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/live/tagqQL2d1_E
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