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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