
Stock Horse Breeder Jeanette Gower on What Chicken Breeders can learn from the Horse Breeding Experience
Chook. The PodcastShow Notes
Horse breeding and chicken breeding may seem like completely different endeavours but it turns out they have quite a bit in common… and of course they’re underpinned by the same genetic principles. With more than 50 years' experience raising foals, esteemed Australian stock horse breeder Jeanette Gower knows a thing or two about genetics and its practical application. I was keen to find out and find out what the horse breeding experience can teach us about how to approach poultry. In this conversation I pick Jeanette's brain on everything from inbreeding and inbreeding depression to outcrossing and hybrid vigour. Jeanette writes a fantastic blog on Substack which is where you can also find more information on her books about horse breeding. Be sure to like and follow the show to find out when new episodes drop. And, if you like what you hear, leave us a review on your podcast app.
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Belinda Burgess tried having a regular job. She tried retiring. Neither stuck. Despite 12 hour days, 7 days a week, she says running a commercial poultry farm is a good job, a passion. Therapy, even. She sells 30-40+ dozen eggs per week at the height of the season, and hatches hundreds of chicks per week. She sells year-round. Ask her how many breeds she keeps and she'll have to check. In this conversation, Belinda is beautifully candid. She shares what it’s really like selling hatching eggs as a business — the ups and downs and some of her major learnings along the way. Whether it’s leg banding baby chicks at midnight or packing eggs at dawn…this chat will give you a feel for what it takes to build a successful operation. Topics discussed include: