08/28/2026
If the community would “community” instead of fight, the chickens would benefit so much more 🫶🏻❤️
So often, when scrolling through Facebook groups and breed discussions, I see negative comments regarding the state of a breed:
“The breed is all watered down.”
“The breed is ruined.”
“Everyone is breeding for whatever they want.”
“This breed doesn’t even look like it’s supposed to.”
Maybe some of those statements are true.
But what are we actually doing about it?
Because at some point, the negativity starts to overshadow the people who genuinely want to learn, improve, and preserve these breeds.
Recently, I shared an article exploring the Malay’s historical and genetic influence in the foundation of the Índio Gigante, and how researching the breeds around us can help us better understand our own - whether it’s studying cohesive structure or simply developing an eye for balance, proportion, and type, there is value in learning the history and ancestry of our specialized breeds.
One of the responses I received was essentially:
“Why even bother? Most of these birds aren’t even pure Índio Gigante. They won’t benefit from this.”
Yes. They absolutely will.
In fact, those are the very people who may benefit from education the most.
Sometimes, all it takes is one article, one conversation, one photograph, one experienced breeder willing to patiently explain what they’re seeing and why it matters.
That one piece of information might be the first step toward someone changing how they breed.
And that is how breeds improve.
There will always be birds that fall short of the standard.
There will always be beginners who don’t fully understand what they have.
There will always be breeders who are still learning.
Those things won’t change - but our mindset can.
Instead of looking at every subpar bird as another reason to complain, what if we started looking at those birds as opportunities to teach?
Don’t just complain about the problem -
BE APART OF THE SOLUTION.
Don’t just tell people to “breed better” -
TEACH THEM HOW TO BREED BETTER.
Invite breeders and enthusiasts of every experience level to have a seat at the table and collaborate. Show the community what you’re working toward. Explain WHY you make the breeding decisions and selections you do.
Inspire others to join you instead of making them afraid to participate.
Breeds aren’t strengthened by knowledge being guarded or by a few voices speaking above the rest. They’re strengthened when knowledgeable breeders are willing to teach.
When beginners are willing to learn.
When experienced breeders are willing to mentor.
And when an entire community starts working TOGETHER toward a common goal - that’s when real change happens.
So I invite all of you to consider sharing YOUR story, in YOUR breed community.
Let’s move our collective mindset in a more positive and fruitful direction by offering a little grace, a little encouragement, and a little guidance to those who may need it.
We can choose to be apart of the solution.
Visual credit to Lune Noire Creative
