[harry]

i dont fully understand what a pure bred is, i assumed that for an example a light sussex hen and a light sussex cock would be a pure bred, and a light sussex X rir is not. but that isnt so as some pure breds get £400-£600 a trio, so what is a pure bred.

[RUSTYME]

I was going to say a pure bred is a loaf with no added chemicals ...but then thought better of it !!!
 You are right though , a pure bred is , for arguments sake , a light Sussex hen or hens mated with a light Sussex cock bird. Much the same as a pedigree dog really . A weimaraner mated with another weimaraner gives pure weimaraners. Mate the same weimaraner with a spaniel and you just get a mutt , lovely though they may be.
 It is the same with chickens , pigs , sheep or horses whatever . It is breeding within the type/breed and not out crossing with another type/breed. 
A pedigree is a traceable lineage of the type /breed in question , whereas a pure bred is  kept as pure as the pedigree , but without the paper work to prove lineage , as a rule .
To confuse matters , outcrosses are performed sometimes , but that is usually for health reasons ie if stock numbers are very low , as in a very rare breed , but this should only be done by someone with a good knowledge of breeding genetics and the type/breed in question.
 Sorry for the long winded reply , but hope it helps explain a bit .

cheers

Russ

[harry]

so why are my light sussex x light sussex worth £20 each, but at some pure bred auctions some make £400 plus at a recent pure breed auction a trio of birds had a reseve of £600, they bidded to £500.

[RUSTYME]

My dad and me used to breed budgies ...and we had good lines ,  we used to sell some of the young for £5 each , the not so good ones went for 50p . Not bad when you consider that was 40 years ago !! But !!! other people who had better birds could get £200 even then  !!!
 It may be the same with the other light Sussex birds , maybe they are more show standard than just farm yard stock ? Or maybe the sale was just full of divs with more money than sense ? The later seems to be  more common these days sadly 
 The thing is , you can have BAD pure breds as well as GOOD pure breds . Once again the same as pedigree dogs , not all pedigree dogs could win crufts !!!, 99% would fail dismally . but that 1% could be the best of breed and have the best conformation , so therefore is worth much more than the other 99% . Another example , horses and horse racing ...not all are going to win the derby , but if one does then his/her offspring will be worth a fortune , as opposed to the majority that end up as dog food !!!

cheers

Russ

[QWOLF]

Well said rusty paying that kind of money is madness, i just want nice chooks that are happy and giving me an egg in return ........job done,or are the pure bred eggs tasting better ? im thinking no:)

[harry]

ime not sure thats the point, i dont think they are purchased for eating eggs i imagine they are all for breeding, i think if you paid £500 for a pure trio and ate the eggs you would need locking up in a padded room..there must be a good reason to pay these amounts as there is a regular market for these birds and these prices, not for me but there are plenty that will pay.