seedcorn
Garden Master
There is as much genetic diversity w/in a breed as there are between breeds unless you are only talking about non-important things as feather color, top knot, beards, muffs, etc. As far as hardiness, disease resistance, etc, how many threads where people (depending upon strain they own) say opposite things about the same breed. Same breed but as much different as night and day.
We lost the dominque breed but people followed the pattern and brought the breed back. People take different breeds, mix, match and come up w/another pattern call it a breed once it breeds true.
Need another example, hampshire hogs. When they got bred too muscle bound, they took yorks, spots, and other breeds bred them into the "purebred" hamps. Happens w/all breeds, no big deal. If all the hogs in the world were of the "muscle bound" hamps, then it would take a while to breed them back but we could as the genes are still there. If all the hogs in the world were extinct, we're done, there is no getting them back.
As Boggy said, ALL chickens came from Jungle fowl. Altho I think silkies are a present from the satan..........I kid, I kid.
