125 Years of Rhodeländer: When Breeding a Breed Means Preserving Knowledge
A century-old journal, 125 years of breeding, and a reflection on genetics, selection, memory, and traceability in poultry breeding.
From Germany to Brazil, what a history spanning generations can teach us about genetics, selection, and memory in poultry breeding.
Some objects carry more history than they seem to.
Recently, an edition of the Rhodeländer Journal, a publication dedicated to Rhodeländer breeders in Germany, arrived at Gallora.
Receiving this journal was special for a reason that goes far beyond the curiosity of discovering a foreign publication.
Its pages record something that I consider fundamental to any serious breeding program: memory.
In 2026, German breeders celebrate 125 years of the Rhodeländer in Germany. The same year also marks 100 years since the beginning of the specialist publication documenting the history of this breeding community.
Two histories are unfolding at the same time:
125 years of a breed.
100 years of recorded knowledge.
And it was precisely this combination that made me think about what we are building at Gallora.
A breed is not built in a single generation
The Rhodeländer was introduced into Germany in 1901, coming from Rhode Island, United States.
Since then, generations of breeders have passed, eras have changed, different challenges have emerged, and countless selection decisions have been made.
When we look today at an animal from an established breed, it is easy to see only the result.
The body.
The plumage.
The color.
The shape.
The head.
The structure.
But there is something invisible behind that animal:
the decisions made over generations.
Each generation inherited a genetic heritage and a body of knowledge.
They observed the animals.
Identified strengths.
Recognized weaknesses.
Selected which specimens should reproduce.
And, based on those choices, built the next generation.
That is why genetic improvement does not happen all at once.
It is cumulative.
A generation is only another chapter in a much larger story.
100 years of recording breeders’ knowledge
One of the pages that caught my attention most shows the history of the publication Der Rhodeländerzüchter.
In January 1926, the first edition of the specialist journal was published.
The publication passed through different historical periods and resumed its history after the war, with a new edition published in 1947.
In 2026, that history reaches a century.
This represents something much greater than the existence of a magazine.
It represents 100 years of documenting a community dedicated to breeding.
Because there is a huge difference between knowledge that is acquired and knowledge that is preserved.
A breeder may observe for decades.
They may develop an excellent eye for selection.
They may know their birds deeply.
But if that knowledge disappears with them, part of that history disappears as well.
When documentation exists, the next generation does not have to start from zero.
It can continue where the previous generation stopped.
A breed can survive without a journal. But preserving the knowledge of a breed is much harder without recording what has been learned.
The most interesting part is not only the champions
The pages dedicated to the 2025 Hauptsonderschau in Schüttorf show something I consider especially important.
The journal does not present only the award-winning animals.
It also records the problems found.
Characteristics related to the following are discussed:
- body structure;
- shape;
- weight;
- tail;
- comb;
- wattles;
- feather structure;
- coloration;
- proportions;
- animal development.
There are also observations about characteristics that need to be improved or preserved.
This completely changes the way we look at an exhibition.
A selection exhibition is not simply a contest to discover which bird is the most beautiful.
In a sense, it is a snapshot of the state of a population at a given moment.
It shows what has advanced.
It shows what still needs to be corrected.
And it shows which characteristics are sufficiently established to be preserved.
Selection does not mean exaggeration
Perhaps one of the most interesting lessons in the material is precisely the concern with balance.
In different passages, the breeders discuss characteristics that have improved, others that still present problems, and the risks of directing selection excessively toward a particular trait.
This is particularly important in genetics.
When a desirable characteristic receives excessive attention, other characteristics may end up being neglected.
In practice, breeding improvement is not simply about asking:
“Which is the most beautiful bird?”
The question needs to be much broader:
“What combination of characteristics produces the animal we want to perpetuate?”
Shape.
Structure.
Vigor.
Plumage.
Weight.
Proportions.
Fertility.
Behavior.
Production.
Hardiness.
And many other traits that may be important depending on the objective of the breeding program.
Genetics is about balance.
The breed standard also needs to be understood
Another point that stands out in the minutes and reports is the discussion about weight and breed-standard characteristics.
The breeders discuss possible adjustments and assess the relationship between size, weight, and the desired form of the animals.
This shows that a breed standard should not be treated as a simple photograph.
It is a reference for guiding selection.
The breeder needs to understand:
- what should be preserved;
- what needs to be corrected;
- which characteristics are disappearing;
- which are being exaggerated;
- which characteristics need to be balanced against one another.
Preserving a breed does not mean freezing it in time.
It means understanding its identity and working so that its fundamental characteristics remain consistent across generations.
Even great breeders need to make corrections
This may be one of the most human aspects of the journal.
Alongside the award-winning animals, there are observations about specimens that presented problems.
Some had structural issues.
Others needed improvement in certain aspects of their plumage.
Others displayed characteristics that required correction.
And this does not diminish the work of the breeders.
On the contrary.
That is precisely what characterizes a selection program.
If all animals were considered perfect, there would be no improvement.
The objective is to identify differences and make better decisions in the next generation.
This principle applies to any genetic program.
Including Gallora.
A breed also depends on the people who preserve it
There is another part of the journal that deserves attention.
German breeders report difficulties that go far beyond genetics.
The community faces a decline in participation, an aging breeder population, and difficulty attracting new people to the hobby.
The effects of animal-health restrictions related to avian influenza also appear, affecting exhibitions and gatherings.
This reveals a truth we sometimes forget:
preserving a breed does not mean preserving animals alone.
It is also necessary to preserve:
- breeders;
- knowledge;
- documentation;
- institutions;
- standards;
- exchange of experience;
- the ability to train the next generation.
Without people prepared to continue the work, even excellent genetics can lose continuity.
The breeder of 1926 and the breeder of 2026
This is where the history begins to speak directly to Gallora’s work.
Breeders in 1926 did not have databases, digital cameras, sensors, artificial intelligence, or traceability systems.
They had observation.
They had experience.
They had documents.
They had photographs.
They had journals.
And they had something even more important:
the discipline to record and transmit knowledge.
Today we have completely different tools.
We can identify each bird individually.
Record its origin.
Link it to its parents.
Record weight.
Photograph its development.
Track characteristics throughout its life.
Link a bird to its source flock or batch.
Record incubation events.
And organize all this information within a digital structure.
The tool has changed.
The principle remains the same.
From paper to Gallora ID
At Gallora, individual identification is precisely the first link in this chain.
A leg band does not have to be merely a physical marker.
It can be the key that connects a bird to its history.
The animal can be linked to:
- egg of origin;
- parental pair;
- batch;
- date of birth;
- weight;
- development;
- phenotypic characteristics;
- health history;
- reproduction;
- destination;
- genetic selection.
It is the same logic of continuity found in the documented history of Rhodeländer breeders, now using digital tools.
The breeder of 1926 recorded so that knowledge would not be lost. Today’s breeder can do the same on a much larger scale.
This is the vision behind Gallora ID.
The platform was designed to connect birds, batches, eggs, weighings, incubations, selection events, and genetic history within the same traceability structure.
It is not about replacing the breeder’s eye.
It is about recording that eye so it can be analyzed, compared, and transmitted.
Technology does not replace experience
There is a temptation, when we talk about artificial intelligence and digital systems, to believe that technology will solve everything.
I do not believe that.
A database does not know a breed by itself.
An algorithm does not automatically replace decades of experience.
A photograph does not replace a technical assessment.
Technology needs to serve a method.
First we observe.
Then we record.
We compare.
We analyze.
We make a decision.
And we evaluate the result again in the next generation.
This cycle is what transforms breeding into improvement.
Five lessons we are taking to Gallora
1. Genetics is long-term
A generation is only a small part of the story.
Today’s decisions can influence the flock for many years.
2. Selection needs criteria
It is not enough to choose the most beautiful animal.
We need to define which characteristics truly matter to the objective of the program.
3. Balance is essential
A single characteristic should not be pursued in isolation at the expense of the others.
4. Records preserve knowledge
What is not documented depends exclusively on memory.
Records turn experience into an information asset.
5. The future depends on the next generation
Not only the next generation of birds.
Also the next generation of breeders.
From Germany to Brazil
Perhaps this is precisely what struck me most when I received this journal.
It could have been simply a foreign publication about a German breed.
But, looking closely, we find something much more universal.
The question is the same everywhere:
How do we preserve quality genetics and continue improving it over time?
The answer begins with knowledge.
It continues with selection.
It requires records.
And it depends on people willing to continue the work.
In Germany, this process has been documented for decades in pages such as those that reached Gallora.
In Brazil, we are living at a moment when we can combine this tradition with tools our predecessors never had.
Individual identification.
Databases.
Digital photography.
Traceability.
Automation.
Data analysis.
Artificial intelligence.
Science.
The future of poultry genetics can learn from the past
The journal that arrived at Gallora represents 125 years of a breed’s history in Germany.
And it also represents a century of specialist documentation.
For me, the greatest lesson is not found in an award-winning animal.
It is found in continuity.
One generation learned from the previous one.
It recorded part of that knowledge.
The next generation studied, questioned, corrected, and continued.
And today we can still open those pages and understand a little of the path that was taken.
That is what we want to build as well.
Not only to produce birds.
But to build genetic memory.
Not only to select animals.
But to record why particular decisions were made.
Not only to sell a chick.
But to know where it came from and, whenever possible, what genetic history lies behind it.
Not only to look at the present.
But to leave enough information so that someone in the future can understand the work being done today.
A breed is not only what we receive
Perhaps this is the greatest lesson a century-old publication can leave us.
A breed is not only what we receive from previous generations.
It is also what we decide to deliver to the next ones.
Every animal selected.
Every planned mating.
Every characteristic recorded.
Every error identified.
Every improvement achieved.
Every piece of information preserved.
All of this is part of genetic development.
Breeders of the past did this with the tools they had.
We have different tools.
And we have a similar responsibility:
not to let knowledge be lost.
That is why, at Gallora, we believe genetics, traceability, and technology should move together.
Because when tradition is recorded, it can be studied.
When it is studied, it can be improved.
And when it is transmitted, it can cross generations.
Gallora — Genetic tradition, caipira innovation.
Historical source
This article was prepared from material published in the Rhodeländer Journal, including historical records concerning 125 years of the Rhodeländer in Germany, the 100-year history of the specialist publication, and reports on breeding activities and exhibitions in 2025 and 2026.
The interpretations concerning the application of these principles to Gallora’s work represent the editorial perspective of the project and do not constitute a reproduction of, or an official position on behalf of, the German breeders’ organization.
To continue
Have you ever thought about how much knowledge about your own birds may be being lost simply because it is not recorded?
In the next step toward precision breeding, each bird stops being merely an animal within the flock and becomes part of a documented genetic history.
Discover the Gallora ID concept and see how individual identification can transform your flock into a living database.
Author: Cleber Barcelos Costa — Founder, Gallora Precision Poultry Genetics.
How to cite:
COSTA, C. B. 125 Years of Rhodeländer: When Breeding a Breed Means Preserving Knowledge. Gallora Blog, Betim/MG, September 5, 2026. Available at: https://gallora.com.br/blog/125-anos-rhodelander-genetica-conhecimento