Mental vs. Physical Careplan Agendas:
Many First-time breeders face the dilemma between choosing a Mental Program or a Physical Program for their beloved Steed.
 
The biggest question you need to ask
yourself is this:  What will be my Chocobo's Function?
 
If you are mainly concerned with just having
a Chocobo for show.. or just to get from
Point A to Point B.  Choosing Basic Care is
the simplest route and involves little and inexpensive care.
 
If you want a Quick or Moderately Quick Chocobo, Raise your Chocobo up in a Physical Program [i.e. Taking a Walk, Carrying Packages).  A Chocobo with Average Strength
& Endurance has a noticeable difference than a Poor Statx4 Bird.
Birds used in Chocobo Races follow a Physical Regime as well.  Recomm.Food: Vomp Carrots/Sharug Greens.
Aesthetic Features of Physical Chocobos:
If you attain Average Strength or more by day
29 [Adulthood], your Chocobo will feature fluffy tail feathers and bigger feet.

Recommended for more experienced Breeders, focusing on Raising Chocobos primarily for strong future Breeding purposes is the Mental Program.  Mental Breeders are blessed with allowing their birds to learn Abilities, which is why they Raise these Chocobos: for descendants to inherit one of them.
In addition, a high Receptivity aids in the inheriting process. Digger Chocobos with Bore and Burrow also frequently follow an intense Mental Regime.
Recomm.Food: Zegham Carrots/Azouph Gr.
[Careplan: i.e. Listening to Music,
Exhibiting to the Public].
Aesthetic Features of Mental Chocobos:
If you attain Average Discernment or more by day 29 [Adulthood], your Chocobo will feature
fluffy head feathers and a raptor beak.
 
After you feel comfortable enough with your ability to Raise Chocobos, you'll begin to experiment using both programs with the same Chocobo to eventually acquire two Abilities and maxed Physical Stats.

Multi-Step Physical + Mental Program:
Not recommended for first time breeders,
since those breeders need to accustom themselves to the basic principles of Chocobo Breeding, as well as undergo Cut Scenes and lengthy quests that only appear to a Characters initial Chocobo.  [i.e.  Chocobo Whistle Quest].
 
However, my major concern is that new Raisers really need to learn the ropes, and get a feel which methods work better, and which foods to use and the appropriate portions of that food.
In any case, I will explain in detail how to accomplish a multi step Careplan agenda.
 
Outcome of a Multi-Step Careplan:
Attaining Max Endurance and Strength plus
2 Abilities.
Those most likely following this program:
Raisers who want a fast Chocobo with 2 abilities, that participate in Chocobo Races.

How to Achieve this Goal:
Phase 1: Mental Agenda
On day 4 after the Egg Hatches, immediately set your Careplan to Mental.  Your Careplan choice in your menu should be:  Listening to Music.
Your goal at this phase is to bring your Mental abilities: Discernment and Receptivity to a high enough level so that you can learn the 2 necessary abilities that your Chocobo needs.
If you inherit one of them at birth, this makes this process substantially easier.   Therefore, luck and careful planning can alieve some pressure from the raising process.
When your Chocobo begins its teen phase at day 19, continue your Mental Process until, once again, your 2 abilities are learned.
At this point, you should reset your Careplan package to the teenage Mental Careplan equivalent which should be:
Exhibiting to the Public.  This is a more potent and effective mental package than the former package available during the Chocobo's child years.  Feed your Chocobo Zegham Carrots
and Azouph Greens or Pastes accordingly,
and read it Stories daily.
Once your Chocobo learns its 2nd ability, your Mental Process is done.  If you want the Physical Characteristics of a Mental Chocobo [the Raptor Beak and Head Feathers], continue raising your Mental Stats until day 29 when it turns Adult.  The Requirements for these Aesthetic Features is that you achieve an Average Discernment or Greater once your Chocobo hits Adulthood.
Your Initial Mental Agenda is now Completed,
and its time to begin Phase 2.
 
Phase 2: Physical Agenda
Not that your Chocobo has acquired its 2 Abilities, which logically and most likely would be 2 Racing Abilities, it's now time to focus on
bringing up its Physical Stats so it can Run
fast and have high Endurance.
The 2 Relevant Stats you need to work on and max out are:  Strength and Endurance.
 
It's time to reset your Careplan packages and switch all Careplan packages to the option:
Carrying Packages.  There are a few other physical Careplans to choose from but this is what i advise for overal general physical growth.
You will undergo 1 day of Basic Care as the game resets all of your Packages to Physical.
 
Now its time to start focusing on quickly bringing up your Physical Stats, keeping in mind that at Day 64, your Chocobo stats
severly take a dive in growth improvement.
Taking your Chocobo on daily walks aids with affection, and Racing it improves its STR and END. Feed it Vomp Carrots and Sharug Greens accordingly.  Your Growth will initially take longer as the game removes the cap on your Mental Stats and resets the mood and orientation of your Chocobo.  As time passes, you will notice the speed at which your Chocobos Physical Stats increase will be quicker.  Patience is necessary in the beginning.
 
If at any point during your Raising process you notice affection going down, feed your Chocobo more greens and less Carrots until your Chocobo is happier, then feel free to increase your Carrot dose.