what type of chicks will hatch from cross?

[thoeffel1994]

I have a barred rock rooster and my hens are red sex link, easter egger(the orange/gold and black ones) and a white bantam. Which eggs should i hatch out? I want a good meat and good laying birds. What are the chances of the bantam chicks staying bantam. Etc. I have no idea about anything involving genetics But am very interested in the subject. How are the traits of the offspring determined color/egg laying/meat traits. Thanks

 

[enola]

Since your hens are all mixed breed hens, you will get more mixed breed chickens. The pullets should be pretty good layers. The cockerels will take a long time to grow to butchering size, but will taste great.

Personally, I wouldn't expect the bantam hens offspring to be good meeat chickens or egg producers. But, they will probably be pretty to look at.

 

[tash]

I agree with enola. You are mixing with mixed breeds. You could end up with anything. But generally the more mixed the healthier so you probably can't go wrong. Your roo is from a breed known for good eggs, so are your sex links. You could do some of both the EE and the links. Unless of course any of them have any traits you don't want.

As far as egg traits passed on that depends on the egg color your EEs lay. The roo hatched from a brown egg and will give his daughters the brown egg gene. If your EEs lay green (any shade) then they have brown and blue egg traits and the eggs from the offspring will probably be another shade of green, but eggs from the F2 might be blue or green, if your current EEs lay blue then crossing them with your roo will give you green eggs.

So since you are just doing this for yourself pick the hen/s whom you like the best (color, personality, eggs color or egg production) and hatch those out. You should get a wide assortment of variations. Should be interesting. Be sure to post your progress.

 

[Michael OShay]

Your Red Sex Links and Easter Eggers are both hybrids which won't breed true even when bred to their own kind, so there is no way to accurately predict what characteristics the offspring will have when you breed them to each other or to your bantams. The only certainty is that the offspring will be barnyard mutts.