Breeding question

I'm hoping this is in the correct forum. But I thought since this is a forum on breeds, someone on here knows the particulars of breeding! I'm getting ready to set up a couple of breeding pens for a pair of copper marans, and a pair of buckeyes. They have always been out with the rest of the flock free ranging. I have two other roosters besides the two I am planning on breeding. My questions is, when I put them in the breeding pen, how long should I wait to put eggs in incubator to ensure I have fertilized eggs from the respective rooster I am using, and not bred possibly by the other 2 roosters I am not using. I hope this makes sense. I've never specifically bred certain breeds. This is the first time I've had more than 1 rooster, so when ever I've hatched eggs I obviously knew which roo was the daddy. The hens were different breeds though. I want these to be true marans and buckeyes. I'm not sure on the "wait" time. Can some one please advise? Thank you!!

It can take from two weeks up to a month and a half, but I would go with a month just to be safe.

forgetful said:

It can take from two weeks up to a month and a half, but I would go with a month just to be safe.

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Ok. Didn't think it would take that long, but what do I know! Thank you!

I was surprised to learn that as well! I had a mixed flock that I separated, and after three weeks I thought they would be pure. Nope! I still got mixed chicks for another two weeks.

forgetful said:

I was surprised to learn that as well! I had a mixed flock that I separated, and after three weeks I thought they would be pure. Nope! I still got mixed chicks for another two weeks.

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OH Wow!! Well it looks like I'm going to have to make the pens a little larger, if they have to be in six weeks!! They are used to free ranging. I know the gentlemen I bought the copper marans from said he always got broken eggs from the hen, but I think, not sure, that is pens were small. I want them to have plenty of room. I'm going to put 2-3 other hens in with them, just so they don't overuse the hens! I have cuckoo marans and auraucanas (hatchery stock) that I plan on putting with the coppers. I'm going to try to see if I can get a darker blue or green egg from the auraucanas by X the two. Just putting a couple of others in with the buckeyes. Is this ok to do?

Yeah thats fine! Place as many different hens in with the roosters that you'd like. A marans/blue egg layer cross will definitely give you green egg layers. Just remember that its the chicks that hatch from their mother's blue eggs (or brown eggs if you use a blue egg layer rooster) that will lay the green eggs, and not the hens. Sometimes people forget that.

forgetful said:

Yeah thats fine! Place as many different hens in with the roosters that you'd like. A marans/blue egg layer cross will definitely give you green egg layers. Just remember that its the chicks that hatch from their mother's blue eggs (or brown eggs if you use a blue egg layer rooster) that will lay the green eggs, and not the hens. Sometimes people forget that.

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Can you explain that again, please? The chicks that hatch from the hens blue eggs x with the maran will give me green eggs? Am I understanding this correctly? Or are you saying the chicks from the blue eggs x with the maran are the roos that will carry the green egg trait and not the hen?

Sorry I worded that kind of funny! If you have a blue egg laying hen and breed her to a dark egg laying rooster, you will have chicks that lay green eggs. Some people get confused though when their initial hens lay blue eggs after breeding with the rooster, because they are thinking that the prospective offspring will be green egg layers, so why aren't they on green eggs? The cross can be flipped to a dark egg laying hen breeding with a blue egg laying rooster, so then you will have chicks hatch from dark eggs that will lay green eggs. Most people use blue egg laying hens, though, simply because the blues aren't as vibrant as most dark eggs, so they are trying to find bright blue egg laying hens. It's hard to tell how bright of an egg color gene a rooster is carrying.

forgetful said:

Sorry I worded that kind of funny! If you have a blue egg laying hen and breed her to a dark egg laying rooster, you will have chicks that lay green eggs. Some people get confused though when their initial hens lay blue eggs after breeding with the rooster, because they are thinking that the prospective offspring will be green egg layers, so why aren't they on green eggs? The cross can be flipped to a dark egg laying hen breeding with a blue egg laying rooster, so then you will have chicks hatch from dark eggs that will lay green eggs. Most people use blue egg laying hens, though, simply because the blues aren't as vibrant as most dark eggs, so they are trying to find bright blue egg laying hens. It's hard to tell how bright of an egg color gene a rooster is carrying.

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Oh, now I see!! Good info! Thanks. I would really like to get an olive egger. I have blue, light blue, and slightly greenish blue colored eggs from 3 different hens. These are the ones I want to go in with the maran. But it will probably be my luck, I will hatch out mostly roos. That has been the case for me so far! But as long as I get 1 or 2 hens from each breed, I will be a happy hatcher!!