Mix it up or leave it alone, that is the question!

biddybarn

In the Brooder
5 Years
Oct 9, 2014
38
3
31
South Carolina
I have a few questions about our backyard flock. I have many different breeds, but I don't know what/or where to go with it. I'd like to cross some of them, but not sure if I should just leave it alone based on what we have. I've tried the chicken calculator, but it can be difficult at times, at least for me. I have the following breeds, some(Roos) will/may be culled or sold based on temperament. But, I figured I'd post this to see if there were any cool crosses that could be made first.

Hens and Roos: immature/ not laying yet
3 Lavender Orpingtons- 2 Roos, 1 hen
4 Cream Legbars- 2 Roos, 2 hens
2 Welsummers hens
2 Barnevelder hens
1 Black Copper Marans hen

Hens:
2 Buff orpington
2 Easter Egger
Oliver Egger, I think (EE X BCM). She should lay in a week or 2.
Black Australorp
Cuckoo Marans
Dominique
Sliver Laced Wyandotte
Columbian Wyandotte
Speckled Sussex

If there's any good crosses or ideas, please let me know.
 
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Sounds like a beautiful flock!

I have a mixed flock and the only real thing I have to worry about is inbreeding, as the top rooster is a pet and we aren't getting of rid of him, so we don't want him to breed with his daughters. I let him raise of boys and these boys, as teens, will breed with most of the hens, even more than the top rooster does.
I love the crosses I get, even if they aren't the most handsome or unique. I was getting plain barred hens for a while, which got boring.
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You could end up with gorgeous crosses.

Some pretty cross-breed standard and bantam chicks


I think an EE mixed with a Barred Rock (she is a favorite of my roosters, if you couldn't tell)


A handsome young rooster with barred markings on the neck and tail


A Silver Sebright, White Silkie, Red Pyle OEG bantam mix


The mother (or aunt) of the mix above (OEG and Silver Sebright)



Best of luck!
 
If you want to experiment a bit, you can breed some Black Sex Link offspring from your flock so that you can tell what gender they are by color from hatching. When he's old enough to breed you can cross your Lavender Orpington rooster with either your Cuckoo Marans hen or your Dominique hen to produce Black Sex Link chicks which are egg laying machines, outlaying either parent breed. It's one of the interesting quirks of hybridization. The male BSL chicks will have a white spot on top of their heads and the female BSL chicks will lack the white spot.
 
Sounds like a beautiful flock! I have a mixed flock and the only real thing I have to worry about is inbreeding, as the top rooster is a pet and we aren't getting of rid of him, so we don't want him to breed with his daughters. I let him raise of boys and these boys, as teens, will breed with most of the hens, even more than the top rooster does. I love the crosses I get, even if they aren't the most handsome or unique. I was getting plain barred hens for a while, which got boring. :) You could end up with gorgeous crosses. Some pretty cross-breed standard and bantam chicks I think an EE mixed with a Barred Rock (she is a favorite of my roosters, if you couldn't tell) A handsome young rooster with barred markings on the neck and tail A Silver Sebright, White Silkie, Red Pyle OEG bantam mix The mother (or aunt) of the mix above (OEG and Silver Sebright) Best of luck!
What happened to the feathers on his back?
 
I have a few questions about our backyard flock. I have many different breeds, but I don't know what/or where to go with it. I'd like to cross some of them, but not sure if I should just leave it alone based on what we have. I've tried the chicken calculator, but it can be difficult at times, at least for me. I have the following breeds, some(Roos) will/may be culled or sold based on temperament. But, I figured I'd post this to see if there were any cool crosses that could be made first.

Hens and Roos: immature/ not laying yet
3 Lavender Orpingtons- 2 Roos, 1 hen
4 Cream Legbars- 2 Roos, 2 hens
2 Welsummers hens
2 Barnevelder hens
1 Black Copper Marans hen

Hens:
2 Buff orpington
2 Easter Egger
Oliver Egger, I think (EE X BCM). She should lay in a week or 2.
Black Australorp
Cuckoo Marans
Dominique
Sliver Laced Wyandotte
Columbian Wyandotte
Speckled Sussex

If there's any good crosses or ideas, please let me know.

What does a lavender Orpington look like and what color of eggs do they lay?
 
You could have a lot of fun with those breeds
smile.png


Your CCL rooster over the Welsummer and Marans hens would give Olive eggers. CCL rooster over any brown egg laying hen should give pullets that give various shades of green. Plus, the Legbar rooster, with his barring and coloring, will give visually interesting chicks.

Other than that, you could just incubate random eggs from the flock. I love my barnyard mixes, it makes me happy to have birds that don't look just like everyone else's.
 
Granny, this is a Lavender Orpington. It's not one mine. Also they lay eggs the same tint as other Orpingtons.
400

ooh wow, they are really pretty.... they would look really pretty with my Australorps.... I need hens with small combs so they won't get frost bite.... and the heavier ones for up here....
I would really like to have 1 goose, I could use those eggs for baking....
 

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