Ideas for egg laying cross??? Help with genetics.

[lazytrucker]

Does anyone want to help me plan a fun cross???

I want to hatch some good egg layers for a friend and she already has red/buff birds and wants a different color for this year. I wouldn't mind getting her some fun egg colors if it wouldn't reduce egg production too much. Also possible is just getting her a few fun birds separately from the good egg layers.
I know almost nothing about color genetics but I've been reading this morning and have some ideas. I have BR rooster and hens, Dominique hens, New Hampshire reds, Welsummer Rooster and 1 hen, Black, Splash, and Blue Jersey Giants, Australorp (hatchery) Rooster, assorted easter eggers and JG/EE mixes, and Iowa blues (maybe birchen color??).
I think I could use the Australorp Roo on any of them and get black birds, right?? If so, would the egg colors be at least similar to the hens? If i used him I should be able to use either my splash or blue JG to get blue or splash?
It sounds like i could use the barred hens and any of the roosters to make sex links, right?
I haven't been able to track my hens egg laying yet but I'm assuming the NHR and the barred hens would be the best egg layers.
Any other great ideas or corrections to my assumptions??
Thanks!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Do Barred Rock rooster over EE hens.

You'll get light olive/light green eggs, & Barred birds of various colors.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Does anyone want to help me plan a fun cross???

I want to hatch some good egg layers for a friend and she already has red/buff birds and wants a different color for this year. I wouldn't mind getting her some fun egg colors if it wouldn't reduce egg production too much. Also possible is just getting her a few fun birds separately from the good egg layers.
I know almost nothing about color genetics but I've been reading this morning and have some ideas. I have BR rooster and hens, Dominique hens, New Hampshire reds, Welsummer Rooster and 1 hen, Black, Splash, and Blue Jersey Giants, Australorp (hatchery) Rooster, assorted easter eggers and JG/EE mixes, and Iowa blues (maybe birchen color??).
I think I could use the Australorp Roo on any of them and get black birds, right?? If so, would the egg colors be at least similar to the hens? If i used him I should be able to use either my splash or blue JG to get blue or splash?
It sounds like i could use the barred hens and any of the roosters to make sex links, right?
I haven't been able to track my hens egg laying yet but I'm assuming the NHR and the barred hens would be the best egg layers.
Any other great ideas or corrections to my assumptions??
Thanks!

If you bred the autstralorp rooster to the blue or splash, the resulting chicks will be black if the rooster has both genes for black (he should), but the chicks will carry the blue or splash gene that they could pass on to their offspring.

I've seen numerous posts about breeding welsummers, and it seems that in most combinations, the resulting chicks tend to look very welsummery.

The BR roo could be interesting. I have a rooster that is white, but carries the barring gene, and he throws it now and then, so I know barring can be suppressed, but I don't know a lot about it.

 

[MysteryChicken]

If you bred the autstralorp rooster to the blue or splash, the resulting chicks will be black if the rooster has both genes for black (he should), but the chicks will carry the blue or splash gene that they could pass on to their offspring.

I've seen numerous posts about breeding welsummers, and it seems that in most combinations, the resulting chicks tend to look very welsummery.

The BR roo could be interesting. I have a rooster that is white, but carries the barring gene, and he throws it now and then, so I know barring can be suppressed, but I don't know a lot about it.

Here's a BBS chart.

 

[lazytrucker]

I've seen numerous posts about breeding welsummers, and it seems that in most combinations, the resulting chicks tend to look very welsummery.

I couldn't find a whole lot on that and when I did it seemed like it was different colors. I'll keep looking. I know she would like the eggs from the welsummer but I'm not sure if they are heavy enough layers...

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I couldn't find a whole lot on that and when I did it seemed like it was different colors. I'll keep looking. I know she would like the eggs from the welsummer but I'm not sure if they are heavy enough layers...

My welsummer hen is a great layer! She lays 3-5 large eggs a week, which is a good rate and size for a heritage breed. The egg colors are stunning. You would get a great olive egg breeding the rooster to your olive eggers or easter eggers. If you bred him to another brown layer, the eggs won't be as dark as a welsummer, but should still be a nice dark brown.