New years resolution, a good breed

[peafowl_Lover]

So I was thinking it would be fun to breed my own chickens, I would like it to be a good layer and a good broody, I bought birds that were meant to have both those qualities but they either had one or the other. So I was thinking to cross a buff orpington roo with a leghorn, buff orpington for broodiness and leghorn for laying. Then I would get their off spring pullets and cross them with a rir x light sussex roo (good layer and good mother) then hopefully, hopefully if all goes to plan I would have a good bird. Any ideas will help.

 

[MysteryChicken]

So I was thinking it would be fun to breed my own chickens, I would like it to be a good layer and a good broody, I bought birds that were meant to have both those qualities but they either had one or the other. So I was thinking to cross a buff orpington roo with a leghorn, buff orpington for broodiness and leghorn for laying. Then I would get their off spring pullets and cross them with a rir x light sussex roo (good layer and good mother) then hopefully, hopefully if all goes to plan I would have a good bird. Any ideas will help.

Leghorn would probably inhibit broodiness.
Brahma, or Barred Rock(Heritage type), may be best bet for keeping both traits. There's others that may be good to cross as well.

 

[nuthatched]

Particular traits are typically up to the individual bird.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Unfortunately, the more a hen broods the less she lays and vice versa, as you experienced yourself with the birds you got. The breeds bred for egg laying, like Leghorns, have had the broody urge mostly bred out of them, and that's one of the reasons why they are such prolific layers. When a hen does go broody, she stops laying for weeks, possibly months, to rear her chicks. Thus, this trait is selected against in the breeds with the best egg laying.

Rather than make mutts that most likely won't do what you want, either, you would do better to just keep some birds of a breed known for their laying prowess and other birds of a breed known for their broodiness. Or, go for a breed that's average at both and accept that that's likely the best you'll be able to do within a singular breed.