I decided to give up on the Barbeziuex chickens, since I have limited space.
Instead, I bred a Cornish x hen to a Breese rooster and bred the chicks to each other after they matured. I kept two breeding roosters one had white legs and the other had steel blue legs. I bred the 12lbs white legged rooster to two white legged hens and the off springs had white leg and reached 5 to 6lbs dressed weight at 3 months old.
I haven't bred the steel blue legged rooster until recently. His eggs should hatch in about 5 days. I am hoping his off springs pull more on the egg laying Breese side, since my white legged line eat too much and are better meat birds than egg layers.
I am in the process of rotating my birds and will end up with 4 hens and two roosters. Right now my freezer is full of chickens and they eat to much. I will only breed them when I need more meat or better egg layers.
I use a hunter's brine I found on Field and Stream magazine a long time ago. 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup salt, garlic, black pepper, paprika and 1 gallon water, soaked over night.
I use the indirect method meaning the coals are spread to the side leaving the center empty. I pre soak hickory chips and put them on the coals as needed. I use a 3 inch strip of foil on the grill to deflect the heat off the side of the chicken, so it doesn't burn.
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