Basic Breeding Questions.

[brothers]

I wanted to start a thread to answer inexperienced chicken breeding questions.I have been searching all of the forums and not having too much luck.
First off I must state that I am fairly new to chicken keeping,although I am a avid reader/researcher....read OCD (ish)!
So,we are going to try to breed our chickens ASAP.Our flock now consists of 10 Buff orpington Pullets and one absolute stud of a BO rooster.1 RIR pullet and 1 RIR rooster. 1 Ameracauna Pullet and 1 rooster. All of our flock is 16 weeks old.
Our goal is to drastically increase the number of all 3 breeds.I am re-purposing a out building to serve as a breeding coop.I will separate the coop into 3 areas to keep the 3 breeds separate when they are with the girls.I will let the roo's hang out together during the months when we are not breeding them.
OK so I think I have completely explained our situation...now on with the questions.
1)When choosing what pullets to put in with the rooster,what should I be looking for?Just the obvious...ie, biggest girl,first layer..ect..Obviously for now I am only talking about the BO's as we only have one americauna and one RIR.
2)How many hens can I put in the breeding coop?Size really isnt a issue.I just want to be able to gain the most possible fertile eggs in the shortest amount of time.I was thinking maybe 3 hens for Earl (our BO Rooster).
3) So once I start collecting fertile eggs how long can I keep them before I put them in the incubator? How should they be stored untill I have enough eggs to fill the incubator?There are so many conflicting answers on this one.
4)Is there as set in stone rule for what gender passes down what characteristics?Ill explain-As a side project I would like to breed a BO with a RIR. My goal is to up the egg production of the BO to that of a RIR while keeping the demeanor of the BO.I understand that this will take many generations and many people have already done this,it just seems like two perfect breeds for me to experiment with....Im thinking of using our BO roo with our RIR pullet.
One last question.Although none of our chickens have layed a single egg yet,our rooster is mating them every chance he gets.(The Roosters are still in the main coop with the ladies).Is this normal?I mean his doing this going to produce fertile eggs right off the bat?
Thanks folks...
I know my questions are kinda silly but I need to learn.

Thanks,Brothers

 

[Makomd]

1. I don't know the breed standards for each, but obviously breed towards whatever your goal is. Size, production, breed standard, etc.

2. I would believe this is a preference as well, I usually go with 3-5 hens.

3. I keep my eggs at the latest one week between 55 to 70 degress, turning the eggs 2-3 times a day before incubating.

4. If I am not mistaken the Orpington actually has the record for most eggs laid in a year. Both should be great layers.

5. If the males are mating the hens and the hens are willing participants, you should be getting some eggs soon. They may or may not be fertile. Most people do not try to hatch the first several eggs, usually they just don't hatch for me, but I don't wait too long after they start laying 2-3 weeks. Though sometimes all those eggs are duds for several months.

Enjoy. I think you are correct, there are lots of different answers to your questions and if you are like me, you end up trying them all until you come to your own opinions. Have fun and enjoy those first eggs anyway, they are always the best ones.

 

[BantamLover21]

4. If I am not mistaken the Orpington actually has the record for most eggs laid in a year. Both should be great layers.

You're close. However, I believe that the Australorp is the breed with the record for most egg production: 365 eggs in 365 days.

 

[Makomd]

LOL knew it started with a vowel. Thanks for correcting that.