Breed Suggestions for Crosses??

[Gresh]

I'm needing some advice on what breeds to choose for a cross I'm considering for this year. The following is a basic description of what I want from the cross:

A Bird That...
1. Has an Oriental game carriage, perhaps a bit lower, with the tail carried at 45 degrees or lower (pictures of Kraienkoppes will give a good idea of what I'm talking about)
2. Is medium-sized, with a full, flowing tail (much like the length and fullness of a standard-abiding Leghorn)
3. Has a darker color to avoid being seen by predators
4. Is mildly flighty, but good with people
5. Is pea, rose, or walnut combed (I really do not want to mess with single combs)
6. Is medium-broody to very-broody
7. Can take heat and cold well, but especially heat

My foundation male for this cross is an Oriental gamestag I have that has turned out to not be 100% game (he gets along fairly well with other roosters, and he's almost a year old).

I have considered the following breeds for this cross: Rose-Combed Brown Leghorns, Black Minorcas, Single-Combed Brown Leghorns, and Egyptian Fayoumis. My gamestag is Silver Duckwing (Silver) colored, and he has a pea-comb. He is also a big boy (anywhere between 7-9 pounds, I'm guessing), so I want to cross him to a smaller breed to produce a more or less medium sized bird (though I understand that Minorcas aren't necessarily small).

Please give me advice on this little experiment. I realize that I will not be creating perfect crosses (they will vary, and I will have to cull at some point), but I want to head in a general direction. If any of you know where to acquire the breeds I mentioned from respected breeders near North Carolina, or who are willing to ship to North Carolina for an affordable price, please inform me via PM or post. Also, if you know of a hatchery that supplies decent-quality birds of these breeds, I want to know as well. However, I'm leery of hatcheries and prefer respected breeders.

Thanks, and God Bless!
~Gresh~

 

[Illia]

American Gamefowl fit the bill for all of the listed Criteria. To add in a little more flightiness or something though you can always throw in rose-combed dark/red Leghorns or something. But it will kill the broodiness.

Many American Games do come in pea-combed varieties.


ETA - Most games carry tails above 45 degrees, you can always throw in some Sumatra or Cubalaya. Pea combed with small pea combs, but not flighty.

 

[draye]

Find you some Sumatra-Old English Game crosses. I have had several hens of this cross and they have kept their broodiness.

Currently have a hen that looks very much like the Sumatra-Old English Game cross, Her daddy was a 1/2 Black Sumatra and 1/2 Old English Game and her mama was a Red Sexlink from Ideal.
She is still fairly gamey looking, just started laying in late October, hatched in mid-June. We'll see if the broodiness passes on.

 

[Gresh]

I have considered American Games in the past. The only thing I have been concerned about with them is that they might pass on a good deal of game to their offspring, especially if they are bred with a partially game cock like the one I have. I really do not want something that will fight other males to the death. However, I do not mind a bird that is halfway gamey. This might ensure that the cocks would be on their toes.

Sumatras would probably be my next choice from your suggestions. I really like their wild look, and their black skin is unique. I would probably want to cross a Sumatra to an AG hen first, though, because I don't want my Oriental stag to crush a 4-pound hen

Or would he? Do you think the size factor is a legitimate concern?

Thanks always for your suggestions

American Gamefowl fit the bill for all of the listed Criteria. To add in a little more flightiness or something though you can always throw in rose-combed dark/red Leghorns or something. But it will kill the broodiness.

Many American Games do come in pea-combed varieties.


ETA - Most games carry tails above 45 degrees, you can always throw in some Sumatra or Cubalaya. Pea combed with small pea combs, but not flighty.

 

[Gresh]

Sumatra-Old English crosses sound good, but I have yet to hear of a reliable breeder of large fowl Old English here in the states. I have been told that there is practically no Old English Large Fowl blood here in the States, and that American Games are all we've got. Cackle Hatchery sells "Old English" in large fowl, but I have been told they do not fit the standards well and are prone to manfighting.

If you know of any LF Old English breeders who have a good reputation here in the States, please let me know. And thanks for your suggestions

Find you some Sumatra-Old English Game crosses. I have had several hens of this cross and they have kept their broodiness.

Currently have a hen that looks very much like the Sumatra-Old English Game cross, Her daddy was a 1/2 Black Sumatra and 1/2 Old English Game and her mama was a Red Sexlink from Ideal.
She is still fairly gamey looking, just started laying in late October, hatched in mid-June. We'll see if the broodiness passes on.

 

[mcrooke45]

It also depends on what color you want out of your crosses. Since your stag is silver colored and you cross it to a black bird(like a sumatra,) your F1 birds will be males, birchen colored, and females black. If you F2 cross the females back to your silver cock, you will get your silver pattern back in most of the chicks. If you cross it say to the brown leghorns, your males will be and females will have golden duckwing patterns. If you take your F1 cross females and breed them back to your silver stag, you will get the silver pattern back. Look up the chicken calculator and it will tell you the colors you will get from different colored chickens. I myself have ordered some silver kraienkoppe and I am going to cross them to some silver phoenix and some shamos to see what I get.

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

Hhmmm... I can't think of any single breed that fits more than two of the criteria you gave, but I suggest:

-Red Junglefowl - The worlds best broody chicken + Camoflauge pattern. These chickens were made right.
-German Phoenix - Very Broody, Flowing tail (not actually long-tailed like that Jap phoenix), and common
-Most Orientals are Pea-combed. You might want to avoid Rose and Walnut combs. The Rosecomb gene can cause fertility problems.
-I don't know much about Sweaters, but I hear they are, like you said, flighty, but gentle. Ashens (D-L Sebright), Bow Lake fowl and Lilac fowl (G-R Sebright) are like that, but there isn't hardly a chance you Americans can get a hold of them within the next 10 years.
Hope this helps.