Breeding for egg color….how many roosters do you keep?

[Krinity]

I am starting my journey breeding for egg color with a focus on pinks and purples. But I want a rainbow basket. For those of you that do this how many rooster do you tend to keep? Do you k ly keep pure breed roos or use the roos in the mixes you create to further the line? If you keep multiple roos do you keep them separated or in abba gel or flock when not breeding? I need all the info!

 

[redinator]

I am starting my journey breeding for egg color with a focus on pinks and purples. But I want a rainbow basket. For those of you that do this how many rooster do you tend to keep? Do you k ly keep pure breed roos or use the roos in the mixes you create to further the line? If you keep multiple roos do you keep them separated or in abba gel or flock when not breeding? I need all the info!

I'm just starting too. My plan is to free range everyone together except when I'm hatching for specific crosses/traits/egg color etc. As I understand it hens can 'hold' sperm from a breeding up to 6 weeks. Many of the chicks I get from when the flock is free ranging will be sold as barnyard mixes.

When I want to breed a specific male to a set of hens (5-6 at a time) I'll pen the hens for 6 weeks, then add the chosen male. Once I'm sure he's bred the hens I'll start collecting eggs to incubate.

I'll be following this thread to see if my plan makes sense. Good luck!

BTW I don't think I've seen a purple chicken egg, but I'm just starting out, so I could be wrong.

 

[Krinity]

I'm just starting too. My plan is to free range everyone together except when I'm hatching for specific crosses/traits/egg color etc. As I understand it hens can 'hold' sperm from a breeding up to 6 weeks. Many of the chicks I get from when the flock is free ranging will be sold as barnyard mixes.

When I want to breed a specific male to a set of hens (5-6 at a time) I'll pen the hens for 6 weeks, then add the chosen male. Once I'm sure he's bred the hens I'll start collecting eggs to incubate.

I'll be following this thread to see if my plan makes sense. Good luck!

BTW I don't think I've seen a purple chicken egg, but I'm just starting out, so I could be wrong.

Thank you!!! How many roosters will you be keeping? What’s your flock size? For purple eggs I’m looking for dark brown or tan eggs with the right bloom. Look at the purple copper marans from crosshatch farm. They are like a deep purple.

 

[redinator]

Thank you!!! How many roosters will you be keeping? What’s your flock size? For purple eggs I’m looking for dark brown or tan eggs with the right bloom. Look at the purple copper marans from crosshatch farm. They are like a deep purple.

I have 4 males of breeding age (over 14 weeks): a black Barnyard Mix, a Black Jersey Giant, a Self Blue Old English game bantam and an Easter Egger (hoping to get olive egger chicks from breeding him w my brown egg layers).

The girls are:
Black Jersey Giants (3)
Barnyard Mix (2)
Wyandottes I think they're Blue laced Red, but I'm not sure(3)
Buff Orpingtons (5)
Black Sex Links (8)
Red Sex link (1)
Red Cochin Frizzle bantams (2)
Buff Cochin bantams (2)
White laced red cornish bantam (1)

There are also 12 Barnyard Mix chicks 8 weeks and under; at least 5 are cockerels and I don't plan to keep any of the males unless one stands out and has a better temperament than my current Barnyard Mix.

I currently have 16 eggs in the incubator on day 10 of incubation. 6 are bantam eggs, and 11 standards.

See signature
lol.

 

[redinator]

I just checked https://crosshatchfarm.com/product-category/hatching-eggs/ and those are beatiful eggs.
Black Copper Marans are on the list of breeds I intend to get, along with Cream Legbars, for a variety of egg colors. Currently all mine are brown egg layers from what I've read.