Breeding question

[nychicken]

I hope this isn't a stupid question or has been covered ad nauseum and I'm just not seeing the answer. I am restarting my flock with black australorps and buff orpingtons. I would also like to get a roo. If iget a buff orpington roo and it mates with a black australorp what the heck do I get?

Besides mutt chickens.

 

[Teach97]

you get a buck orpinlorp

I try to be helpful

 

[pipermark]

The only thing you get is mutts, what were you hoping for? If you want to keep the separate breeds going you need to get one rooster of each .

If you want to keep just one breed going, you can do that by when its breeding time separate the flock. You can gather eggs for hatching imediatly since their is only one rooster you dont have to worry about the offspring being mutts. The reason for the separation is to make sure you only gather eggs from the hens that match the rooster.

 

[chookchick]

or perhaps a bluff austroping?
Nice chickens I'm sure, but mutts.

 

[nychicken]

All right pardon my continuing ignorance but how do you know when it's breeding time...

 

[pipermark]

You simply choose the time to gather eggs. Most people choose to start early spring and stop in the summer. You want the chicks to be fully feathers and filled out a little before winter.

I have one friend that has been raising game birds for years and swears that birds hatched after May are weaker then those hatched February - April, he stops hatching in April.

You also need to decide if you are going to use an incubator or broody hens.