Can i breed different species of chickens together to create hybrids?

[chicken241]

Breed a wite rock roo with a white lehorn hen

 

[centrarchid]

so do any of you have any suggestions of crosses for meat or egs

best crosses will vary with how you intend to raise them. How will they be housed and fed.

For egg production, anything crossed with California grey is worth considering. They lay very well and love food.

 

[weimarmama]

&

from Alabama. Glad you joined us.

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

I hate to disagree with Kevin, but hybrids are a cross between 2 purebred breeds also -

1. the offspring of two plants or animals of different breeds, species, etc.
2. anything made by combining different elements

There are some crosses that are very good, and others not so much. Your golden star/comets are hybrids, therefore not good for further breeding. Meat birds are a cornish/white rock cross hybrid. Usually you hybridize to improve a specific characteristics such as egg laying OR meat production, but not for both.

It is the first generation cross that would (hopefully)exhibit improved characteristics, but they are not useful for further breeding, as you lose the hybrid vigor present in the first generation.

 

[bemba]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

I hate to disagree with Kevin, but hybrids are a cross between 2 purebred breeds also -

1. the offspring of two plants or animals of different breeds, species, etc.
2. anything made by combining different elements

There are some crosses that are very good, and others not so much. Your golden star/comets are hybrids, therefore not good for further breeding. Meat birds are a cornish/white rock cross hybrid. Usually you hybridize to improve a specific characteristics such as egg laying OR meat production, but not for both.

It is the first generation cross that would (hopefully)exhibit improved characteristics, but they are not useful for further breeding, as you lose the hybrid vigor present in the first generation.

I disagree with your statement here..... all chicken breeds are selectively bred red junglefowl..... so genetically are all the same thing. No domestic chicken crosses are true hybrids, they are just crossbreds. Just like all the different dog breeds are all man made varieties of the wolf. And have you ever heard anyone refer to a crossbred dog as a hybrid?

 

[centrarchid]

I disagree with your statement here..... all chicken breeds are selectively bred red junglefowl..... so genetically are all the same thing. No domestic chicken crosses are true hybrids, they are just crossbreds. Just like all the different dog breeds are all man made varieties of the wolf. And have you ever heard anyone refer to a crossbred dog as a hybrid?

Domestic chickens = (85% red jungle fowl + 15% grey jungle fowl + possible smidgen of green jungle fowl for some breeds) * lots of selection


Breeds can be quite different genetically where at some loci genetics differences are fixed (no overlap). Crosses / hybrids represent the intermediate condition between breeds. Term hybrid not restricted to interspecies crosses, or intergeneric crosses.

Some dogs currently in use by former Soviet states are a cross between domesticated wolves and one of the jackal species (gold I think which is very similar to our coyote).


I use the terms cross and hybrid as synonyms. I breed animals for a living and make interspecies and intergeneric crosses as well as cross inbred lines (breeds).

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome!

 

[drumstick diva]

this is all over my head, I'm afraid. I bred show dogs for years and was pleased with the results. I now hybridize streptocarpus (a type of house plant) and the results are not as encouraging.

 

[1muttsfan]

From Wiki:

In biology and specifically, genetics, the term hybrid has several meanings, all referring to the offspring of sexual reproduction.[1]

1. In general usage, hybrid is synonymous with heterozygous: any offspring resulting from the mating of two genetically distinct individuals
2. a genetic hybrid carries two different alleles of the same gene
3. Etc - see the post at Wiki

Different breeds within a species are genetically distinct, clearly seen from reproducible color, type and other characteristics

 

[write2caroline]

I think you are referring to either some kind of barnyard mutt which can result in some interesting chickens. I had a cross between a GLW and a Copper Maran which was a beautiful rooster but at the time I had 5 roosters and did not need a 6th so he crowed and went to freezer camp but he was very pretty and quite large. According to my neighbor he was tasty too.

There are crosses like the Cream Leg Bar which is a breed now and the chicks have white dots on the head if they are male and no dot for female so if you are looking to raise meaties and layers you will know right away. Rhodebars are similar. check out www.greenfirefarms.com

It all depends on what you want and how dedicated you are to finding your definition for your goal. If you are looking to create a new breed it will take a lot of documentation and keeping different pens and it can be a life long adventure. Maybe you will perfect the polka dotted chicken!

Enjoy the journey

Glad to have you join us
Caroline