can you let chickens breed with different breeds

[audrey02026]

Ok so I bought 8 baby chicks that were supposed to be all females. I ended up with one male....that I know of. I have 2 RIR pullets, 2 barred rock pullets, 2 golden comet pullets and 1 black astralorp pullet. So my questions are: what would I end up wit if he did breed with the different pullets, what age do they actually breed, is it ok for him to breed with different breeds, is 7 females and one male ok to have. I know these may sound like stupid questions but I'm very new to this and just want to make sure do things the right way. Thanks for all your help.

 

[sourland]

You will end up with a nice flock of crossbred egg layers and meat birds. The ratio of 7 hens to 1 rooster may be a little low, but it all depends upon the rooster. If you notice that there is excessive wear and tear on your hens you can separate the rooster out until you want fertile eggs. Understand that if you start hatching chicks you will have roughly 50% cockerels and will need a mechanism for controlling their numbers.

 

[Chick Charm]

Sure the rooster will breed with all the girls. Depending on what breed he is and the breed he mates with you will get a mix. Mixes are sometimes beautiful. The purity is surely lost when this happens but sounds like you would be ok with that. One rooster for 10 to 15 hens is good enough in my humble opinion.

 

[kentuckysilkies]

Your questions are ones that we hear all the time and good ones at that. If you do not care that any chicks hatched from your eggs will not be pure breeds then it is perfectly OK to keep the flock that you have. Mixed breed birds usually are more hardy than most pure breeds and you can get some very interesting colors. You didn't mention the breed of the male. If we knew what breed he is we might be able to tell you what types of crosses you could end up with from your flock. 7 hens per 1 rooster is a good ratio for high fertility. The male will try to start mating the pullets between 12 and 16 weeks, but the pullets usually are a bit slower to mature.

 

[audrey02026]

Wow can't believe that I forgot to say the male is a white plymouth rock. One more question...does anyone have an opionion on weather white rock roosters are mean or usually nice? I have no issues yet but he is only about 9 weeks old.

 

[sourland]

Rooster temperment varies from individual to individual. One word of advice would be to not make a pet of him. Maintain boundaries between him and you. Making pets of the pullets is fine, but treat him like a "chicken."

 

[Chicken Boy-17]

i agree with sourland

 

[itsy]

Why does it help to not make a pet of the roo? In case he's a jerk and you have to cull him? So he doesn't take advantage of you?

 

[audrey02026]

Thanks for the advice. I actually don't really treat any of them like pets I don't think. I let them out of the coop when I get home and I sit and watch them run around. I give them treats but I put them in the coop and walk away. I do talk to them but only while I'm cleaning their water and coop and such. I never hold them or anything like that.

 

[audrey02026]

Honestly just asking these questions because I just found out he was a roo....never wanted a rooster and not really sure I want chicks. Just curious about what would happen if I keep him.