Chicken x breeding with a purpose

Pics
Date sort Score sort
C

CassiJo87

In the Brooder
Joined
Feb 28, 2019
Messages
8
Reaction score
30
Points
36
Ive been selling eggs now for eating awhile I have really happy healthy chicken but they are kinda a hodgepodge and I would like to split things up for hatching specific chicks ie olive egg layers blue egg layers terra/pink and chocolate layers I am trying to figure out how to do this with the girls I have and adding roosters to get what I need with a few additional hens

My current flocks are all a mix of 3 silver laced Wyandotte’s 1 gold laced, probably ten Easter Eggers that we’re bought as americaunas I know they are not true to bread standard just hatchery chicks 4 barred rocks, 2 RIR, buff orph. 3 hens left from from a red broiler pen and several black sexlink crosses that were my original barnyard mix hatched from neighbors chickens and about and dozen babies that mixed either out of ther BR Roo and some that were under americauna roo

My goals to have hatching eggs that I know what color they will lay have meat birds for eating without buying every year and sale eating eggs I have 3 pens currently and am separating a fourth I just have no organization of my flocks

I know I need a black copper maran rooster to get the chocolate and olive layer I want but how do you guys do all this chicken math and know what you need to get what you want

I forgot my main pen is all under a beautiful barred rock roo
Another has his son in it and a bantam roo I feel sorry for I know he need to go and the third has 3 red broiler hens under a The x son of my roo and one of the girls but he is huge and beautiful
 

Attachments

  • EF7A1E0C-1C41-4E5E-931F-AE69B1B5D33B.jpeg
    EF7A1E0C-1C41-4E5E-931F-AE69B1B5D33B.jpeg
    809.1 KB · Views: 26
  • 76F126C1-D624-44D3-89E8-CEB2BB028393.jpeg
    76F126C1-D624-44D3-89E8-CEB2BB028393.jpeg
    1.1 MB · Views: 13
  • C78F4F56-053F-4E99-9957-B1230FC15144.jpeg
    C78F4F56-053F-4E99-9957-B1230FC15144.jpeg
    880.7 KB · Views: 13
2byc-picket-fence.png


hello-smiley.gif
I haven't ventured into breeding yet, it's quite complicated. As far as I know, only blue egg layers lay blue eggs, and you need a blue egg layer to cross with a dark brown to get olive. All your breeding stock will have to be divided into separate pens to organize the mating. But the EEs you have now are already hybrid, so most of their offspring won't carry the blue egg gene. Maybe if you got a blue egg roo...? You would probably have better luck posting your goals in these other forums:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/general-breed-discussions-faq.14/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/exhibition-genetics-breeding-to-the-sop.16188/

Best wishes with your plans!
 
:welcome
Hmmm...I would probably get an Ameraucana rooster to put with all the EEs for your green/blue egg layers. You could also put any other hens (Wyandottes, etc) with him for green egg layers in the next gen.
BCM rooster over BCM or similar hens as well as a few Ameraucana or definitely blue egg laying hens for your chocolate and olive egg layers. (Your chocolate eggs would hatch out chocolate layers and your blue eggs would all hatch out olive - easy organization within the same pen.)
Then I'd throw all the dual-purpose/meat hens together with your biggest roo(s) for eating purposes, both egg and meat. Or split them up so you have your four pens filled with your meat in one and your eating eggs in the other.

That's just what I would do ;)
 
I think its worth to note that most of your birds are mixed breeds to begin with, and while there is nothing wrong with that, when you breed hybrids they lose some of their hybrid vigor in the next generation. So since your main goal is selling eggs and using extra cockerels for meat you may want to consider breeding mainly your pure bred birds to create the next generation since they will most likely grow quicker and have a better lay rate than hybrid crosses. This is just what I've read so you should still do your own research on the matter if it is important to you. Or even better, experiment with your own and track it! Since you have some BR hens you can make your own black sex linked chickens which will let you know right away how many layers vs meat birds you have.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom