Considering an American Bresse X Buckeye cross. Send Halp

[Northern Chicken Nut]

I have put into motion an order of straight run Buckeyes (12 one day old chicks) from a specialty nursery. This is a special group of Lay-line/Schumaker Buckeyes. I plan on keeping this group separate from my mixed flock. I want to keep all the hens as well as 1-2 choice roosters which mature fastest and show good temperament. I have heard the buckeyes can be quick to mature and a good dual-purpose breed laying ~200+ eggs per year. I have hopes that this lay-line might be much higher in egg production but only time will tell.

I have been doing a lot of digging and I think Bresse might be the next breed on my list as a dedicated flock. They grow quickly on pasture and lay ~250+ eggs per year. I have heard many reports that they grow ~20% faster than most other heritage breeds.

Once I source some Bresse hatching eggs and grow them out I want to try crossing them with Buckeyes to get a fast maturing bird that can get to decent broiler weight at 12-16wks as well as start laying early. I want a bird with the pea-comb of the buckeye (northern climate Zone 4-5) and the feathering of the Bresse (white). Would I be better off crossing a Buckeye roo with a Bresse hen if I want those features or would crossing a Bresse roo with Buckeye hen be best? I understand it might take quite a few hatches and possibly a few generations of breeding to get the quick maturing pea-combed white bird im looking for but maybe someone out there has done some of this work that could give insight?

I plan on maintaining separate flocks of Buckeye and Bresse, keeping a sustainable number of roos/hens and introducing new blood of select nurseries every few years.

I got my first flock last year, after some tragic losses to disease and predators right now I'm sitting at 2 Ameraucana roos ~8mo, 1 Ameraucana hen ~9mo (still no eggs) and last week I picked up 3 Barred rock pullets ~20wks. Going forward I have also ordered a mixed flock of day-old female sexed chicks from meyer hatchery that will arrive in May consisting of a Golden Wyandotte, Barred Rock, Buff Chantecler, Welsummer, Salmon Falvores, Black Copper Maran, Speckled Hamburg, Delaware and 1 complementary free mystery chick. I plan on introducing these chicks to my main flock once they are large enough. I'm hoping to hatch out more Ameraucanas once I start getting eggs from my free-loading hen as well as hatch out some Olive Eggers for variation.

P.S. chickens are pretty great

 

[Notaneggspurt]

That sounds like a very interesting project! Would love to see how it works out. Please keep us posted. I've been eye balling the breese for a while now. Have you gotten any leads on your eggs? Also can post your cross idea in the genetics forum for some additional feed back. About all I could offer is to keep good notes. Your F1 will probably show great hybrid vigor. I'm honestly curious hire that cross will play out in the muscle development. Bresse are short grain iirc?

Your pullets should start making payments on their mortgage soon the last ones I got were late April hatches and started laying regularly by March.

 

[goodb]

“This is a special group of Lay-line/Schumaker Buckeyes.”

I applaud you for your desire. having personal experience with that line you may want to know that you may get birds that have single combs and have no bar of slate as required per the SOP. Other abnormalities like to much fluff in the rear, wattles and small heads may appear in your birds also.

This line has great potential but needs a lot of work to get it to the standard.

 

[northeastDad]

I have been interested in the bresse for awhile now too and very intrigued by this thread and how you make out

 

[ketojenn]

Hah! I was just looking at my buckeye roo and thinking of crossing him with my Bresse hens. Right now my flock is mixed, so it won't happen until I can separate everybody. The ground is still quite frozen.

He was going to the oven next week over bad behavior, but I want that pea comb. Almost all of my straight Combs ended up with frostbite this winter. He's young, only about 7 months.

Will be following for any updates and maybe posting a few of my own.

 

[nikkers390]

This thread f
caught my attention since it mentions Bresse.
I bought some hatching eggs s couple years ago and hatched 4 bresse pullets. These chicks grew quickly. Their disposition is sweet and friendly. They are very hardy. They lay large, beautiful tinted eggs.
The crossed chicks i get from them are noticeably larger than the average hatchmate.
We raise chickens for eggs for our family. We don't eat our chickens.
As far as size goes, the hens are not bigger than the average hen in my flock.
A source for chicks and eggs is BRESSE FARMS.

 

[Silvopoultry1]

I have put into motion an order of straight run Buckeyes (12 one day old chicks) from a specialty nursery. This is a special group of Lay-line/Schumaker Buckeyes. I plan on keeping this group separate from my mixed flock. I want to keep all the hens as well as 1-2 choice roosters which mature fastest and show good temperament. I have heard the buckeyes can be quick to mature and a good dual-purpose breed laying ~200+ eggs per year. I have hopes that this lay-line might be much higher in egg production but only time will tell.

I have been doing a lot of digging and I think Bresse might be the next breed on my list as a dedicated flock. They grow quickly on pasture and lay ~250+ eggs per year. I have heard many reports that they grow ~20% faster than most other heritage breeds.

Once I source some Bresse hatching eggs and grow them out I want to try crossing them with Buckeyes to get a fast maturing bird that can get to decent broiler weight at 12-16wks as well as start laying early. I want a bird with the pea-comb of the buckeye (northern climate Zone 4-5) and the feathering of the Bresse (white). Would I be better off crossing a Buckeye roo with a Bresse hen if I want those features or would crossing a Bresse roo with Buckeye hen be best? I understand it might take quite a few hatches and possibly a few generations of breeding to get the quick maturing pea-combed white bird im looking for but maybe someone out there has done some of this work that could give insight?

I plan on maintaining separate flocks of Buckeye and Bresse, keeping a sustainable number of roos/hens and introducing new blood of select nurseries every few years.

I got my first flock last year, after some tragic losses to disease and predators right now I'm sitting at 2 Ameraucana roos ~8mo, 1 Ameraucana hen ~9mo (still no eggs) and last week I picked up 3 Barred rock pullets ~20wks. Going forward I have also ordered a mixed flock of day-old female sexed chicks from meyer hatchery that will arrive in May consisting of a Golden Wyandotte, Barred Rock, Buff Chantecler, Welsummer, Salmon Falvores, Black Copper Maran, Speckled Hamburg, Delaware and 1 complementary free mystery chick. I plan on introducing these chicks to my main flock once they are large enough. I'm hoping to hatch out more Ameraucanas once I start getting eggs from my free-loading hen as well as hatch out some Olive Eggers for variation.

P.S. chickens are pretty great

How did this, or is this going??? I have Buckeyes from the same line.