Could I get a Leghorn hen that hatches eggs through a specific cross?

[Seidenhahn]

Could I get a Leghorn hen that hatches eggs through a specific cross?

Hello everyone! I already have quite a few hens and roosters and I don't want to buy any more breeds. Among other things, I have almost 30 Leghorns that I love very much, but they have one drawback: they don't hatches eggs! I bought a dark brown Silkie rooster 2 months ago that I would like to cross with my Leghorn hens. What are the chances that at least some of the offspring will be laying eggs? Is one cross enough or should I continue with other crosses with Silkie roosters? I am open to any suggestions and ideas from you.

Thank you!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I started with feed store breeds and hybrids. I also got breeder quality eggs. With those I introduced Marans, which do go broody quite often. I found that the first cross (in particular Red Sex Link with Marans) did provide some broodies. Interestingly, I find that chicks hatched by a broody somehow remember that experience, and each generation becomes more likely to brood.

What I did find too was that in nonbroody breeds, they were not annoyingly dependable like a Silkie. So each year I had somebody go broody, but I didn't necessarily have the same hen each year....until I was in a few generations (say 3 or 4).

Silkies are VERY reliable broodies. A cross from one of those would almost definitely be more likely to brood than a White Leghorn. Back cross to the Silkie roo, and you will by 2nd generation be very, very likely to have some serious broodies. By 3rd, you'll recapture a lot of the Silkie traits and temperaments especially for those chicks brooded by a hen...they learn from momma!

You'll be happy with the Leghorn addition to the genetics. It will produce a 3/4 size bird that will cover more eggs than a pure Silkie. They will also lay a fairly large egg. Production will reduce from the White Leghorn standard, decreasing each back cross as the broodier they are the less they produce.

Good luck on your project. I think you will be very happy by generation 2 and likely have some luck with gen 1.

LofMc

 

[Seidenhahn]

I started with feed store breeds and hybrids. I also got breeder quality eggs. With those I introduced Marans, which do go broody quite often. I found that the first cross (in particular Red Sex Link with Marans) did provide some broodies. Interestingly, I find that chicks hatched by a broody somehow remember that experience, and each generation becomes more likely to brood.

What I did find too was that in nonbroody breeds, they were not annoyingly dependable like a Silkie. So each year I had somebody go broody, but I didn't necessarily have the same hen each year....until I was in a few generations (say 3 or 4).

Silkies are VERY reliable broodies. A cross from one of those would almost definitely be more likely to brood than a White Leghorn. Back cross to the Silkie roo, and you will by 2nd generation be very, very likely to have some serious broodies. By 3rd, you'll recapture a lot of the Silkie traits and temperaments especially for those chicks brooded by a hen...they learn from momma!

You'll be happy with the Leghorn addition to the genetics. It will produce a 3/4 size bird that will cover more eggs than a pure Silkie. They will also lay a fairly large egg. Production will reduce from the White Leghorn standard, decreasing each back cross as the broodier they are the less they produce.

Good luck on your project. I think you will be very happy by generation 2 and likely have some luck with gen 1.

LofMc

Thank you very much!

 

[Yardmom]

I don't find the broodiness to be learned, but inherited. If your Silkie roo is carrying "broody genes" which is likely but not guaranteed some of the Leghorn Silkie crosses will go broody.
Is that what you are asking? Or are you wonder if silkie/leghorns will lay eggs? Different breeds of chickens even leghorns and silkies are the same species so when crossed the offspring lay fertile eggs.

 

[Seidenhahn]

I don't find the broodiness to be learned, but inherited. If your Silkie roo is carrying "broody genes" which is likely but not guaranteed some of the Leghorn Silkie crosses will go broody.
Is that what you are asking? Or are you wonder if silkie/leghorns will lay eggs? Different breeds of chickens even leghorns and silkies are the same species so when crossed the offspring lay fertile eggs.

Hello!
I made an editing error. Sorry!

The question was whether crossbreeding a Silkie rooster with a Leghorn hen would produce offspring that would HATCH (!) eggs, meaning they would be good mother hens.

Thank you!

 

[SnackMeat]

Maybe someone can tell you the answer to this but I was under the impression that sometimes good brooders make horrible moms. I'm not sure if bad brooders ever make good mom's but I feel like I've read about old hens mothering chicks even if they didn't brood the eggs. Not 100% certain on that.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Hello!
I made an editing error. Sorry!

The question was whether crossbreeding a Silkie rooster with a Leghorn hen would produce offspring that would HATCH (!) eggs, meaning they would be good mother hens.

Thank you!

Just to help you out with terminology...what you mean to say is will they go broody. Hatching is what chicks do when they come out of the shell. Brooding is what the hen does when she sits on eggs to develop them so they can hatch.

But I got what you meant.

Edit to add. It is possible to have a hen that broods well but isn't a good mother, ie attentive to the chicks. However in my experience Silkies are very good, faithful broodies, and good, attentive mothers.

White Leghorn are neither as they've been selected to lay eggs so brooding/mothering has been bred out of them. My personal experience has been non brooding commercial laying breeds and hybrids are greatly improved in brooding and mothering by breeding to a breed that is an extremely good brooder and mother..but each bird is unique.

 

[Seidenhahn]

Just to help you out with terminology...what you mean to say is will they go broody. Hatching is what chicks do when they come out of the shell. Brooding is what the hen does when she sits on eggs to develop them so they can hatch.

But I got what you meant.

Edit to add. It is possible to have a hen that broods well but isn't a good mother, ie attentive to the chicks. However in my experience Silkies are very good, faithful broodies, and good, attentive mothers.

White Leghorn are neither as they've been selected to lay eggs so brooding/mothering has been bred out of them. My personal experience has been non brooding commercial laying breeds and hybrids are greatly improved in brooding and mothering by breeding to a breed that is an extremely good brooder and mother..but each bird is unique.

Yes, it's "to go broody"!
I'm from Germany, and for specialized terms I use of course google translate which mistranslates certain things. More precisely, it doesn't differentiate between "hatching" and "brooding", and I didn't know these terms in English until now.
Thanks everyone for your understanding! Luckily I also have two hybrid females (Grünleger is the name in Germany).
I would rather try them than White Leghorn. Thank you very much for the suggestions and confirmations!