I recently crossed some Black Australopes with cuckoo Marans, just to see what I would endup with. I ended up with cuckoo colored birds that lay decently dark brown eggs and lots of them. Now the birds cant make up their mind if they want to be broody, or just sit in their nest for a wk at a time before getting off. I kept 5 of the pullets and none of the roos, but do have the girls covered with a Delaware roo that is only about a couple of months older then the pulletts. Eggs test fertile, altho still pullet egg in size. I have all the girls and roo in the same pen as well as some dellie pulletts, that are also laying. None of the dellies as of yet have showed any tendency to become broody. The 5 cross birds take turns and sometimes set two to a nest. This might go on for one or two wks and then they will just quit altogether. I have considered takeing the broody wantabe's and putting in a seperate coop, but if I do I wouldnt have a roo to put with them and there is no garantee they would keep trying to go broody. I know everybody will have their own opinion on how to handle this situation, so let me have them. I have plenty of eggs I can put under the broodies, if they do decide to become moms, but I am getting tired of putting fertile eggs under the birds only to have to throw them away after a week or two and then being abandoned
