Cross Breeding For The New and improved.... Join the Group!

[Kristian]

Ohh well im

so that they all come in perfect condition.

How are their prices?

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

I started out aiming for "dual purpose" breed.
After a few years I gave up on that; to me I found that yes, you can get a layer with more meat, or meatie that lays but I feel that you give up sooo much. A great layer IS thrifty on feed, but all of that protien goes to making eggs, and feathers to keep thier skinny butts warm. A great meat bird will usually lay ok, but the feed conversion is way to high; and after you eat young bird, old worn out hens just don't cut it.
Now I am not in the least disparaging anyone elses projects and will be looking forward to the results of others doing this, I'm just sharing my experience down that road. Likewise I will appreciate not being crucified by any defensive "Heritage Dual Pupose" breeders.
I just decided that my take on it was rather like cattle; you have beef cattle and dairy cattle, and while you can eat a holstien it tastes nothing like a hereford, and you defeat the purpose by eating your milk producer. The same with horses; race horse and plow horses have completly different metabolisims and one would not replace the other well.
AND now I get to have Two

breeding projects; my layers that I have posted here and my meat bird project which is on the meat thread . . . which I am equally excited about so check it out too.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Quote:
I am really excited to see your Mille Fleur Leghorns , I honestly didn't know they existed! I tried to get some birds from Sandhill last year and after waiting and waiting they sent back my moneyorder and said they couldn't fill my order. Which by then it was to late to order from anywhere else.
Going by your list of wants in your breed, I would also suggest you look at the Favorells (sp?). I hear they lay pretty good, go broody, and my girlfriend has some roosters that have HUGE breasts (I had no idea they were so meaty), they also have avery interesting mottled color patttern . . . anyway something to check out.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Quote:
Can I just say, again, that your buff roo is SOO DREAMY!!?

thank you! Big Daddy is the king of our place.

 

[Freeholder]

I have some Faverolles -- three young cockerels and two pullets, so far, and I plan to get more. I do plan to start a project to get Mille Fleur Faverolles, too, but want to keep a pure line of Salmon Faverolles (and of the Buckeyes and the Mille Fleur Leghorns! Going to need a lot more pens than I have right now!).

Sand Hill's prices are pretty comparable with other places you can order chicks -- the only bad thing is that you can only get straight run from them. But I've been told that their birds are generally pretty good quality, and they have some quite rare varieties.

The Mille Fleur Leghorns, which I haven't seen yet, are supposed to be calmer than other Leghorn breeds, and I'm told that they have white legs/skin (wonder what they were crossed with to get the Mille Fleur?!?), and are a little heavier and lower to the ground than other Leghorns. It will be interesting to see how they turn out. My major objection to Leghorns has always been the large combs -- a legacy of many years living in Alaska, probably. The few Leghorns that I've had here were no flightier than any of my other birds, although I do not make pets out of my chickens. They were the first to run up to me when I went outside, to see if I had anything for them. So, while I'm not discounting that Leghorns can be flighty, in my experience they aren't all that way.

We use old birds for the best-tasting chicken soup you've ever had. Usually cooked with the pressure cooker, so the meat does get tender.

Kathleen

 

[SilkieTime]

Mine is simple. I have 11 EE's that lay A large eggs blue in color. Want different color hens that all lay blue eggs. I found a rooster with blue egg gene that is silver and black with green shine. Most of my hens are brown in color so that will help. All healthy and that is very important to me. I'm also breeding for good temperament if that is possible. All of these things are now in place. When I have had the rooster with the hens long enough I will start hatching and see how that works. I'm not sure this is cross breeding but EE's are a cross and breeding for improvment. Does that count?

 

[4 Love of Baby Chickens]

I'd like to join!!

I'm trying to breed show quality RIR's that lay terrific brown eggs. My roo is a gorgeous dark red and I can't wait to see what cross I get from one of my RIR pullets. She won 2nd place at the fair last year. She is a gorgeous dark red with lovely lacing all over her chest. My dream is to have 18 RIR hens. I'm also working on BSL's because they are great layers and I'd be able to sell them for $10.00 to $15.00 dollars a pullet here but now I'm thinking of just concentrating on my RIR's more.

 

[HBuehler]

We do lots of cross breeding here for a few reasons...bigger eggs not more often though as I won't keep a layer that doesn't lay at least 5 days a week..seems mean but a chicken eats if it's laying or just eye candy. We have one hen presently laying 75g eggs 6 days a week and sometimes she lays 100g and no double yolks.Rest of my hens are only around 65-70g
My second reason is color..we love color and strange so I'm always looking to try different there while keeping my egg size
Lastly is a meat bird as a family of 5 he can't be small or take too long to grow so I'm working on one now that is really looking yummy..not really concerned here about egg production figure we can eat some of the extra hens we don't keep for breeding.
Mille Fleur leghorns are not flighty but also don't lay real big eggs...like most of the colored legs they pale in size compared to the whites-just sold all of mine to make room for my big egg layers...Black Minorca's,Brown legs and white legs.
Edited to add does anyone notice how many of us TN chicken nuts have posted here already

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

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that totally counts!!! an all blue large egg flock very cool. How did you make sure that the roo had blue egg gene? O fcourse you won't know what the chicks will lay until next year . . . how many do you intend to keep? what if they all lay green eggs . . . will you dump the roo or the project?

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

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what are the crosses that produce your current large egg layers? I knew a guy that bred for double yolkers . . . no idea how he hatched them! My grandpa's from TN, that count?