Cross Breeding Idea... Would love some feedback.

[jermoatc]

Those look great. I am a dark meat guy too. Looks like my little experiment may be worth a try.

 

[lazy gardener]

Here's a crazy idea I've had. I have been keeping laying hens for about 5 years now. I have owned many different breeds and have really taken a liking to my Easter Eggers as my laying hen of choice. Thy are really good and consistant layers even in cold weather and seem to have that "hybrid vigor". They are very cold hardy and seem to have less health problems and are more resistant to pests. I will be adding some males to my flock next year for the table but I would like to keep 1 or 2 around as flock protectors and to allow for some natural flock reproduction. I think I have it narrowed down to Barred Rocks, but I am curious what a Barred Rock (or any other breed of roo for that matter) X EE hens would be like???? Any experience doing something like this out there? OR am I just being silly?

I'd go the other way. Get some BR hens, and keep a dark colored EE roo. That combination will give you black sex link EE that lay green eggs, and they will have a better carcass than your EE hens. My avatar roo makes beautiful BSL chicks, and all of his daughters have a bigger and better conformation than their mothers. My roo covers Pioneer, RCBL, Doms, SLW. With that mix, I have a beautiful egg basket! (White, cream, buff, brown, dark brown with freckles, blue, green, olive)

 

[jermoatc]

I'd go the other way. Get some BR hens, and keep a dark colored EE roo. That combination will give you black sex link EE that lay green eggs, and they will have a better carcass than your EE hens. My avatar roo makes beautiful BSL chicks, and all of his daughters have a bigger and better conformation than their mothers. My roo covers Pioneer, RCBL, Doms, SLW. With that mix, I have a beautiful egg basket! (White, cream, buff, brown, dark brown with freckles, blue, green, olive)

How do the male chicks turn out? Im looking to get larger males than the EE for table.