Cross breeding

[Nljbb]

I am wanting to add to the flock over the winter so my boy and I made a homemade incubator. The question is will the chicks be good layers as they will be cross breeds?

 

[sourland]

What are the crosses that you will be making?

 

[Mrs. K]

They very well could be. How are the birds that you have now as layers. If you have pure bred birds, you might get a little hybrid vigor, which makes for a little better bird in the first cross. If you have riff-raff you might get a slight loss in egg production, but in less you keep meticulous records, you might not even be able to tell.

Generation after generation, you may begin to notice poorer quality birds, but you can nearly always get a good pure bred rooster, and cross them up again.

Mrs K