Cross breeding

[Bluerosesd]

I have female SLW and am getting some EE. I also have three Blue Orpington. I don’t know if one is a roo yet but they are the only straight run I got so there is a chance there is a roo or two. If I ever let a hen set of say the eggs of the EE what would I have? I am just curious about how cross breeding works.

 

[Margaretlumley01]

A beautiful chick!!this is one of my cross breeds, her name is shell silverstein:
Not a great pic I know but it's hard to get a good shot!

 

[Mrs. K]

Well they will be combination chickens, uniquely feathers, so they will be easy to tell a part. And they probably will grow up just fine and lay eggs for you.

Pure bred birds are carefully bred and selected to breed based on specific characteristics. They become more uniform in expected outcome. When one just sees what happens, it is rather a crap shoot what you will get. If one did this type of breeding over many generations one would have less dependable egg laying, and smaller carcasses if harvesting for meat. But it would take maybe 10 years of mishmash breeding before one would get obvious problems.

A few years ago, I had rather a ragtag bunch, and bought a very nice rooster... amazing how a pure breed rooster over those girls produce a much better hen.

Also, sometimes you get what is call hybrid vigor, which is a more spritely lively hen, do to the mixing in of new genetics. In cattle a famous crossing of angus and hereford produced a black baldy that did better than either pure bred calf for quite awhile, now however, the pure bred have caught up to them.

So my point is, have fun. Such a fun hobby.

Mrs K

 

[EMarie59]

I have a Black Copper Maran hen that was bred with a Wheaten Sulmtaler and some of the chicks are black, but one really stood out and has the most beautiful copper/caramel color. They were just born yesterday. I have full blooded Wheaten Sulmtalers and then about 6 copper Maran crosses. 4 being black and 2 more on the copper side. Love these babies.