Crossbreeding

[bald Rooster]

Last season I raised 30 Red broilers from Cackle .
I saved two hens and a Cockerel to breed my own.My family and I were not happy with the chickens I butchered. I am sure this was 90% my fault ,as this was my first attempt at doing this.
At the same time I bought 2 FCM cockerels and a couple weeks ago I butchered one of them he was a brute and his skin was perfect plucked easy and appears to be the best Bird I have butchered yet.

As I still have the larger FCM and intend on letting him sire some chicks for me.
What would I get if I let him breed with my two Red Broiler hens. He is almost as big as my Red broiler Cockerel.
As far as a meat bird?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Red broilers being a cross breed to begin with no matter what you breed it to, red broiler or Marans, the chicks will have a range in size. Plan on eating small birds to keep the largest for future breeding. It should level out and be far more consistent the following year.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Hybrid chickens are just that.... HYBRIDS. Normally that means a 4 way cross (hence the X) between intensely inbred stock that comes together in a predictable or repeatable way. It will require years if not decades of careful selection and line breeding to even begin to replicate all the good qualities in the RED X line while at the same time removing most of the objectionable qualities in the offsprings.

 

[bald Rooster]

Hybrid chickens are just that.... HYBRIDS. Normally that means a 4 way cross (hence the X) between intensely inbred stock that comes together in a predictable or repeatable way. It will require years if not decades of careful selection and line breeding to even begin to replicate all the good qualities in the RED X line while at the same time removing most of the objectionable qualities in the offsprings.

So if I breed my Red broiler Roo to my Red broiler hens What do I get?

 

[pennyJo1960]

So if I breed my Red broiler Roo to my Red broiler hens What do I get?

Red boiler would be the result same as you have now

 

[Parront]

So if I breed my Red broiler Roo to my Red broiler hens What do I get?

The next generation might have throw-backs to the parent or grandparents. Those birds are inbred, as another poster mentioned. They are sometimes a dwarf, or slow-growing, to add some genetic factor to the final bird. You will want to hatch a lot to get good birds, and cull out the small or undesirable ones. They do not reproduce what the birds you bought are -- but a lot of them will have the same qualities as the broilers you bought. Do you want them for starting your own home-grown meat bird line, or just to eat? That makes a difference. If just to eat, you will save time by just buying more chicks. If you want the genetic line to raise your own, it will take generations.

 

[bald Rooster]

The next generation might have throw-backs to the parent or grandparents. Those birds are inbred, as another poster mentioned. They are sometimes a dwarf, or slow-growing, to add some genetic factor to the final bird. You will want to hatch a lot to get good birds, and cull out the small or undesirable ones. They do not reproduce what the birds you bought are -- but a lot of them will have the same qualities as the broilers you bought. Do you want them for starting your own home-grown meat bird line, or just to eat? That makes a difference. If just to eat, you will save time by just buying more chicks. If you want the genetic line to raise your own, it will take generations.

This is why I asked. I figured i could get a little idea of what I would get. And I didn't know Red broilers were a cross. Are dark Cornish a cross?How about a Delaware.

 

[Parront]

This is why I asked. I figured i could get a little idea of what I would get. And I didn't know Red broilers were a cross. Are dark Cornish a cross?How about a Delaware.

Dark Cornish are a pure breed, as are Delaware. Red broilers are just bred for meat.

 

[bald Rooster]

I would like to hatch my own meat birds . would you recommend a fast growing pure breed to me. My BCM Cockerels took a few weeks longer then the Red broilers But seem to be far superior. The BCM hens are not worth the trouble.

 

[Parront]

The best person on here for genetic questions that I have seen is @Lady of McCamley, maybe she will be a better person to ask.