crossing breeds

[annagoodspeed]

I am looking to ultimately get a fibro dual purpose bird. I crossed Svarthonas with Langshans, and am wondering who to keep cockbird wise....specifically, should I keep any F1 cockerels to breed to, or just back cross to the original cockbirds for the F2 generation? I am getting what looks like a large Svarthona,
leggier, hardly any leg feathering, good flyers, great foragers, with a Langshan type, smaller comb. Just got cockerels with this cross this year. All exhibit fibro skin color, just like Nicalandia said! (white skinned slate legged birds will exhibit fibro when crossed with fibro)

No white in feathering, but the photo makes it look like that. They have really strong green highlights. This one is more mulberry than others...

 

[sylviethecochin]

I think you want @nicalandia, @Sneebsey @The Moonshiner and @BlackHackle.

 

[HuffleClaw]

@JedJackson is great at these things too!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

 

[Amer]

Out of curiosity, do you have any other breeds in the black variety? I feel like it could add more meat to the carcass.

 

[Sneebsey]

You'd risk hatching more non-fibro birds by retaining your F1 boys. Since you're working toward dual purpose, however, you'll want to be breed up and up each time, so I'd be inclined to put one over large breed hens to start your second line. I wouldn't breed them too close, so by the end of this project you will need at least four lines in order to maintain enough diversity.

 

[Amer]

You'd risk hatching more non-fibro birds by retaining your F1 boys. Since you're working toward dual purpose, however, you'll want to be breed up and up each time, so I'd be inclined to put one over large breed hens to start your second line. I wouldn't breed them too close, so by the end of this project you will need at least four lines in order to maintain enough diversity.

 

[annagoodspeed]

Langshans take a while to fill out, so hopefully these will gain more. One could try other breeds with white skin and slate legs - Australorps, Bresse, BBS Ameraucanas, or Black Copper Marans, I think.
I also crossed the Svarthona with BBS Ameraucanas.
I love those Ameraucanas, they have the darkest yolks and are great foragers, lay a lot, don’t go broody and have a pea comb, but of course don’t add much in way of size. Not sure if it would work to have all of them mixed up. Right now I am thinking to just focus on the Langshan Svarthona crosses.
Thanks for the direction, Sneebsey! I will keep one cross cockerel back and see what happens.
Here is a bad photo showing a cross on the left with a straight Svarthona on the right, with the grey birds in the background Svart/Ameraucana crosses, two pullets and a cockerel. You can see, somewhat, the size difference between the the cross and straight.
I’ll try for some better shots.


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[Amer]

View attachment 1548752 Langshans take a while to fill out, so hopefully these will gain more. One could try other breeds with white skin and slate legs - Australorps, Bresse, BBS Ameraucanas, or Black Copper Marans, I think.
I also crossed the Svarthona with BBS Ameraucanas.
I love those Ameraucanas, they have the darkest yolks and are great foragers, lay a lot, don’t go broody and have a pea comb, but of course don’t add much in way of size. Not sure if it would work to have all of them mixed up. Right now I am thinking to just focus on the Langshan Svarthona crosses.
Thanks for the direction, Sneebsey! I will keep one cross cockerel back and see what happens.
Here is a bad photo showing a cross on the left with a straight Svarthona on the right, with the grey birds in the background Svart/Ameraucana crosses, two pullets and a cockerel. You can see, somewhat, the size difference between the the cross and straight.
I’ll try for some better shots.


​

With the long legs, Langshan don't give much weight. If they were exhibition birds, I would suggest Australorps, but likely they won't.

 

[annagoodspeed]

Australorps were next on the list, might still go with them if I can find a good source. I like that they are less broody too. Would I have a lot more variation in offspring using them, since they have a compiliation of breeds for their ancestry? Maybe that isn’t a factor by the time you have a breed established and breeding true?
(A photo of an Ameraucana cross pullet. All three have tufts)