Does the rooster breed matter?

[Quirkyfusion]

Hello all!
I am new at this so I apologize if my questions are silly or have obvious answers! I currently have 4 blue laced (Wyandotte’s?), 4 cuckoo Marans, 3 Rhode Island Blues (I’m told they’re a cross between Rhode Island Reds and Black Australorps), and one buff Orpington. Oh and one kinda ugly Wheaton/silkie rooster. They’re only a few days old so I don’t know what I have for males/females yet. My questions....
If I wanted to breed to sell fertilized eggs or hatched chicks...I assume the rooster breed should match the hen breed?
If I was looking just for blue or green eggs...should I stick with female Easter eggers and Aracaunas, or would a rooster in those breeds be sufficient enough...if he mates with my already existing flock?

I think I understand the color matching on a very basic level..blue and brown makes green, blue and white makes light blue, etc. But does it matter which color comes from which sex?
Lastly....is there a way to track or guess what color eggs the new chicks would lay? Would I list them say, as Aracuana rooster/buff Orpington mix fertilized eggs/chicks?

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
If you are a new chicken owner, be aware that raising a choosing the right cock bird can be tricky. Often, cockerels raised with only flockmates, and with no adult hens and especially roosters, haven't had their attitudes adjusted as they should be, so those cockerels might be more difficult. Also, it takes some experience to see signs of obnoxious behaviors early, rather than when you have a real jerk out there.
Then, most cockerels are just not good enough to reproduce! You will need to have goals in mind, and select individuals who can further those goals. Or, it's more like a 'puppy mill', producing random chicks just to have them.
Good potential producers should have no structural flaws, good temperaments, and be able to father the type of chicks that you want. Your breeds (except that Silkie mix!) all should be dual purpose types, so reasonable egg production and good size for the freezer, and interesting egg colors.
Personally, I like to breed purebreds, although some mixes will happen sometimes, and I do move them on. You have to decide how you want to proceed, and don't be suprised if your plans, favorite breeds, and goals all change over time. Mine sure have!
Mary

 

[SamuelMcF]

It depends on what kind of chicks you are wanting to raise. If you just want to sell mixed breed backyard chicks than you can mix whatever you want. If you want to raise purebreds than of course, you would need a rooster that is the same as the breeds you have. I assume you have hatchery stock though so they would be "purebred" but not show quality. The chicks would need to be marketed as such.

The egg color gene is essentially what you described but a little more complicated as chickens can have the blue gene and not pass it on to all offspring if both of their parents did not have it. Depends on the genetics and I am definitely not an expert in that but there are other really good threads on here that go into better detail.

I agree with what Folly's Place said... the rooster decision needs to be made with care or you'll end up with a mean rooster that makes your life miserable.

Also just a tip from someone that has done the chick selling thing a few times. Unless your scale is just really large it is unlikely to be a profitable endeavor. I would only go into it knowing that it is going to be more of a hobby and not a viable business plan.

 

[Quirkyfusion]

Welcome!
If you are a new chicken owner, be aware that raising a choosing the right cock bird can be tricky. Often, cockerels raised with only flockmates, and with no adult hens and especially roosters, haven't had their attitudes adjusted as they should be, so those cockerels might be more difficult. Also, it takes some experience to see signs of obnoxious behaviors early, rather than when you have a real jerk out there.
Then, most cockerels are just not good enough to reproduce! You will need to have goals in mind, and select individuals who can further those goals. Or, it's more like a 'puppy mill', producing random chicks just to have them.
Good potential producers should have no structural flaws, good temperaments, and be able to father the type of chicks that you want. Your breeds (except that Silkie mix!) all should be dual purpose types, so reasonable egg production and good size for the freezer, and interesting egg colors.
Personally, I like to breed purebreds, although some mixes will happen sometimes, and I do move them on. You have to decide how you want to proceed, and don't be suprised if your plans, favorite breeds, and goals all change over time. Mine sure have!
Mary

I guess I’m still figuring out my goals I think I’d like to stick with breeding the same breed, or if I got an Aracauna rooster and mated him with any one of my different breed hens...would that give me Easter Egger chicks?

 

[Quirkyfusion]

It depends on what kind of chicks you are wanting to raise. If you just want to sell mixed breed backyard chicks than you can mix whatever you want. If you want to raise purebreds than of course, you would need a rooster that is the same as the breeds you have. I assume you have hatchery stock though so they would be "purebred" but not show quality. The chicks would need to be marketed as such.

The egg color gene is essentially what you described but a little more complicated as chickens can have the blue gene and not pass it on to all offspring if both of their parents did not have it. Depends on the genetics and I am definitely not an expert in that but there are other really good threads on here that go into better detail.

I agree with what Folly's Place said... the rooster decision needs to be made with care or you'll end up with a mean rooster that makes your life miserable.

Also just a tip from someone that has done the chick selling thing a few times. Unless your scale is just really large it is unlikely to be a profitable endeavor. I would only go into it knowing that it is going to be more of a hobby and not a viable business plan.

I’m not looking to make money...just more of a hobby. If I make enough to help offset the cost of feed I’m happy enough with that.

Parentage is something I’m still trying to figure out...I assume I could breed aracauna rooster to an aracauna hen and get blue eggs. Or, If I ended up with a rooster, and he breeds with...well I guess any other breed...would that hen lay an egg of a mix of the two colors? Or would the hen lay *her* own color? And if I decided to either sell the fertilized eggs, or hatch the chicks first...would they lay blue eggs or the same colors as mom? Or would it give me Easter Egger chicks and the egg color is anybody’s guess?

 

[SamuelMcF]

This link might be helpful. It has an image posted by EggSighted4Life that will help you see the egg colors and how they "mix". It is not totally accurate as the genes each chicken carry can change things but it is a good place to start and get an idea of what you can expect.

 

[Quirkyfusion]

This link might be helpful. It has an image posted by EggSighted4Life that will help you see the egg colors and how they "mix". It is not totally accurate as the genes each chicken carry can change things but it is a good place to start and get an idea of what you can expect.

That is perfect, thank you!!

 

[Severne]

Ive bought mutt/crossbreeds eggs on eBay and love the chicks and I sell crossbreeds and sell out every year. I’m sure that the plain breeds usually sell better but people like crossbreeds too!