Does this cross make sense? (BO & BR)

[n1spx]

I'm starting to think about what I want my next generation to be.

My Buff Orpingtons always seem to have broad chests and be quite heavy.
My Barred Rocks have always been good layers.

My thought is to cross a BO rooster over a BR hen.

My goal is to get something that I have a use for both sexes when hatched.
The cockerels should have a broader chest than a BR, so I'm hoping that translates into more breast meat around week 14.
The pullets should produce eggs at a rate between that of the two breeds.

So, my thought is that I'll trade a little egg production for a little more meat when I harvest it.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Chuck

 

[Michael OShay]

You could go that direction, or you could just get some Black Australorps (which were originally bred by crossing Orpingtons). They have the same calm, gentle personality of the Orpingtons and will outlay either your Orpingtons or your Barred Rocks. They dress out nicely as full-bodied dual purpose birds and you would have the advantage of them breeding true for future generations.

 

[n1spx]

Thanks. I'm looking to get into a bit of breeding. I'm hoping it will keep the fun in this work for a few years at least.
As far as egg production, I'm getting 4 or 5 every 7 days from my BR hens. Would Australorps produce more than that?

I've been doing the egg thing for a few years, and the meat thing for a year, so this will be another adventure for me.

 

[Michael OShay]

I've been raising Black Australorps for a number of years and typically get 5 eggs per week per hen with an occasional hen giving me 6 or 7 in a week. The Barred Rock hens that I've had have given me about 3-4 eggs per week per hen. This is pretty consistent with the egg production charts which usually list the Australorp at about 1-2 eggs per week per hen better than the Barred Rocks. One Black Australorp (not mine) layed 364 eggs in 365 days, a world record that stood for many years. You can research Australorps by clicking on the Breeds icon at the top of the page, or contact TwoCrows on this BYC site. She is a Black Australorp authority.

 

[n1spx]

I guess my BR must be at the productive end of the scale then. From what I've read, Orpingtons are a bit larger than Australorps, so I'm thinking that an egg or two a week vs. a bit more meat on the cockerels is a balance I'm happy with.
There is another benefit to me, in that the offspring should be sex-linked (yes, I know only F1), so it should be easier for me to know how many I need to keep in a seasons worth of breeding.

 

[Michael OShay]

That is of course strictly up to you and your idea about sex-linked offspring is a feasible one. Just keep in mind that your BO/BR offspring will likely lay less eggs than your BR does, although it could not happen that way. When you cross a RIR rooster with a BR hen, you get Black Sex Links that outlay either parent breed. If have raised Black Sex Links for a number of years and they actually have been my very best layers, even slightly better than my BAs (my best standard breed layers).

 

[n1spx]

... When you cross a RIR rooster with a BR hen, you get Black Sex Links that outlay either parent breed. ...

That's something I'll keep in mind. I have a NH red rooster, and about 13 hens that I may try crossing in if I'm not happy with the egg production.

 

[nicalandia]

I'm starting to think about what I want my next generation to be.

My Buff Orpingtons always seem to have broad chests and be quite heavy.
My Barred Rocks have always been good layers.

My thought is to cross a BO rooster over a BR hen.

My goal is to get something that I have a use for both sexes when hatched.
The cockerels should have a broader chest than a BR, so I'm hoping that translates into more breast meat around week 14.
The pullets should produce eggs at a rate between that of the two breeds.

So, my thought is that I'll trade a little egg production for a little more meat when I harvest it.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Chuck

While egg laying traits and body type are a polygenic trait, some of those genes are beleived to be sex linked so if you are wanting to have pullets of that cross to lay as much as possible giving the parents genetic make up I would cross a Barred Rock Rooster over a BO hen, this way the pullets get ALL possible autosomal genes related to egg production and also ALL posible sex linked egg production genes too, same goes for the cockerels all of them will get ALL possible sex linked genes that Contribute body type and size,

I like the cross, and this is how they look if you do BR roo over BO hen

Here are some hatched years ago out of my BR roo over Buff Orp hens, pics grabbed from an old thread on the forum:

 

[n1spx]

... I would cross a Barred Rock Rooster over a BO hen, ...

I don't have any BR roosters in my flock, though. It does make me think though.

If I wanted to cross something in to increase egg production, you're suggesting I do it through a rooster rather than the hen, correct?

 

[nicalandia]

I don't have any BR roosters in my flock, though. It does make me think though.

If I wanted to cross something in to increase egg production, you're suggesting I do it through a rooster rather than the hen, correct?

correct, due to the possible sex linked genes egg laying genes the rooster carry, will be inherited by its Daughter pullets, while the cockerel of that cross will inherit any sex linked Type/body size shape from Their BO mother,

in short the Boys will look more BO in type and the pullets will lay more like BR than BO