Future plans for 2025! Breeding for large meaties, barring, lacing and EE

[DemeterAD9]

New colored layer, nice mossy green with brown speckles. There are 5 possible pullets, 2 from the original OE, 2 crested (legbarX and/or grey OE daughters) and one who I think is from the legbarX. Current guess is either a OE daughter or the black and brown crested pullet.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Today I got 11 eggs, been a little while since getting double digets. I need to keep track somewhere of who is laying and who isn't so here's a list as of Dec 20.

Laying somewhat regularly
-SLW (after molting)
-Sapphire sky
-both bantam daughters
-buckeye
-diamond duchess (who took an early break in the fall)
-legbarX (after molting)
-OE (after molting)
-Crested blue (new layer)
-black penciled DB cross
-BBS and GLW
-leghorn
-possible barred/laced but not certain

Girls who have stopped
-cuckoo maran (early molt)
-blk EE (early molt)
-barred rock
-cream legbar
-LF mix plus her blue daughter (for the most part)
-buff and light brahma
-both EEs, brown is currently molting
-bantam EE
-grey OE (molting)
-both bresse daughters the the spotted one only recently stopped
-blue and black brahma crosses (early molt)
-blk EE cross (early molt)
-both barred/laced daughters (early molt)
-silver and golden OEs (early molt)
-feather legged blue (?)
-barnevelder

Girls not confirmed laying but I do have a mystery egg or two.
-blue EE cross
-light brahma cross
-legbar X daughter
-OE blk
-OE dark brown
-crested brown/blk

The end of the year is coming so I'll likely start a new thread to focus on the new goals in the next generation for 2026. Before then, if I get around to it, I'll snap some better chicken photos and review my goals on what I did or didn't accomplish.

 

[DemeterAD9]

A 2025 breeding recap!
One goal was to create OE layers with pretty feathers and I did pretty well in that regard. The underdog to the feather patterns was the original OE I hatched from shipped eggs. She gave me 3 OE pullets who have unique fathering. Bonus points for getting 2 speckled OE layers! I was also able to get some darker browns thanks to Mr. Pretty Boy the blue copper maran.

Another goal was meat birds. The plan was to use my bresse and large fowl mix hens along side the BJG. The BJGs were a failure in my opinion. They were not large at all and the one rooster was no heavier than the largest hen. Both of the cockerels I hatched from one BJG’s eggs were just meh in size though I did process them young.

On a whim I ended up getting 10 CX and raising them to compare to normal breeds. Size and growth was astonishing, flavor was lacking though and I felt bad for the clumsy birds. I did manage to get a chick from Chunky the CX pullet before processing her and he is quite nice.

The bresse and LF mix chicks on the other hand did pretty well! I liked having white feathers as it resulted in a cleaner looking plucked carcass. They were also fairly meaty. The pullets have been decent layers (one bresse lays a pretty medium brown) and I plan to use them in the next project featuring Chunky Jr.