Good Cross?

[Poultrybreeder]

I'm thinking about getting a Leghorn hen, and breeding her to my Silkie rooster, then breeding a cockeral of the resulting cross back to the mother. I'm hoping that the pullets out of that cross would be good egg layers, and brood at least once a year. How many eggs would you guess that these chicks would lay every year? How often would you guess they would brood? Thanks! Have a great evening and God Bless!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

With genetics your result of any cross is heavily weighted at the median with variance ranging from one parent to other. As in the offspring could lay much like a Silkie or much like a Leghorn but the majority will lay at the midpoint of the two parents. With a backcross it will again be weighted at the midpoint of the Leghorn and offspring crossed with. So let's say Silkie lay 3 eggs a week and Leghorn 6, the median is 4. The median of 4 and 6 is 5. Odds are 5 eggs a week.

 

[Poultrybreeder]

Thank You!!!

 

[keesmom]

What variety Leghorn? White?

The silkie male x Leghorn female results in sex linked chicks. Pullets will have black skin and cockerels yellow.

 

[Poultrybreeder]

What variety Leghorn? White?

The silkie male x Leghorn female results in sex linked chicks. Pullets will have black skin and cockerels yellow.

Yes I was planning on the White variety. Sorry I should have said that before.

 

[Beer can]

I suspect that TSC 'silkies' have some leghorn genetics infused into them at some point. The one's I had of theirs were the quickest to POL of any breed I've ever had and laid great! They were also quite large for silkies. Silkies are not supposed to lay good or be almost large fowl size so that's why I think they probably have some leghorn in them.

I hatched out some of their white silkies crossed with white jersey giant. None of them had silkie feathering, they did have some foot feathering still and five toes, and somewhat of a puff on the head. I still have two hens of those crosses and they do go broody and hatch good, make good mothers. Only one of all of them I hatched had black skin.