Has anyone crossed a Blue Orpington Rooster with Buff Orpington Hens

[AmericanMom]

Here are the two I have trapped in the "LOVE COOP"





He's mostly black, but has a lot of brown/red on his neck. (His dad was a pure blue Orpington and mom was an tan colored EE)

She is a pure splash Ameracauna (although dirty and needs a bath!...note brownish tan dirt on her) becasue she is a "favorite" of the Roo she was with before....

So my questions are:

will these two have grey (blue) chicks? (I'm hoping so!!! What are theodds???)

And how long before the old roosters genes aren't in her system? (Old rooster is a splash,...do you get spalsh if you breed a splash with a splash?)

I just want hens with grey colors!!!

Not for sure if they will have grey chicks, I think the best way to determine is to hatch out some chicks!

If I want a certain roo with a certain hen I give it atleast two weeks but I have heard once the new roo starts covering those eggs are his within just a couple days...

 

[m2wandc]

Here is the other rooster I have to work with....

He's a brother to the black one above....

(So I have a black Orpington/EE mix, a blue Orpington/EE mix and a Americana splash for roosters) and here is a pic of the ladies....

 

[m2wandc]

Yes I agree, hatch more babies....problem is space with three roosters that are fighting...so currently two of the Roos are in what I consider too small of a space for true happiness...

...I need the LOVE COOP for Brody mama to hatch babies....

Soooo the Roos are likely going to chicken dinner ranch next week....

Sorry I hijacked someone's thread....please forgive....I got excited...

 

[AmericanMom]

Here is the other rooster I have to work with....

He's a brother to the black one above....

(So I have a black Orpington/EE mix, a blue Orpington/EE mix and a Americana splash for roosters) and here is a pic of the ladies....

Yep, a lot of similarities in what we are doing.. One thing I changed from my OP is that I decided against breeding pens, I love the mutts and the guessing game they bring. I sell hatching eggs also and its not uncommon for folks to send me photo's and I am always surprised by one that looks like nothing I have seen before. Its fun!

Here are my ladies..

 

[AmericanMom]

Yes I agree, hatch more babies....problem is space with three roosters that are fighting...so currently two of the Roos are in what I consider too small of a space for true happiness...

...I need the LOVE COOP for Brody mama to hatch babies....

Soooo the Roos are likely going to chicken dinner ranch next week....

Sorry I hijacked someone's thread....please forgive....I got excited...

Oh no worries, this thread had died along time ago. I always am interested what other people get out of their mixes, I was so excited to hatch some eggs last year that I started this thread..
I know about sending extra's to freezer camp, I only want two roosters and I have several young Cockerels out there that will be going this weekend or next.

 

[m2wandc]

I love the guessing game too.

During spring and summer (because my garden isn't fenced off yet) my chickens unfortunately have a smaller area to roam, unless I phyically one by one relocated them to a giant snail patch in the yard....

During fall and winter they have a much larger area to roam and eat all the green stuff they want...(our seasons are green in winter brown in summer, except a planted garden)

I think if I could get braver with having meat birds, I would hatch year round...but I'm a softy! Hence the reason it's taken me EONS to relocate seven Roos! Or if I could tilt the odds towards hens...lol!

Sure fire ways to tell at birth would be helpful, because I can get rid of Roos early and not be attached...(or KNOW how cute/pretty they will be!)

 

[m2wandc]

So does anyone have an educated guess on what these crosses would make?

The black roo with the splash hen

The grey roo with the splash hen

The grey roo with any other hen

The splash roo with splash hen

The splash roo with any of the other hens.

I currently have too many ALL BLACK hens...would like more color options.

I also have an entirely white Americana....(or EE....sold as Americana but at a feed store, eggs seem more greenish to me)

Creative breeders wanted...what mixes could be made here???

 

[Countrymama729]

I have not been able to get the true coloring but I have been satisfied with what I have gotten.. Best look is crossing the Jersey Giants with the Blue Orp roo.. Crossing her back has given me a lot of smoky blue chicks but none are pure looking but serve my backyard needs

Thanks for answering my question. Smoky blue sounds alright to me.

 

[AmericanMom]

Thanks for answering my question. Smoky blue sounds alright to me.

If I can get her to stand still I have a beautiful blue EE... She is just around 3.5 months, just a gorgeous bird and one I have been trying to get for over a year!!