Help me decide which chickens to keep and get next - breeding for rainbow eggs.

[mermaid_of_the_farm]

You could ask the neighbor/friend to help with your first few culls in case things don't go to plan. I did this and it helped tremendously. We skinned the bird and once the feathers were off the rest wasn't much different from preparing a turkey for Thanksgiving. He only stepped in when I go to close to 'things you don't want spoiling the meat'. If you're uncomfortable with eating your own birds you could possibly donate the meat to a soup kitchen or some similar organization.

For me this was the biggest hurdle to overcome and I'd suggest figuring out how you'd handle the excess cockerels before making any further plans to hatch/breed any significant numbers of chicks. If not you'll soon be overrun with too many cockerels. I have links to some youTube videos on the process if you're interested.

Yes, you're right, this is a reality I have to face. I don't want to be overrun with cockerels. They are growing out still so I have to a little time to figure this out. I can either give to my friend or I can ask my brother in law who is actually a farmer and licensed to butcher and sell his own product. I never thought about donating- that's a good idea too! Thank you so much!

 

[Pebbles25]

I am new with an interest in breeding. I could use some guidance to achieve rainbow eggs and quality birds that maybe I can sell later on down the road.
I have a mixed flock of various breeds and ages - all under 1 year.
My oldest chickens are EE from Cackle Hatchery that lay blue and blue-green eggs - 5 hens and 1 handsome but overly vigilant rooster. View attachment 4234908
The rest are from TSC: 4 lavender orpingtons, 1 welbar pullet and 1 welbar cockerel, 2 sapphire olive egger pullets, 2 creasted cream legbar pullets.
I also hatched 3 EE chicks from my own: 2 cockerels and 1 pullet.

My question is if I had to downsize my flock a little in order to make room for different breeds to achieve a nice variety of eggs, which would you take out and which breeds would you recommend? If I had to choose 1 rooster which would it be? Also, what other things could or should I breed for? SOP?

I am fairly new to chickens but I am diving right in! I think I would love some breeding projects. Thanks!

I would have a dark egg laying roo like a BCM and maybe a Welbar. Then if you want multiple Roos have ones with fun colouring (like your EE) Then for hens, a dark egg laying breed BCM or Welshmen. Blue egg layer (CCL), OE or EE for some green (if light cross them back to a dark.) Then maybe find a white egg layer. Maybe have some of the hens as the same breed as one of the Roos. The rest you can have fun with. Sometimes you have to have a go and see what you end up with. Blue X brown=green! I have a silver-laced Polish bantam X white leghorn very quirky and mad! I’ll attach a photo of her. I’m in the same boat, I would like to be able to breed some cool mixes. In my flock I have 1 BCM roo and a CCL roo. My hens are a right mix. I have gold and silver laced polish bantams, a brown hybrid, white leghorns, CCL, a cuckoo maran, bluebell, silver Sussex, white Sussex and my polish X.

 

[McChooky]

I have a predator savvy flock of free range brown leghorns and welsummers. To add color to my egg basket I added a CCL rooster.
I prefer the hands off method (no breeding pens or separating any of the hens)Using a broody hen to hatch the eggs and raise the chicks in the flock requires less work on my part(white,dark brown, green, olive and pale blue eggs) Make raising chickens fun again!

 

[McChooky]

I would talk with your brother in law and see what you can work out with him.Maybe there is a demand for meat birds locally? They're not hard to raise.

 

[Pebbles25]

I have a predator savvy flock of free range brown leghorns and welsummers. To add color to my egg basket I added a CCL rooster.
I prefer the hands off method (no breeding pens or separating any of the hens)Using a broody hen to hatch the eggs and raise the chicks in the flock requires less work on my part(white,dark brown, green, olive and pale blue eggs) Make raising chickens fun again!

I wish I could pick one favourite breed

 

[mermaid_of_the_farm]

I would have a dark egg laying roo like a BCM and maybe a Welbar. Then if you want multiple Roos have ones with fun colouring (like your EE) Then for hens, a dark egg laying breed BCM or Welshmen. Blue egg layer (CCL), OE or EE for some green (if light cross them back to a dark.) Then maybe find a white egg layer. Maybe have some of the hens as the same breed as one of the Roos. The rest you can have fun with. Sometimes you have to have a go and see what you end up with. Blue X brown=green! I have a silver-laced Polish bantam X white leghorn very quirky and mad! I’ll attach a photo of her. I’m in the same boat, I would like to be able to breed some cool mixes. In my flock I have 1 BCM roo and a CCL roo. My hens are a right mix. I have gold and silver laced polish bantams, a brown hybrid, white leghorns, CCL, a cuckoo maran, bluebell, silver Sussex, white Sussex and my polish X.

Oh gosh, I love her! Angry and beautiful lol I would LOVE some Copper Marans and a Welsummer but I ended up with a Welbar rooster on accident - which works fine. I am looking forward to what I can hatch from him. Cause you're right, my OEs, CCLs, and EEs could hatch out some fun colors especially if there's speckles involved. I got a wheaten ameracauna roo hoping to keep the blue eggers going but it's not working out as one flock with my Welbar. I have to figure out how to make a separate breeding pen for him. Getting a white egger is an idea I haven't had yet! Maybe a leghorn to get the big and frequent egg laying plus a blue egger of some sort. This is a fun project and I am already impatient to see first eggs and I haven't even got my incubator out yet

 

[mermaid_of_the_farm]

I have a predator savvy flock of free range brown leghorns and welsummers. To add color to my egg basket I added a CCL rooster.
I prefer the hands off method (no breeding pens or separating any of the hens)Using a broody hen to hatch the eggs and raise the chicks in the flock requires less work on my part(white,dark brown, green, olive and pale blue eggs) Make raising chickens fun again!

Yeah, I could really go for a more hands off method right now. Even though it's cute, I'm a little burnt out on chicks in brooders. I ended up with a Welbar roo and he is
fantastic but he is NOT accepting the smaller Wheaten Ameracauna roo I just got. I'd rather not do a bunch of separating so I have some figuring out to do.

 

[mermaid_of_the_farm]

I wish I could pick one favourite breed

I'm only into this a little over a year and am finding out quick that there's just too many breeds to pick from. I like all of what I have and I want more

 

[mermaid_of_the_farm]

I would talk with your brother in law and see what you can work out with him.Maybe there is a demand for meat birds locally? They're not hard to raise.

I was able to sell my unwanted roos to someone who wanted to use them for his hens! I almost gave them to my neighbor since she likes to make soup which I was conflicted about. I was soooooo relieved to be rid of them and now I have a Welbar who is a gentleman and just got a Wheaten Ameracauna who I have to work on to get integrated. But I now know who I can go to for unwanted roos - and she lives across the street! I am more okay with this scenario now.