We have a small flock of heritage breeds, 11 pullets and 6 roosters. They are 3 months old, and we need to make a decision which rooster to keep. We have the following breeds (pullets and cockerels): Ameraucana (black) Welsummer Light Sussex Barred Rock In 3 months, we will also have the following breeds to merge into the flock: Production Red (wheaten and red colors) New Hampshire Red Buff Brahma (female) Buff Orpington (female) Australorp (female) Dutch Leghorn (female) Easter Egger (male and female, mostly brown red with some white and dark speckles) Black Langshan (male) Black Langshan female which is a mix, as she has white feathers on the head and neck, and a few white ones on the feet. We'd like to let our broodies to hatch their own chicks, and looking for some nice colored variations/crosses, and also have 1 selected breed to breed true. So the question is which rooster is to keep? (Actually, we can keep two roosters - one from the first batch, and another from the second batch - or 2 from the first batch). All our cockerels are very friendly and not aggressive, the most docile is Welsummer cockerel, and the most dominant is Ameraucana. This is a tough decision, as I do not know much what to expect from these potential crosses, so please help with your advice! I understand that if we keep Barred Rock rooster, then most (if not all) the chicks will be black or barred in the first generation, that's not too much 'color', LOL. Welsummer roo x Light Sussex will produce sex link (caramel females and white males), they are good layers, but the males are too small for a meat bird. Welsummer roo x Barred Rock may be interesting too, but the Barred Rocks girls are so dominant they now peck the poor Welsummer cockerel quite a bit. Will Ameraucana roo x any of the above breed produce Easter Eggers? What colors? Thank you so much in advance.
As far as the EE, Easter Eggers are not a breed. If you are asking if you will get blue egg layers, you will if he carries only blue egg genes, and if you breed him to blue egg laying hens. Crossing your EE or Am roo over all the above will basically give you EE's, but the egg color could range from blue to green to olive. Honestly since you will be producing mostly mixed breeds, I would recommend you keep the roosters with the best manners. If you wish to keep one purebred breed, that roster and his hens will have to be kept completely separate from your other roo. You might like to toy around with the chicken calculator to see what some of your crosses will produce http://kippenjungle.nl/kruising.html
I also agree to go on temperament, not breed. Your birds are all immature now so you really can't make a good decision for another few months. My personal eye would be keeping an Ameraucana or Ee rooster and a Wellies, just to give the different colored eggs in the next generation.
I agree with 1muttsfan and donrae. Keep the rooster with the best temperament. You don't want to breed aggression into your flock.
