How do you separate the breeding pairs that you want to mix?

[hosspak]

I'm kinda new to the idea of breeding. I would like to see my Walter paired with certain other girls in our flock. He is a BCM and I would like to get an "olive egger" or something else that's different from the norm. Right now he is cooped up with our BCM hen and this BW. (bottom) I noticed lately that he has a liking for this EE because he tries whenever they are all together. How does everybody else do it? HELP...

 

[Bodee]

Do you want to know how to artificially fertilize her ?

 

[hosspak]

First off Bodee, eewwww! lol No, I was just looking at how people choose to segregate the wanted pairs. Do I keep him with only the hens I want or do it one pair at a time. Will Mrs. Walter get crazy if she is not with him? Kinda feeling a little pimpish...

 

[donrae]

Okay, we need a better idea of your set up.

Do you have other roosters? If no, you just need to keep the roo with the hens you want to hatch from and incubate their eggs.

If you have other roosters and the hens have been exposed to them, the hens can store their sperm internally for 2ish weeks. So, separate the hens from the other rooster--this can be with Walter or not-- and wait the 2 weeks or so to incubate eggs.

Your rooster can be with all the hens you want to incubate from at once. Unless you think there's some reason he's not mating them, I just always assume my eggs are fertile unless the roo had access to over 20 hens.


Is any of this making sense?

 

[hosspak]

Yes, perfect sense. Let's go to the next level. I have BCM, RIR and a SL roosters, 1 of each. My hens, one of each; Buff orp, gold comet, tinted tet, black Wyandotte, and these two. What would be good crosses to try? For either diff colored eggs or cool patterned chicks?

 

[donrae]

I'd probably do what you're thinking and go for an olive egger. Other than that, rhode island/buff orp crosses seem to be pretty popular, pretty birds and good layers.

Just be sure you have a plan in place for the 50% roosters you're going to hatch out........