How many do I get?

[donkeytails]

Here are a few weird questions, but probably not to the experienced chicken owner. If I am expanding my flock and I'm interested in several different breeds ( assuming they are all compatible). How many of each breed do I get? Do they do better as a pair? (All pullets) or more than a pair each? Also, I currently have all pullets, but if I decide to add a few males, would they start to breed with all of the different breeds or do they stay with their own? And if they don't. Will I start to get a bunch of cross bred chickens? Sorry if this is common sense, but when it comes to chickens, the answers aren't so common to me. Thanks....

 

[LeJeune1]

Donkeytails, roosters are not prejudiced. They will pair up with any breed and create mixed breeds or mutts. Which are not necessarily a bad thing. If I were adding Roos and trying for purebred chicks I'd have 2-3 hens and a rooster.

 

[donkeytails]

Thanks LeJuene1. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't creating some sort of mad science project. I have no problems with having mixed breeds. It'll be exciting to see what kind of outcomes I'll get.

 

[donrae]

Lots of folks here have mixed flocks with one bird of several differrent breeds. Some ornamental breeds like polish or other tophatted breeds tend to get picked on more than others, but if all your birds are dual purpose/heavy/production layers, they'll be fine together.
Roosters will mate with any hen. Hens will submit to any rooster. Breeds are man made, chickens just care that it's a chicken of the other sex. They don't know breeds.

Yes, you can hatch out mixed breed birds, lots of us here do that and you can look around at different threads on what mixed can look like.
Or, if you want to hatch out pure birds, you can seperate out a rooster and hens from the desired breeds in a breeding pen for a few weeks and incubate those eggs.

Have fun!!