Is it possible to get the best of both worlds?

[JacinLarkwell]

That is actually a really good idea. However I would want my chickens to reproduce on their own, and I don't think the bastardization would brew good genetics. I'd probably end up with the ugly colors of a jersey giant and the terrible laying from the gamefowl lol

That is actually a really good idea. However I would want my chickens to reproduce on their own, and I don't think the bastardization would brew good genetics. I'd probably end up with the ugly colors of a jersey giant and the terrible laying from the gamefowl lol

Even if you stuck with one breed and one color, there's no guarantee that you won't have recessive genes popping up. That's happened a few times with my pheonixes, which were originally a quartet of gold duckwing

 

[SilverBirds]

I'd probably end up with the ugly colors of a jersey giant and the terrible laying from the gamefowl lol

Other than the colors, do you like the Jerseys?

 

[NatJ]

Yes. Black breasted red or gold duckwing. Laying is certainly a must, as well as being cold hardy (I live in zone 4a).

Have you considered Brown Leghorns?

They would have the color you want, and the good laying abilities.

As far as being cold-hardy, I've read that Leghorns tend to cope well with cold except for their combs and wattles, which are prone to frostbite.

Brown Leghorns do come in a rose comb variety, which would probably fare better than the large floppy single combs.

Or you could consider getting the single comb variety, then dubbing the combs and wattles, as some people do with gamefowl roosters (that means, cutting off the combs and wattles, in this case for both genders.) Or you could let them each get frostbitten the first winter, fall off, and be fine thereafter. I suspect dubbing is overall less painful than letting frostbite do it, but I do not know for sure.

 

[CrspyChkn]

Or you could consider getting the single comb variety, then dubbing the combs and wattles

Perhaps supplemental heat above their heads? I don’t know how good of an idea this is since heaters + shavings = chance of fire, but there might be some way to do it while lowering the risk of fire. Hmmm.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Perhaps supplemental heat above their heads? I don’t know how good of an idea this is since heaters + shavings = chance of fire, but there might be some way to do it while lowering the risk of fire. Hmmm.

Rhe problem with that is that I'd you add heat and it dies from power outages, the birds will be shocked by the sudden temperature plummet

 

[CrspyChkn]

Rhe problem with that is that I'd you add heat and it dies from power outages, the birds will be shocked by the sudden temperature plummet

True, did not think of that con.

 

[raingarden]

You already have the best of both worlds to choose from.

 

[mwturn99]

Even if you stuck with one breed and one color, there's no guarantee that you won't have recessive genes popping up. That's happened a few times with my pheonixes, which were originally a quartet of gold duckwing

That's interesting, I never realized that, what recessive genes did you have show up?

Have you considered Brown Leghorns?

They would have the color you want, and the good laying abilities.

As far as being cold-hardy, I've read that Leghorns tend to cope well with cold except for their combs and wattles, which are prone to frostbite.

Brown Leghorns do come in a rose comb variety, which would probably fare better than the large floppy single combs.

Or you could consider getting the single comb variety, then dubbing the combs and wattles, as some people do with gamefowl roosters (that means, cutting off the combs and wattles, in this case for both genders.) Or you could let them each get frostbitten the first winter, fall off, and be fine thereafter. I suspect dubbing is overall less painful than letting frostbite do it, but I do not know for sure.

I actually think about his a lot. I honestly think this is one of my best options. However they're not very broody from what I hear, can you solve this? Do hens genuinely refuse to sit on their eggs?

Other than the colors, do you like the Jerseys?

Jerseys are 100% my favorite breed. The second best chicken for my situation would definitely be plymouth rock. But I am a man of pretty gamefowl gosh darn it!!

Perhaps supplemental heat above their heads? I don’t know how good of an idea this is since heaters + shavings = chance of fire, but there might be some way to do it while lowering the risk of fire. Hmmm.

Thought about this. But the nature of living so far north is that the power always goes out during the coldest weather, which is when they'd need it the most. Seems safer to just get a cold hardy breed and let them do their thing

 

[SilverBirds]

Why don't you get a partridge/ duckwing roo and a handful of females of the same breed and add them with your JG? That way you can keep the Jerseys, have a gamefowl looking rooster, and chicks that will be pure bred.

 

[mwturn99]

Why don't you get a partridge/ duckwing roo and a handful of females of the same breed and add them with your JG? That way you can keep the Jerseys, have a gamefowl looking rooster, and chicks that will be pure bred.

I'm worried about adding the inefficiency of the gamefowl into the genepool. Don't you think this will negatively impact the performance of the original JG genes, having added gamefowl to it?