"Making" English-type BUFF Orpingtons

[greenfamilyfarms]

I have been thinking about using some of our Buff Orpingtons to "make" an English-type Buff Orpington by crossing them with Buff Cochins. The feathered legs and feet is what is going to give me trouble. For those of you experienced in a cross between a feather leg and a clean leg bird to develop a clean leg bird, what was your experience? Any advice would be wonderful. For the rest of you, do you think this is do-able?

 

[gallorojo]

The feather leg trait is essentially dominant, although incompletely so. This actually is not that much a problem, eliminating unwanted dominant traits is simple, to eliminate an unwanted recessive trait is much harder. The f1 cross will come 100% feather legged, but the leg feathering will be much reduced, more like a Marans, or a Langshan. If you cross the F1 back to the clean legged, that time, 50% of the the chicks will have lightly feathered legs, and 50% will have clean legs. You then select the best typed clean legged chicks, and you are done. 2 generations, feathered legs/feet, gone. I have done this exact thing myself, breeding feather foots to clean, and then selecting for clean legs. Simple, only 2 generations.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Quote:
AWESOME! Yes, those recessive traits (especially those that are "hidden") are a pain.