Mixed chicks. What can I expect?

[Bantu]

I have a group of eggs in the incubator and though I am excited about hatch day, I'm wondering what to expect as to possible coloring, egg production,meat production from crossing. If any one has these crosses I'd like to know about your experience. 1. BCM and barred rock. 2. BCM and Dark Cornish. 3. BCM and light Brahma. 4. BCM and Black sex link . 5. BCM and Easter egger. Thank you.

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

Which parent was the barred rock with the BCM/BR mix? If it was the hen, you've got black sex link chicks.

 

[Bantu]

The BCM was the father. So black sex links with the barred rock than. Mommy laying 6 eggs a week so maybe the pullets will too. One can hope

 

[dekel18042]

I have a group of eggs in the incubator and though I am excited about hatch day, I'm wondering what to expect as to possible coloring, egg production,meat production from crossing. If any one has these crosses I'd like to know about your experience. 1. BCM and barred rock. 2. BCM and Dark Cornish. 3. BCM and light Brahma. 4. BCM and Black sex link . 5. BCM and Easter egger. Thank you.

I'm assuming the BCM is your rooster? You should get some excellent meat bids there and the BCM and EE should give you some nice olive eggers assuming your EE's lay blue or greenish blue eggs.
BCM usually aren't the best layers but they make up for it with beautifully colored dark eggs. I have some OE's that the other half is cream legbar or EE and they lay much better than the parent marans,

 

[Bantu]

meat birds yipee. It would be nice not to have to buy any. Sent a couple of Marans to freezer camp and they were tasty.

 

[Ridgerunner]

With the Black Copper Marans or Blue Copper Marans, whichever you have, as the rooster:

1. BCM and barred rock. – Black Sex Link

2. BCM and Dark Cornish. – Probably a decent dual purpose meat bird, should have larger than average breasts for a dual purpose.

3. BCM and light Brahma. – This is a tricky one. It could be a red sex link but it may be really difficult to see the difference. You’ll probably need to see both male and female chicks side by side, but there may possibly be a small area on the head, likely the chin area, if there is a difference. You may not be able to tell the difference at all.

4. BCM and Black sex link . – There are a lot of different ways to make a black sex link. Depending in who the parents are you could wind up with a rainbow of color/patterns.

5. BCM and Easter egger – If the Easter Egger hen is laying a blue or green egg, you have a possibility of getting pullets that lay colored eggs, almost certainly green instead of blue. Exactly what shade of green is uncertain but probably fairly dark. Egg shell color genetics can get complicated and you sometimes get some real surprises so don’t be shocked if you get a surprise shade, but probably dark. You could get a pullet that lays a brown egg, even if the EE mother lays a colored egg. If the EE does not lay a colored egg, the pullet’s eggs will be some shade of brown.

Since EE’s are generally of mixed genetics you could easily get a rainbow of colors/patterns in the chicks.

If you know which chick came from which egg a lot of this becomes a lot easier. If the chicks mix after they hatch so you don’t know which hen was the mother it can get really confusing.

 

[Bantu]

With the Black Copper Marans or Blue Copper Marans, whichever you have, as the rooster:

1. BCM and barred rock. – Black Sex Link

2. BCM and Dark Cornish. – Probably a decent dual purpose meat bird, should have larger than average breasts for a dual purpose.

3. BCM and light Brahma. – This is a tricky one. It could be a red sex link but it may be really difficult to see the difference. You’ll probably need to see both male and female chicks side by side, but there may possibly be a small area on the head, likely the chin area, if there is a difference. You may not be able to tell the difference at all.

4. BCM and Black sex link . – There are a lot of different ways to make a black sex link. Depending in who the parents are you could wind up with a rainbow of color/patterns.

5. BCM and Easter egger – If the Easter Egger hen is laying a blue or green egg, you have a possibility of getting pullets that lay colored eggs, almost certainly green instead of blue. Exactly what shade of green is uncertain but probably fairly dark. Egg shell color genetics can get complicated and you sometimes get some real surprises so don’t be shocked if you get a surprise shade, but probably dark. You could get a pullet that lays a brown egg, even if the EE mother lays a colored egg. If the EE does not lay a colored egg, the pullet’s eggs will be some shade of brown.

Since EE’s are generally of mixed genetics you could easily get a rainbow of colors/patterns in the chicks.

If you know which chick came from which egg a lot of this becomes a lot easier. If the chicks mix after they hatch so you don’t know which hen was the mother it can get really confusing.

I'm going to seperate the eggs into sterile baskets I saw in a book I have at lock down. That way I can document what is what.
Thank you.

 

[donrae]

Sounds like a fun hatch!

You're going to get a lot of black chicks. Unless your rooster harbors hidden Wheaten genetics, his extended black is going to give you black chicks with red leakage from most of those mommas.

Does your rooster have feathered legs? If so, the chicks should have lightly feathered legs from the clean legged mothers. The Brahma's chicks will be heavier feathered.

Not a lot more to add to the above. Your Dark Cornish mix may make a great broody hen, if you get pullet offspring. those cockerels should make nice meat birds. My Marans are a little slower developing, but I think they'll be worth the wait as table birds.

 

[Bantu]

So the BCM / brahma mix will be red?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I would expect it to be mostly black. There may be other colors in the chin area and maybe light colored below that.