Mixing heritage breed roosters with Hy-Line hens

[ChookaPete]

I currently have four Hy-Line hens (plus two Hy-Line and one Leghorn Cross pullets). They all do have their slight differences between each other.

I am aware too that once a Hy-Line is bred with another breed, the offspring is no longer a Hy-Line Red Sex-Link. But would be a derivative.

Anyway, I have a dozen fertile eggs of four different heritage breeds in an incubator. I am hoping I get at least one rooster from each breed. In fact I just hope they do hatch and survive (I am skeptical of the incubator):

• Sussex
• Polish
• Blue Araucana
• Lavendar Araucana

What could I expect from a chicken born from crossing these (possibly upcoming) roosters with my Hy-Line hens?
For example, could I get a blue Hy-Line? A Hy-Line with a round puffy hairdo? A white speckled Hy-Line? A lavender-feathered chicken that lays a lot of eggs? I guess that the possibilities are numerous, but I am just wondering what could be likely...

 

[MoonMoon]

Hi! Old-ish thread with no replies. How’s the incubating journey going? Is every eggs still viable? That’s a big expectation to what I assume 3 eggs per breed, to get 4 roosters.

Honestly while speculating is fun(I've spent days daydreaming about my breeding plans before) I recommend you not think so far ahead. Especially since you don't trust the incubator. I had 4 beautiful, friendly Wyandotte chicks that I dreamt of breeding in the far future before they all died and ruined my breeding plan and broke my heart. I also lost another Wyandotte after believing it can’t get worse, and several other chickens. In case you’re so set in your plan, just in case, head up, it may not follow through, especially since hatching and raising chicks is a long bet.

But.

If you’re still curious, this is my speculation. Nothing I say here is guaranteed. Especially since idk hy-line genetic make up AND they’re hybrids.

•Sussex: I believe you meant columbian sussex here? The most common color? But it could also be speckles sussex which is the most popular I guess.
Columbian phenotype: I believe crossing with hy-line red would produce silver sons with columbian, or white sons with black speckled neck and POSSIBLY patchy yellow back, because dominant white. Could also have a pure white son somehow. And similarly, orange sons(problem with hybrid genetic)Daughters would be silver, white, maybe will yellow leakage(just fleck of colors here and there)
Speckles Sussex: Red, with maybe some leakage(black or white on neck and tail)
•Polish: Again, what color morph though? Idk, but probably partial laced(around tail and chest probably), speckled or just black...usually. If polish father is red based then maybe red daughter, silver son.
•Blue Araucana: Probably solid black or blue chicks.
•Lavender Araucana: Solid black chicks with the smallest chance to have lavender leakage.

Then again, just speculation. The hens could throw a surprise, and we’ll never know until you actually breed them!

 

[ChookaPete]

Hi! Old-ish thread with no replies. How’s the incubating journey going? Is every eggs still viable? That’s a big expectation to what I assume 3 eggs per breed, to get 4 roosters.

Honestly while speculating is fun(I've spent days daydreaming about my breeding plans before) I recommend you not think so far ahead. Especially since you don't trust the incubator. I had 4 beautiful, friendly Wyandotte chicks that I dreamt of breeding in the far future before they all died and ruined my breeding plan and broke my heart. I also lost another Wyandotte after believing it can’t get worse, and several other chickens. In case you’re so set in your plan, just in case, head up, it may not follow through, especially since hatching and raising chicks is a long bet.

But.

If you’re still curious, this is my speculation. Nothing I say here is guaranteed. Especially since idk hy-line genetic make up AND they’re hybrids.

•Sussex: I believe you meant columbian sussex here? The most common color? But it could also be speckles sussex which is the most popular I guess.
Columbian phenotype: I believe crossing with hy-line red would produce silver sons with columbian, or white sons with black speckled neck and POSSIBLY patchy yellow back, because dominant white. Could also have a pure white son somehow. And similarly, orange sons(problem with hybrid genetic)Daughters would be silver, white, maybe will yellow leakage(just fleck of colors here and there)
Speckles Sussex: Red, with maybe some leakage(black or white on neck and tail)
•Polish: Again, what color morph though? Idk, but probably partial laced(around tail and chest probably), speckled or just black...usually. If polish father is red based then maybe red daughter, silver son.
•Blue Araucana: Probably solid black or blue chicks.
•Lavender Araucana: Solid black chicks with the smallest chance to have lavender leakage.

Then again, just speculation. The hens could throw a surprise, and we’ll never know until you actually breed them!

Hello! And thanks for replying!

Since I started the incubator, I went away for work. Upon my return I found Coriander on her nest among the weeds at 8pm:

Clearly she was clucky, so I swapped out the eggs underneath her for the dozen fertile eggs from the incubator. Just before the swap, I had a go at candling and at least some of them looked promising (Day 12).


As of today it is Day 16, and alas I am away for work again. I am hoping I can return for Day 21 to set up a nursery area for Coriander and her chicks, if they do hatch and survive I hope.

 

[MoonMoon]

Hello! And thanks for replying!

Since I started the incubator, I went away for work. Upon my return I found Coriander on her nest among the weeds at 8pm:

View attachment 4051769


Clearly she was clucky, so I swapped out the eggs underneath her for the dozen fertile eggs from the incubator. Just before the swap, I had a go at candling and at least some of them looked promising (Day 12).


As of today it is Day 16, and alas I am away for work again. I am hoping I can return for Day 21 to set up a nursery area for Coriander and her chicks, if they do hatch and survive I hope.

Cool! I hope you will keep me updated then. I am interested in seeing this story to the end! Especially, an industrial hybrid goes broody?! Hey! That's something I haven't heard of often.

Your chicken is actually yellow?! Oops. I expected a red/brown bird instead. I guess there will be more white and yellow offspring then
She looks like my fam’s Golden Comet. Same white dotty neck too. I was imagining your Hy-Line as red birds like Isabrowns and Lohmann Browns. That shifts the outcome a bit.

 

[ChookaPete]

Cool! I hope you will keep me updated then. I am interested in seeing this story to the end! Especially, an industrial hybrid goes broody?! Hey! That's something I haven't heard of often.

Your chicken is actually yellow?! Oops. I expected a red/brown bird instead. I guess there will be more white and yellow offspring then
She looks like my fam’s Golden Comet. Same white dotty neck too. I was imagining your Hy-Line as red birds like Isabrowns and Lohmann Browns. That shifts the outcome a bit.

Hi! Yeah Coriander is a bit different in colour to her sisters. Seems golden and blondey, and a bigger chook overall.

Coriander (foreground),
Cumin (background, golden head, neck & hackles, dark brown body),
Clover (background, in the middle)
Cardamom (background, neck against pipe)

From left to right, as toddler chicks: Cumin, Coriander, Cardamom, Caraway (she sadly died four months later...), and little Clover (golden here but she changed to a light brown later on).

In this photo you can see Cardamom (dark brown, facing forward), Cumin next to the water bowl with more white in her tail feathers, and Coriander on her left, seems brown but more blonde/golden feathers. Cumin has the same golden speckled neck and hackle feathers as Coriander, but her body feathers are reddish dark brown like Cardamom.

Clover's feathers are mostly the same colour as Cardamom's, but a lighter shade. However she also has a 'ring' of bright coloured feathers at the base of her hackles. This is from when she was broody the first time (6 months old, April 2024):

Clover and my white Leghorn cross Chamomile back in January 2025. Clover was broody (for the second time), while Chamomile was laying an egg next to her.

 

[Nicks_Chicks]

With only 7 hens, its unlikely to get them fathered by four roosters. In fact, its most likely they are all fathered by the same rooster. You never know though.

 

[Nicks_Chicks]

Hi! Yeah Coriander is a bit different in colour to her sisters. Seems golden and blondey, and a bigger chook overall.

Coriander (foreground),
Cumin (background, golden head, neck & hackles, dark brown body),
Clover (background, in the middle)
Cardamom (background, neck against pipe)
View attachment 4052408


From left to right, as toddler chicks: Cumin, Coriander, Cardamom, Caraway (she sadly died four months later...), and little Clover (golden here but she changed to a light brown later on).
View attachment 4052413




In this photo you can see Cardamom (dark brown, facing forward), Cumin next to the water bowl with more white in her tail feathers, and Coriander on her left, seems brown but more blonde/golden feathers.

View attachment 4052399


Cumin has the same golden speckled neck and hackle feathers as Coriander, but her body feathers are reddish dark brown like Cardamom.



Clover's feathers are the same colour as Cardamom's, but a lighter shade. This is from when she was broody the first time (6 months old, April 2024):
View attachment 4052433



Clover and my white Leghorn cross Chamomile back in January 2025. Clover was broody (for the second time), while Chamomile was laying an egg next to her.
View attachment 4052419

Hope this didn't sound rude, I was just speaking my thoughts.

 

[BDutch]

I don’t know much about genetics, but like to follow and see how this adventure develops. Good luck .

 

[ChookaPete]

With only 7 hens, its unlikely to get them fathered by four roosters. In fact, its most likely they are all fathered by the same rooster. You never know though.

Yep possibly! Anyway, if I do happen to have any cockerel chicks, it will be much later in the year until they are able to mate with my hens anyway. Honestly I just hope that my chicks do hatch and survive. I reckon I'll be lucky to have one out of the dozen.

Technically I am not allowed to keep roosters in my district. But my neighbours also keep chickens, so I speculate there will be little resistance if a rooster does crow. If there is a complaint I will give the rooster/s back to the heritage breeder, but bring one or two in at a time back and forth to mate with my hens.

 

[ChookaPete]

Hope this didn't sound rude, I was just speaking my thoughts.

No offense taken!