Ok I am now just frustrated and ready to scream. I don't even know where to start this and if it goes nuts it's because I am going nuts just trying to hatch eggs. It will be 2 years ago in may we got our first birds. Our local co-op has a deal where you can get 3 birds of one variety of dual purpose birds sexed. We got 3 variety, NH reds, Buff orps and Golden comets. They all started laying around 18 weeks, right on time. We did not get a cockerel, did not want to hatch at that time. Next year we got 6 Rangers straight run. We got 3 cockerel and three pullets. We saved one to be our future rooster and the 3 girls to breed to see what we got. A few months after getting Rangers I found Jersey Giants and got some mail order eggs and hatched 5 of 12, 3 boys 2 girls. Now on to the breeding.
When the Giants were young, 14 weeks the Rangers started laying eggs. Despite being old enough the one saved cockerel showed no interest in them but I said give it time after all it’s a hobby right now. At 20 weeks the Giant roos came of age and no ranger hen is safe. The Rangers and Giants live in one coop the egg girls another.
I am now looking at what back yard breed to try. One will be Jersey Giant pure breeds no question in that. I also wanted to try a Ranger/Giant meat bird to see how big it got in 4-5 months. I also wanted to try Ranger/Ranger to see what came of this. I know Rangers are are cross and can't breed true but I am just experimenting and looking for a meat flock.
My egg girls are going on 2 and have had a slow winter for eggs due to molt/age etc. I want to keep a new group of egg layers under one year fresh every year. The first year I had eggs all winter. So I want to breed Jersey to my Reds and Orps. Reds lay well and Orps lay well and go broody in spring and make great moms. I let an Orp hatch and raise the Giants. The Goldens lay eggs but are not broody and can be nasty to the birds, they beat up the Orp after she came back to the egg coop so bad I had to remove them for three days to let the Orp settle back in the coop.
Right now I have the Giant roo in with the Orp and Red hens. Egg laying came to a stop and I have yet to see him find a hen. This was going to be my 1st brood. The Comets that I do not want to breed are laying every day. And today I go out to the meaty coop and there are 5 eggs, every girl laid one. I am thinking of hatching the Ranger/Giants if I can get like 5 more eggs. But I only have one good incubator. What if the egg gals fire up and are not broody on the nest?
Despite this long rant I only hope for three bird crosses; the egg layer/Giant and the Ranger /Giant and last the Giant pure breed. I might move the 2 other Giant roos to the egg breeding coop to see if the Ranger roo does is thing or if this is his end.
