Need help choosing a Rooster for my flock

[ShellyP]

I have a small backyard flock of 16 girls. Currently I have 4 Cuckoo Marans, 5 Easter Eggers, 2 Buff Orpingtons, 3 Olive Eggers, and 2 Black Copper Marans.

Which breed of rooster would give me the best range of colorful eggs? I love the Easter Eggers and Olive Eggers and would love to have more of those, but also love the beautiful black copper Marans girls. (I love filling my egg basket with colorful eggs.)

I keep going through the different scenarios and just can't figure out which would be best. I thought maybe some of the seasoned pros here could help.

Thanks so much for your time. Any information would be truly helpful.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A dark egg breed would give you more olive/khaki eggers in the offspring.

I vote for a Black Penedesenca rooster. Content to stay inside short fences, very agile, alert and best protectors I've had. Famous in Spain for meat quality. They have their own festival.

 

[3riverschick]

I have a small backyard flock of 16 girls. Currently I have 4 Cuckoo Marans, 5 Easter Eggers, 2 Buff Orpingtons, 3 Olive Eggers, and 2 Black Copper Marans.

Which breed of rooster would give me the best range of colorful eggs? I love the Easter Eggers and Olive Eggers and would love to have more of those, but also love the beautiful black copper Marans girls. (I love filling my egg basket with colorful eggs.)

I keep going through the different scenarios and just can't figure out which would be best. I thought maybe some of the seasoned pros here could help.

Thanks so much for your time. Any information would be truly helpful.

not the Orpington. not the olive Egger. Blue egger mixed with brown egger gives green egger. So pick a male who will sire blue egg layers if mated to a blue egg hen. Bred to the Orpington, you will get chicks which lay light blue or light green eggs when grown. Bred to the Marans, the chicks will lay green eggs when grown. If you already have a blue egg lying female in your flock then you are set...bred to her , the chicks will grow up to be blue egg layers.
Happy New Year!
Karen

 

[ShellyP]

I hadn't even considered the black Penedesenca. That is a great idea.

 

[ShellyP]

not the Orpington.  not the olive Egger.   Blue egger mixed with brown egger gives green egger.  So pick a male who will sire blue egg layers if mated to a blue egg hen. Bred to the Orpington, you will get chicks  which lay light blue or light green eggs when grown. Bred to the Marans, the chicks will lay green eggs when grown. If you already have a blue egg lying female in your flock then you are set...bred to her , the chicks will grow up to be blue egg layers.
 Happy New Year!
 Karen

Thank you so much Karen. This is kind of along the thinking I was having. Thanks for helping me think through the breeds.

 

[dekel18042]

X2 A blue egg layer (EE or Ameraucana) would give you the most choices for colored eggs. If you would want to sell any, the chicks are always in demand, plus with the smaller pea comb they are wonderfully cold hardy as well as able to tolerate the heat.

 

[ShellyP]

X2   A blue egg layer (EE or Ameraucana) would give you the most choices for colored eggs.  If you would want to sell any, the chicks are always in demand, plus with the smaller pea comb they are wonderfully cold hardy as well as able to tolerate the heat.

I love the pea comb of the Easter Egger or Ameraucana. That was one of the pros I was tossing around too! Thank you so much for your help. I think I will be looking for some Easter Egger or Ameraucana eggs as it gets a little warmer.

 

[lazy gardener]

A dark colored EE roo will give you chicks that should be 100% pea combed. He will also, if carrying the blue egg gene, pass that on to all of the offspring resulting in blue or varying shades of green eggs from all of the chicks of hens you currently have. And, chances are VERY GOOD that he will produce black sex link, green egg layer, pea combed, birds with your Cuckoo Marans gals. Read the Sex link thread to see what kinds of mixes you might get between a black or dark roo and your Orp gals.

 

[ShellyP]

A dark colored EE roo will give you chicks that should be 100% pea combed.  He will also, if carrying the blue egg gene, pass that on to all of the offspring resulting in blue or varying shades of green eggs from all of the chicks of hens you currently have.  And, chances are VERY GOOD that he will produce black sex link, green egg layer, pea combed, birds with your Cuckoo Marans gals.  Read the Sex link thread to see what kinds of mixes you might get between a black or dark roo and your Orp gals.

That is excellent info! I will definitely look for that thread. Thank you!