Next best breed to cross with a blue orp?

[shelleyb1969]

I have a bantam blue orp cockerel that was hatched by vicki2x2 out of KingsCalls stock. I cannot find any bantam orpington pullets to go with him, so I'm looking for another breed to put with him. What would be the next best breed to cross him with? I know that they'll be mutts, but I'd like to have some very pretty mutts!

Any suggestions?

Also, this is going to be a temporary relationship...until I can incubate some BBS bantam orp hatching eggs in the spring. Right now this guy is in with 4 silkies, and it's not the best atmosphere. The silkies take turns on who hates the blue guy! So I'd like to get him some girls of his own to keep him warm this cold winter.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, I have sent eggs to many people with my Suede (blue Orp) over my Buff Brahma hen, Caroline. The males were blue or black with lots of gold in their hackles, wings and backs and HUGE. The girls were solid black or blue. Most had some feathers on the legs. I have one of the girls, my black girl Glenda. She's a big girl, went broody recently and hatched chicks.

 

[shelleyb1969]

I have some Light Brahma bantam chicks, but they're only 2 weeks old. I bet that would be a cool cross now that you mentioned it, SpeckledHen. But I'd really like to find a few pullets about his age so I could get them together asap...after quarantine. This roo is 14 weeks old, or thereabouts.

 

[speckledhen]

Here's a link to one of the roosters hatched from the Blue Orp/Buff Brahma cross, owned by ZuniBee (Jay)
http://zunibeefarms.com/user/cimage/7.jpg

 

[shelleyb1969]

Wow, very pretty SpeckledHen. Thanks for the link. Now I just need to find some pullets.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

I was totally going to suggest Brahmas, too. I had seen pics of such a cross somewhere here before; maybe they were yours, Speckledhen!

 

[shelleyb1969]

If I were to keep (instead of sell) the 2 week old brahma chicks I have, when would I be able to put them with him? At what age for the chicks? Can/will the roo try to breed the the pullets too young?

 

[speckledhen]

Depends on the rooster. Suede will nail anything older than six weeks, LOL, but my other roosters never bother the girls till the combs turn reddish. They know when the girls are reaching laying age, it seems.

 

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
But will it hurt the pullets growth or anything if they're bred too young? Please excuse my ignorance in the chicken breeding department.

 

[speckledhen]

It wont hurt their growth, but a big rooster getting rough with a smaller hen can cause injuries. My Hawkeye, and now his sons, never would try to mate a pullet younger than about 17 weeks old and usually, I can tell when they start noticing one of the new girls. Right now, neither rooster even looks at my only banty hen, Shadow, though she's about 25 weeks old. Guess they think she's too young or a chick, even, LOL.