Researching into breeding my chickens

[strutt20]

I have 22 chickens total (2 roosters and rest hens). Several breeds of hens! I got several distinguishable breeds so my daughters could tell them apart and name them. I wanted them interested and learning! Breeds i currently have of hens are New Hampshire Red, Ameraucana, Welsummer, Black Jersey Giant, Buff Orpington, Cuckoo Maran, Australorpe, Red Sex link, Buff Brahma, Silver Laced Wyandotte and a Barred rock that I am having a hard time getting to lay. It may be an addiction or Chicken mathmatics.

As you can tell we have several for more egg laying purposes and some for unique looks and colors. I will quit rambling and get to the question. I have a Very pretty Cuckoo Maran rooster starting to come of age. I have been playing around with the idea of incubating some of the eggs. But I cant find much info on cuckoo maran rooster crossed with these. I found a chicken calculator but i couldnt make sense of it personally. Part of it was english and part some not so english. Any suggestions on personal experience or opinion on which would be good crosses

or even ones to stay away from?

Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[Michael OShay]

It depends on what you are trying to produce with your CM roo. If you have an Ameraucana that lays blue eggs you could breed it with her and try for an Olive Egger. If you want more hens that lay chocolate eggs, then cross him with a Welsummer hen. If you simply want more hens that lay well, I would cross him with a Black Australorp hen. If you simply want very docile chickens, then cross him with either an Australorp, a Buff Orpington, or a Buff Brahma hen. It may be tempting to cross your CM roo with a Red Sex Link hen, but since the sex links are hybrids that don't breed true, there is no way of predicting what you will get. Hope this helps.

 

[strutt20]

It does help a lot! I love the chocolate eggs so the welsummer mix is tempting. My welsummer lays dark eggs with really dark specks. I am also looking at the color plumage the barred gene would make with different hens. I have seen cuckoo maran with red barred and buff barred that were pretty and unique