Rooster and Hen Fertility/Mating

[Joshbaker8452]

5x3 is not enough space for 40 even day old chicks.

Can't get my head around your breeding stock questions,
it's stuck on your apparent lack of concern for keeping birds in adequate housing.

If doing the multiple crosses as you suggest, you're going to need multiple separate housing enclosures.

I understand your concern of the adequate housing and now that you have given me your opinion I'll see how to modify it to better suite their spacial needs. But let me worry about that since it's my responsibility. And I know I'd have to separate the breeds, I KNOW that both or all 3 roosters will mate with all the hens, I understand that, it doesn't mean I have to let the hens hatch those crossbred eggs, I simply take them. What I am going to do is WHEN AND IF I let them hatch eggs I will separate the rooster and the group of hens I wish to mate. I understand what to do because I was going to do it even before you said it.

 

[donrae]

It's true that breeding sex links to each other won't give you the genetics that link the sex to the gender of the bird. But, the sex link rooster still has the strong egg production genetics to pass on. Whatever you do will be mixed breed birds, so I'm not sure it really matters exactly what the rooster is. Red sex link or hatchery Red will be pretty much the same as far as chicks. Only difference is the sex link rooster will give you more colorful chicks, if that's a concern. He'll throw red and white babies, the solid Red rooster will throw mostly red, depending of course what he's crossed with. Black and buff both dominate red pretty easily. A white Leghorn rooster will give you mostly white chicks, with flecks of black or some red leakage, depending again on who momma is.

I liked putting a brown Leghorn rooster over my flock, years ago. I didn't want to introduce the white, as I don't especially care for white birds, so the brown was a good option for me. I saw the increase in production for a few generations, it was a good choice for me.

Breeding sex links is cool and all, but it's really only practical if you're either selling day old pullets or culling the males young. Otherwise, there's no practical point to knowing the sex that early. A bird doesn't gain increased production or anything like that simply because you can tell if it's male or female at hatch.

 

[Joshbaker8452]

It's true that breeding sex links to each other won't give you the genetics that link the sex to the gender of the bird. But, the sex link rooster still has the strong egg production genetics to pass on. Whatever you do will be mixed breed birds, so I'm not sure it really matters exactly what the rooster is. Red sex link or hatchery Red will be pretty much the same as far as chicks. Only difference is the sex link rooster will give you more colorful chicks, if that's a concern. He'll throw red and white babies, the solid Red rooster will throw mostly red, depending of course what he's crossed with. Black and buff both dominate red pretty easily. A white Leghorn rooster will give you mostly white chicks, with flecks of black or some red leakage, depending again on who momma is. 

I liked putting a brown Leghorn rooster over my flock, years ago. I didn't want to introduce the white, as I don't especially care for white birds, so the brown was a good option for me. I saw the increase in production for a few generations, it was a good choice for me. 

Breeding sex links is cool and all, but it's really only practical if you're either selling day old pullets or culling the males young. Otherwise, there's no practical point to knowing the sex that early. A bird doesn't gain increased production or anything like that simply because you can tell if it's male or female at hatch. 

I think I initially made myself misunderstood. I personally don't care for the sexing at day old chicks. My goal with this rooster that I'm choosing is to give the strong egg laying genes. And to a certain point it does matter what rooster I chose, for example if I get a buff orpington rooster, I don't care for the sexing coloring, but obviously I don't want to have distasteful coloring, but they have a GOOD egg laying gene BUT not as good as let's say a, Sex Link, Australorp, or White leghorns which have a GREAT egg laying gene to pass on. Do you understand?

so to a point it does matter which rooster

.

 

[Joshbaker8452]

It's true that breeding sex links to each other won't give you the genetics that link the sex to the gender of the bird. But, the sex link rooster still has the strong egg production genetics to pass on. Whatever you do will be mixed breed birds, so I'm not sure it really matters exactly what the rooster is. Red sex link or hatchery Red will be pretty much the same as far as chicks. Only difference is the sex link rooster will give you more colorful chicks, if that's a concern. He'll throw red and white babies, the solid Red rooster will throw mostly red, depending of course what he's crossed with. Black and buff both dominate red pretty easily. A white Leghorn rooster will give you mostly white chicks, with flecks of black or some red leakage, depending again on who momma is. 

I liked putting a brown Leghorn rooster over my flock, years ago. I didn't want to introduce the white, as I don't especially care for white birds, so the brown was a good option for me. I saw the increase in production for a few generations, it was a good choice for me. 

Breeding sex links is cool and all, but it's really only practical if you're either selling day old pullets or culling the males young. Otherwise, there's no practical point to knowing the sex that early. A bird doesn't gain increased production or anything like that simply because you can tell if it's male or female at hatch. 

Like you said white leghorns pass on white coloring which I don't find to be very eye catching but they have a great egg laying gene so it is still a good choice. What if I get a Speckled Sussex Rooster with a buff, red, or black, do you know what I'd get? And do they have a strong egg gene to pass(your opinion)?

 

[donrae]

I've only had a few hatchery Speckled Sussex hens, but I was less than thrilled by their egg laying. Medium-ish eggs, and more like 4-5 per week. The roosters are gorgeous to look at, but wouldn't be my first choice for egg laying.

As far as my comment about it not mattering what rooster you get, I guess i didn't make myself clear. I meant any of the higher production bred rooster breeds, they'll basically be interchaneable since you're doing mixed breeds. You will have a difference in carcass size, if that matters. Leghorns are little birds, and they make more little birds. Now, for the pullets, that can be a good thing cause you get layers that churn out the eggs and don't eat a crapton of food like say the big buff Orpingtons. But, for butchering cockerels, not so much.


With an order that big, were it me, I'd not add another male. I'd wait and see what I actually received from the hatchery. You may well get an Oops or two, of a breed you'll want to use for egg production breeding. And if you don't, well, for most of us, cockerels are very easy to come by. Other folks get Oops birds and would be thrilled to their toes to find a breeding home for their bird. You'd know genders by 6ish weeks, young enough you could easily add another cockerel at that point without causing huge issues with the social structure of your flock.

 

[Joshbaker8452]

I've only had a few hatchery Speckled Sussex hens, but I was less than thrilled by their egg laying. Medium-ish eggs, and more like 4-5 per week. The roosters are gorgeous to look at, but wouldn't be my first choice for egg laying. 

As far as my comment about it not mattering what rooster you get, I guess i didn't make myself clear. I meant any of the higher production bred rooster breeds, they'll basically be interchaneable since you're doing mixed breeds. You will have a difference in carcass size, if that matters. Leghorns are little birds, and they make more little birds. Now, for the pullets, that can be a good thing cause you get layers that churn out the eggs and don't eat a crapton of food like say the big buff Orpingtons. But, for butchering cockerels, not so much. 


With an order that big, were it me, I'd not add another male. I'd wait and see what I actually received from the hatchery. You may well get an Oops or two, of a breed you'll want to use for egg production breeding. And if you don't, well, for most of us, cockerels are very easy to come by. Other folks get Oops birds and would be thrilled to their toes to find a breeding home for their bird. You'd know genders by 6ish weeks, young enough you could easily add another cockerel at that point without causing huge issues with the social structure of your flock. 

OK thank you very, tbh this was the answer I was looking for, I suppose I am putting to much trust in the sexing of the hatchery so I might get one to a few Oops cocks. so I suppose I won't put another male and wait and see if I get any. And I understand what you were saying about the rooster not mattering, thank you very much.