Show me pictures of your mixed breeds

[fluffycrow]

Thanks. Would you suggest mob breeding instead, and just cull the worst? That was a possibility during the planning stages. I thought doing two different groups would speed up the mixing.

Here's the thing. Assuming you let them all mingle and free range all day, with little intervention when it comes to which bird you cross to who, the results might be undesirable. You might want a good flier and a good mother, but you end up with a good layer and a good flyer, with no brooding in sight (although this exact example is not a good one). Having two separate populations gives you more control. If one of the two lines doesn't turn out like you want it, you've hot a second one on hand

 

[fluffycrow]

I plan on doing two unrelated batches of the same cross, that way I can pick roosters and hens from each to add to the pullets from the previous hatch (generation 4-5) the new pullets/cockerels with only be a few months behind and they will grow up with the others so I won't see as big as a problem imo.

I'm a little confused. I'm not talking about the effects of breeding birds too closely related, or the ill effects of raising multiple generations together (because there are usually none). I was saying that keeping a male for only one year is not enough time to accurately determine how well they do out on free range

 

[LaurenRitz]

The initial plan was to move cockerels to the next "clan" and let them be raised by the clan, then cull until I have 1 or 2 that fit my plans. Pullets remain with their birth "clan."

Fencing took priority over the 2nd coop, so the plan keeps shifting.

 

[MROO]

I am always amazed at the color differences between male and female. Since there are sometimes females with male coloring, I wonder if someone could create a breed that has male coloring on both?

"Hen-feathered" breeds, like Sebrights, are almost identical except for the combs & wattles. Mine used to confuse the living daylights out of me ... so now, I have Nankins!

 

[LaurenRitz]

"Hen-feathered" breeds, like Sebrights, are almost identical except for the combs & wattles. Mine used to confuse the living daylights out of me ... so now, I have Nankins!

So there are breeds like that out there! Good to know!

 

[NatJ]

Here is my only mix breed. he is the only survivor from my first time hatching eggs. I got the eggs from a friend that wasn’t intending to breed them so he didn’t pair up any specific birds for breeding so I can’t say positively what his parents were. But he hatched from a light brown egg. Mother could have been ISA brown, barred rock, or EE without the blue gene. Father was either leghorn or EE. My best guess based on all possible parents and the way he looks it that the cross is leghorn x ISA brown.

He's quite handsome!

But based on his comb, he cannot be from a Leghorn x ISA Brown cross. That cross would produce only single comb chicks, but his comb is something else.

To get that comb, from that list of breeds, one of the parents must have been an EE.

I think most likely the father was the Leghorn and the mother was an EE without the blue gene. Or the father could have been the EE, and depending on which color genes that rooster had, any of the mothers could have been a possibility.

 

[FunClucks]

This is my Easter Egger, Pueo! She hasn’t given me any eggs yet but I am hoping for a blue or green egg! My current blue egg layer is unreliable and her eggs are tiny when she ever does decide to lay.View attachment 3647287

Hope this hen works out for you.

If not, get some Whiting True Blue from Murray McMurray hatchery. One large to extra large nicely blue egg each day. Better egg size, color, and shape consistency than my Prairie Bluebells from Hoover's, and man those WTB are gorgeous birds!!! It's its own breed so the WTB breed true for blue eggs. Or at least they did when Tom Whiting sold them to Murray McMurray. A number of folks on here have been very pleased with them, and mine are shaping up nicely.

 

[Red Mangrove]

Here's a 5-6 month old Easter Egger x Red Junglefowl cockerel and a Cubalaya x American Game pullet around a month younger

I'm sure they'll both be much more majestic looking after their first moult

 

[Tstraub]

He's quite handsome!

But based on his comb, he cannot be from a Leghorn x ISA Brown cross. That cross would produce only single comb chicks, but his comb is something else.

To get that comb, from that list of breeds, one of the parents must have been an EE.

I think most likely the father was the Leghorn and the mother was an EE without the blue gene. Or the father could have been the EE, and depending on which color genes that rooster had, any of the mothers could have been a possibility.

Thanks for the information. I always wondered where that comb came from. The guy that gave me the eggs said he thought it looked like a leghorn but since it came from a brown egg he thought most likely ISA Brown hen laid the egg. Since I had no real knowledge about genetics I took his word. I’m learning a lot but still have a lot to learn.

 

[Appalachian homestead]

I'm several years into landrace / barnyard mix/ survival of the fittest project. My goal is a hardy, broody bird that is great at foraging and predator evasion while still being a decent egg layer.I started off with mostly heritage breeds. White rock, barred rock , marans,easter eggers, and wyandottes are the main genetic base but I also added a handful of less common breeds for a broader genetic base. A few years into it I added some American Game. The American Game checked all the boxes except egg production. They are much more seasonal layers.