You mean like the Jubilee Orp? That is a gorgeous bird.
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Thank you.
That's a nice gift!HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!Look what Mothers Day gift my wife got from one of our RIR's...
Wow, that's a huge Roo for 12 weeks! He is nearly as tall as my new head rooster who is a 5 month old Black Austrorp X White Leghorn cross, his under Roo will be 1 of my Barred Rocks as they have the nicest disposition. The RIR and SLW Roos are nasty and bully my hens, it's freezer camp for them very soon. The BA X WL rooster is solid black like a BA, but has the extra long legs and height of a leghorn. I am excited to see what his chicks will look like, his flock of hens are all large breed egg layers. RIR, BR, BO, BA, and a single SLW. I will keep the largest eggs for hatching, as you suggested. My hens aren laying yet, but some should start in the next 2 months. So how can you tell a double yolker from just a large egg? I don't plan on hatching till next spring, give everyone time to mature and get healthy before I add to the flock. My end goal is a self sustaining dual purpose flock. I want to add size and growth for the cockerels that will end up in the freezer, retain broodiness and egg size and laying skills in my hens. My hope is the leghorn in my rooster will increase egg laying just a bit. I was told the Bo, and BA have decent broodiness, but the RIR, BR, and SLW have had it bred out of them. It's why I purchased the BO and BA chicks, they are younger than the rest of my flock because I want some sitters. Any suggestions on how to keep/increase the traits I mentioned? I plan on getting a new Roo every few years to prevent too much inbreeding. What other breeds should I consider adding to my flock for growth/size in young cockerels?I thought I would share a photo of my three month old BCM crosses. Hen is a Black Copper Marans and father is a EE/Welsummer cross. I chose the largest eggs and the "chicks" are very very large. They are as tall as most of the roosters, but still "skinny kids". For anyone hatching large breed chickens who want to increase their size, then I suggest you use the largest possible eggs (that are not double yolks, of course). This photo was taken right at 12 weeks. That is a 5 gallon waterer he is drinking from:
Just before setting these eggs to hatch I read that a study showed that the larger eggs produced larger chicks, so I went with that theory. I have also noticed that my hens lay larger eggs in the early Spring. To keep from using a double yolk egg for hatching, you can candle them with a strong small flashlight.
Yeah, I had to fix my post. The leghorn should increase egg laying not size. I have heard that Cornish birds have the best feed conversion, so they might be a choice later for better growth, still looking into it. How big do your BCM's get? They too could be a choice for size. I just want a good all around dual purpose flock for myself. I am not breeding for looks or to create a new breed of chicken. I do like how the BO and BA chickens look fat at full growth, that combined with their broodiness means I'll probably keep adding those to my flock. My SLW Roos have nicely developed chests, if they weren't so mean to my pullets I'd probably keep 1 for breeding. But disposition is important, I have to be able to handle the birds without fear of getting attacked by a psychotic Roo, and don't want hens injured either. Guess I will play around with breeds in my flock and see what I get. It could be fun, or it could drive me insane. Lol.I wish I knew more about genetic traits, but I don't know enough to give you answers based on experience.Black A's, in my experience, have been an excellent broody...sometimes they get too broody and will sit on a nest for a month or even longer. I have two brown leghorns but they are smaller birds from the BA's and BCM's. I'm not sure they will increase your flock's physical size...might help with the egg laying, but again, genetics is not my strong point. I can suggest you feel your birds meaty parts and see which ones have the larger developed breast, or thighs or whatever your choice is. Create a spreadsheet so you will know which birds have the traits you want to carry on. That will be the easiest way for you to determine which eggs to hatch and which breeds to add in to get you closer to your goal.
