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That's an idea! I thought I'd get a mishmash of colors crossing the two. I do have two cockerels in my SLW, so that is deffinately an option. Hoping they'll have great type. Breeding back to the original stock is not an option as I bought my GLW as 1 month olds. My odd girl, I guess, should not be bred and will go into the laying pen when I separate everyone. I have one girl that has an excellent tail, but I think the others will have tails like the parents. It will be my luck the most typey will be my miscolored girl.....They are still really young so I wil wait and see. I got these chickens just for eggs and meat, but the bug has hit me. What is your opinion on the cockerels? The lighter one has horrible lacing, but it did improve after he molted. I figure he will be culled in the spring regardless of how the others turn out.
The one cockerel(the big one?) looks like he has a split wing. They look about like the rest of the birds. But they aren't too young, in my opinion, to make your choices. At least you can make your picks and watch them for a little while longer.
If you really are interested in breeding excellent birds, you have to start with something excellent. A couple years down the road you will wish you had if your goals really are to reach that level. Start with the best available. Especially chickens, where, unlike cows, horses, sheep, pigs, etc., the best will not cost you an arm and a leg. An excellent cow will cost you 10-100k, a horse the same, a pig 3-15k, a sheep 2-15k. A chicken: maybe $50-100. Start on the top if that is your goal. All the feed and time and overhead will make chicken purchase cost seem like a drop in the bucket.
Look up the Chicken Calculator online. It is a little complicated, but it's kind of fun
You can see what colors you would get with what crosses. It is accurate in that it gives you accurate results. It is not accurate in that it doesn't know if you input accurate data
X2, I'm in total agreement here. the best money you will ever spend will be on good breeders. whatever the cost is still better in the long and short term than fighting problems for 5-10 years that have alreday been solved by many exhibitors and breeders. When you consider the cost of incubators, hatchers, brooders, feed, fencing, pens, etc. starting with good birds reduces the numbers you have to produce to get a few better ones.
That's an idea! I thought I'd get a mishmash of colors crossing the two. I do have two cockerels in my SLW, so that is deffinately an option. Hoping they'll have great type. Breeding back to the original stock is not an option as I bought my GLW as 1 month olds. My odd girl, I guess, should not be bred and will go into the laying pen when I separate everyone. I have one girl that has an excellent tail, but I think the others will have tails like the parents. It will be my luck the most typey will be my miscolored girl.....They are still really young so I wil wait and see. I got these chickens just for eggs and meat, but the bug has hit me. What is your opinion on the cockerels? The lighter one has horrible lacing, but it did improve after he molted. I figure he will be culled in the spring regardless of how the others turn out.
The one cockerel(the big one?) looks like he has a split wing. They look about like the rest of the birds. But they aren't too young, in my opinion, to make your choices. At least you can make your picks and watch them for a little while longer.
If you really are interested in breeding excellent birds, you have to start with something excellent. A couple years down the road you will wish you had if your goals really are to reach that level. Start with the best available. Especially chickens, where, unlike cows, horses, sheep, pigs, etc., the best will not cost you an arm and a leg. An excellent cow will cost you 10-100k, a horse the same, a pig 3-15k, a sheep 2-15k. A chicken: maybe $50-100. Start on the top if that is your goal. All the feed and time and overhead will make chicken purchase cost seem like a drop in the bucket.
Look up the Chicken Calculator online. It is a little complicated, but it's kind of fun
X2, I'm in total agreement here. the best money you will ever spend will be on good breeders. whatever the cost is still better in the long and short term than fighting problems for 5-10 years that have alreday been solved by many exhibitors and breeders. When you consider the cost of incubators, hatchers, brooders, feed, fencing, pens, etc. starting with good birds reduces the numbers you have to produce to get a few better ones.
