Two different breeds in same flock?

[dragonjaze]

I've never had chickens, and this is all hypothetical at this point, as I can't have them right now.

My basic question is: If I have two small flocks, say 3-4 hens & 1 roo, of two different breeds, will the breeds mainly keep to themselves?

I think I want Orpingtons, but I wished they came in colors/patterns. I know there are splash ones out there, but not easy to find. I love the look of the laced Wyandottes, though!

Would the Orpingtons and Wyandottes interbreed?

I want big, fluffy, pretty chickens!!

 

[mkearsley]

Well, I've got 4 hens, each are a different breed: Silver-laced Wydonnette, Black Star (Black sex-link), Polish, & Bantam Cochin. They mostly get along, although the little cochin has been getting picked on a bit. I read on one of these threads that birds tend to stick to similar colors, so I'm guessing that's why my three large, dark-colored birds don't much care for my little white one.
As far as interbreeding, to a male, any female of the same species is fair game.

Most critters don't much care that they're a different breed when it comes to reproducing, its strictly passing on the genes that matter.
I'd have to agree with you on the laced wydonnetts - they are gorgeous! The only reason I got multiple breeds was because I can only have 3 hens, and I wanted some color in the back yard, not a bunch that looked the exact same as each other

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have lots of different breeds mixed together. I can tell you that the little social groups form based on who they are housed with when they are chicks.

If you want them to be BFF (best friends forever), house them in the same coop when young. Even if they are different breeds. This has been my experience, anyway.

The roosters will try to breed with any hen that walks by him practically, but will have his favorites.

Wyandottes in my experience aren't all that friendly. I had a horrible roo too.

Orpingtons are WONDERFUL.

 

[Pinky]

The roosters will try to breed with any hen they can catch.

 

[elizabethbinary]

Quote:
Species? You give them far too much credit. I've seen roosters try to mate with colourful doorposts. And shoes. And geese.

 

[KimberlyJ]

I don't think it would matter if the rooster breeds with a "different" hen unless your chickens are allowed to go broody and raise the mixed chicks. It won't matter if you are just going to eat the eggs. I have 12 chickens of 12 different breeds, and no roo.

 

[Illia]

I have 11 different breeds in my flock and they all get along, . . . However I keep my roosters separate to prevent crossbreeding. If you keep your roosters mixed with the hens, they'll breed whomever they please.

Crossbreeding is just fine if you want it though. It doesn't affect anything unless you plain to incubate those eggs or have a broody hen around.

Just as a note - You're not going to get big or fluffy chickens if you have Wyandottes and Orpingtons from a hatchery. They're rather average in size and anything but fluffy when comparing to the heritage and/or show bred ones.

Another note on Orpingtons - There are quite a few colors out there. Buff, Black, Lavender, White, Splash, Blue, and more recently there's been some works on Jubilee (a mille fleur type color) and Gold Laced.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
Species? You give them far too much credit. I've seen roosters try to mate with colourful doorposts. And shoes. And geese.

Let's not forget ducks, stuffed animals, and I even recall a BYC story of a randy bantam and a big piece of grass

 

[FeatheredFeline]

I've got 11 chicken and 8 breeds and they all mix great. I like my mixed flock too, they're also different!

 

[wilded]

I was on a pheasant hunt in the Texas Panhandle and all of us were sitting out back of a barn on a farm that had free ranging chickens having a beverage after the days hunt when a cock pheasant came running out of the cornfield and jumped a hen chicken and bred her. The farmer we were hunting with said it happened all the time and some of the eggs hatched but the hybrid was a mule. The moral to the story is a male will go with any female he can willing or not in most cases. ET