I have a laying flock and sell eggs, and have been buying hatchery chicks for years for replacements. But now that I have an incubator I want to also work on some olive-eggers and other dark egg layers. Not really concerned with purebreds for now.
Flock right now:
BCM roo (young, from craigslist, not much leg feathering but a nice guy)
Barred rock hens (hatchery stock good layers so far)
Easter egger hens (hatchery stock not the greatest)
Cuckoo Marans pullets (feed store)
Welsummer pullets (feed store)
BCM/BR chicks (homegrown)
BCM/EE chicks (homegrown)
Blue olive-eggers (DMRippy)
Lavender Ameraucana splits - 2 lav, 1 split (DMRippy)
I'm going to want a roo from the Blue/Lav chicks if I get one. What kind of babies/egg color would I get with him over my various hens?
Same for my BCM roo.
I'm hoping to start with selecting for egg color and quality, then hen conformation/color, then production. I like the production and toughness of the BR hens. I like the colors of the Welsummer & Easter-egger eggs. I like the colors of BR, Cuckoo Marans, Lav & Blue Oliver hens.
ANd how does everybody keep track of all the combinations? I used to breed finches 20 yrs ago and used combinations of legbands and a notebook. I imagine a spread sheet is more efficient
Flock right now:
BCM roo (young, from craigslist, not much leg feathering but a nice guy)
Barred rock hens (hatchery stock good layers so far)
Easter egger hens (hatchery stock not the greatest)
Cuckoo Marans pullets (feed store)
Welsummer pullets (feed store)
BCM/BR chicks (homegrown)
BCM/EE chicks (homegrown)
Blue olive-eggers (DMRippy)
Lavender Ameraucana splits - 2 lav, 1 split (DMRippy)
I'm going to want a roo from the Blue/Lav chicks if I get one. What kind of babies/egg color would I get with him over my various hens?
Same for my BCM roo.
I'm hoping to start with selecting for egg color and quality, then hen conformation/color, then production. I like the production and toughness of the BR hens. I like the colors of the Welsummer & Easter-egger eggs. I like the colors of BR, Cuckoo Marans, Lav & Blue Oliver hens.
ANd how does everybody keep track of all the combinations? I used to breed finches 20 yrs ago and used combinations of legbands and a notebook. I imagine a spread sheet is more efficient
