What happens when you cross different Variety within a breed

[BigBadRooster]

I don't like the idea of confining my chicken in pens, and I like the variety of colors therefore I was wondering what would happen if I had lets use Rocks (plymouths) for example : A barred Rock Rooster and a White Rock Hen, a Partridge Rock Hen.

Now the chicks that they would produce would they be "purebred" would I get a mixture of Barred, White and Partridge Rocks. Could I sell them as purebreds would they breed true. The chicks if they were rebred to a rooster of there variety would get something different. I hope my question is making sense. Basically do you have to breed a White Rock Rooster to a White Rock Hen to get White Rocks or can you mix them up within the breed but still get purebreds that will breed true.

Please if you don't know don't assume or speculate I would prefer an answer from somebody who has experience and has tried possibly this breeding technique.

 

[catdaddyfro]

Variety to variety equals same variety otherwise you end up with mixed varieties of all sorts and colors. If you are just keeping them for your pleasure this is perfectly acceptable as they are for you. If selling them then they should be sold as mixed/non-pure.

Jeff

 

[BigBadRooster]

So If I understand what you are saying correctly If I breed a Barred Rock Rooster to a White Rock Hen and I get a White Rock Chick it wouldn't necessarly breed true if rebred to another white Rock therefore I couldn't sell it as a purebred White Rock?

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Mixing varieties in breeds just gives you mixed varieties but still a pure breed. Look at them in the 'barn' example. Once you have the barn (the type of a bird), it doesn't matter what color you paint it, it will always be a barn, it just might be a black barn with red specks instead of a pure black barn.

Some color crossings are predictable and give the parent colors (splash rooster to a barred hen will give blue barred roosters and solid blue hens) while crossing other colors like partridge and white could give a number of colors depending on what the white is masking and the gender of the color being used

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
Plus, sometimes when one crosses color varieties one is also crossing gene alleles. For instance, Partridge is eb(brown) usually. Whereas, Light is often either eb or eWh. So one could end up with both mixed colors and mixed alleles. One should take into account the alleles when crossing colors to make sure they aren't unintentially creating a bigger complexity than they intended. If one has crossed alleles in crossbreeding varieties within a breed, this should be revealed to purchasers of stock who may not be aware of the fact different colors in varieties in a breed may have different "e" alleles.
Hum,
Karen

 

[donrae]

To use your example, you wouldn't hatch chicks of each color. They'd be mixed colors and look like mixed breed birds. Plus, a barred rooster will give barred offspring of one form or another, then those chicks will have a fifty percent chance of having barred offspring if they're bred to to a solid bird.......the colors don't breed true if you mix colors, they just muddy up. Not saying there's anything wrong with it, but if it doesn't meet a breed standard no one's going to believe it's really a Rock.......or whatever. It'll just look like a mutt.

 

[BigBadRooster]

Thank you everybody for your replies. I understand the consept now. In essence, my plan won't work. I like selling a few chicks every summer so I'll have to stick with one variety and not have a varied flock.

 

[chickendales]

Thank you everybody for your replies. I understand the consept now. In essence, my plan won't work. I like selling a few chicks every summer so I'll have to stick with one variety and not have a varied flock.

just sell them as mixed streight run egg layers then you have any color you want

 

[Ecoleman]

Not all but some become hybrids