What rooster would produce fun off-spring?

[MyMonsters91]

Okay, right now I have a Barred Rock Roo, and he's great. Handles his 8 girls really well.. but I've been thinking about when I incubate eggs for more chicks come spring, and realized that any of his off-spring are more likely to look like low-breed barred rocks, even if it's with one of my EE or Rhode Island Red. Kind of boring. I've already got 3 barred rocks and don't want a whole incubator full of more. So I think I'll ask around (I live in the country) and see if I can get some fertilized eggs from different flocks. But it got me thinking, what breed of rooster would it take to make some fun colors and patterns with different breeds? For hens I have: Buff, Australorp, 3 different looking EE, 2 Barred Rocks, and a Rhode Island Red.

I'd love to have little chicks from MY girls.

 

[JetCat]

some of the best looking colors in my opinion came from barnyard mixes (mutts).

 

[MyMonsters91]

So just an EE rooster?

 

[junebuggena]

The barred Rock mixes might be a bit boring in the first generation, but second generation breedings will produce birds with all sorts of colors overlaid with the barring pattern. You might get some that look crele or lemon/buff cuckoo.
For a colorful flock, avoid Blues and Lavenders as they will produce more solid black birds. A silver (black and white) rooster will produce more silver birds. Dominant white birds, like Leghorns will produce mostly white chicks.
Speckling is a recessive gene, so it can take two or three generations before you start to see birds expressing it, but it will make for a very flashy flock.
To introduce more pattern variety you might want a Gold Laced Wyandotte, Barnevelder, or a Welsummer.

 

[cade hall]

some of the best looking colors in my opinion came from barnyard mixes (mutts). 

I agree we have several different breeds of hens and the rooster is different. Together they produce some amazing colors.

 

[MyMonsters91]

The barred Rock mixes might be a bit boring in the first generation, but second generation breedings will produce birds with all sorts of colors overlaid with the barring pattern. You might get some that look crele or lemon/buff cuckoo.
For a colorful flock, avoid Blues and Lavenders as they will produce more solid black birds. A silver (black and white) rooster will produce more silver birds. Dominant white birds, like Leghorns will produce mostly white chicks.
Speckling is a recessive gene, so it can take two or three generations before you start to see birds expressing it, but it will make for a very flashy flock.
To introduce more pattern variety you might want a Gold Laced Wyandotte, Barnevelder, or a Welsummer.

Well, that might be something to look forward to.. but wouldn't they be mating siblings (one roo) if I hatched and let them grow and produce 2nd generation? Sorry, new at this idea.

 

[junebuggena]

Chickens have a lot more genetic diversity than humans, and since you have several unrelated hens, interbreeding is not likely to cause problems. For chickens, it takes several generations (about 8) of intense line breeding (fathers to daughters, to grandparents and the like), for problems to occur.

 

[cade hall]

Chickens can handle some inbreeding. Me personally I don't like it but I'm pretty sure they can with no effect on the offspring. But can't handle through many different generations.

 

[MyMonsters91]

Okay, cool. I wouldn't expect my current roo to mate with any offspring I have. Chances are I'll keep a roo from what ever I hatch and try to encourage him to take over his age group. Plus I can still see about looking around the neighborhood for some backyard chickens to throw in with mine to mix it up some. Thanks for all the replies!

 

[donrae]

If you keep a rooster from this current male and a non-barred hen, and use that son for breeding next year, I agree you could get some interesting looking birds. I had one such bird as my flock leader for several years and hatched out several chicks off him and various hatchery hens, mostly Easter eggers or EE/leghorn mixes but there were some Wyandottes and Welsummers, etc in the mix. Here are some examples, just cause I like pics...


















Or, if you want a fun color that holds it's own against black, look for a buff rooster. Buff has all sorts of funky genetics behind it and you can get some very interesting mixes when you throw a buff rooster over various colored hens.

Getting a red based Easter egger rooster can also give you some fun colored chicks, with the possibilities of blue or green eggs depending on his and momma's genetics.