What should I expect from these crosses?

[Sakmeht]

Hi all,

Here is a pic of my flock.

The roo is hatchery EE, and then I have a purebred Black Ameraucana from Wayne Meredith lines, a production red hen (I think?), a tan EE also from the hatchery, and a barred rock. I'm wondering what interesting crosses I may get from these guys. We'll be moving in a couple of years to a bigger property in the country and I'll be able to concentrate on a Wheaten Ameraucana project, but until then I intend to have fun messing around.

I'm thinking that crossing my EE roo with the barred rock should get sex-link chicks. Do you think they'll be dark enough to sex at birth? I'm also wondering if this cross might produce olive eggers. Or maybe just some EE's?

Crossing the roo with my production red might result in hens that lay nice olive eggs. I think her eggs will be a deeper brown than the barred rocks eggs.

A cross with my Ameraucana girl I have no clue what to expect. More EE's?

And will an EE x EE (my tan girl) create more EE's?

I know that if I want olive eggs I really need an blue egg layer over a dark egg layer, but I don't really have that at the moment. I'm just hoping for some pretty birds and unexpected eggs!

Thanks

 

[Kelsie2290]

Pretty flock, EEs are always fun to play with. Pretty much everything crossed with your EE roo will give you more EEs, don't think any of the brown egg layers will be dark enough to give you the real dark Olive Eggers, the production red bird will probably be the darkest like you said. You should at least wind up with a whole array of different green/blue egg shades.

 

[donrae]

The barred rock hen will give you sex link babies, I have some of those. The color of the hens will vary, but with your rooster might well be black based. I've been able to see the headspot on even light tan chicks, I think the only problem would be a white chick. Even a yellow, you'd probably be able to see it in the right light. My crosses lay a muddy green egg, some with brown speckles--my sons call them camo eggs lol.