What would it be called?

[DuckieTam]

I am looking for a rooster and I may have found a full grown rooster. But I am being a tad picky, I want what would be classified as an EE roo since most of my flock are EE. The rooster I am thinking of getting I am told is an Arcucana and Barred Rock cross, I am not sure which of the two is the roo (I think Arcucana from what she said on the phone) I didn't ask, which I should have. She told me he looks like a BR but with red here and there. I can't get a picture and the rooster is 70 miles away so I can't run over to peek at him if I wanted to. I am planning on looking at him before I make my final decision.

Is that cross considered an EE?

Also I am new to this how would I introduce him to my girls? I have some ducklings in my coop would they be safe or should I take them out? How about when I introduce my new chicks to the flock in a few weeks would I need to keep them separated a little longer than I planned?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[missnu01]

It depends on whether when they say Auracana they mean the actual bird or are they saying they crossed an EE with a Barred Rock..?

 

[DuckieTam]

She says an Arcucana, rumpless with tufts, said the roo does not have tufts.

 

[donrae]

Are you wanting to hatch chicks? If so, you'll want to look for the traits you want the babies to have. If he has one barred parent, half his babies will be barred. Do you want barred offspring? Does he have a beard or muffs? Do you want those things? Does he have a pea comb, boosting his chances of passing on a green or blue egg gene? Is it possible to find out what color egg he hatched from?

I'll also be looking for an ee roo this summer and I'll be choosy too. I want beard/muffs, a good pea comb and pretty colors, plus good temperament. My prospects here will probably be mis-sexed ee from the feed store, so it'll be hatchery stock.

You're the only one who can decide what you want in a rooster. That seems a long ways to go for one, though. Any chance of waiting like I'm doing, for the mis sexed hatchery birds to make themselves known? Maybe getting a more local bird?

 

[Kev]

I'd like to ask why do you want specifically an EE roo? as EE is not a breed so there's no right way to breed them and in fact you could actually breed any roo to your liking with the hens and all chicks would comfortably be called EE.

70 miles is quite far to travel for what is essentially a crossbred roo for a 'mixed flock'... unless the roo is also rumpless and is something you'd like to introduce into your flock then that's worth the trip as rumpless is not exactly easy to find.

anyways araucana bred with another breed you could call the chicks EE as they should be colored egg layers. but it's the same thing as breeding a pure ameraucana with any other breed, the chicks could be called EE.. also same thing with breeding a barred rock with EE hens, the chicks would be EE.

if you want to make sure the daughters lay colored eggs, set only the blue and green eggs and you will be assured of colored egg layers irregardless of rooster.

Anyways good luck and hope you find the fitting roo for your situation.

edited to add, donrae asks good questions. are you looking for something specific other than "EE"?

 

[DuckieTam]

I am very rural and 70 miles is the closest town, that is where I go to get my hatchery chicks, feed, etc. I travel there every 2 weeks (sometimes more often) to do most of my shopping. I think the biggest thing is I want to make sure I keep the blue/green eggs going in my flock. Color wise I don't think it matters to much I have a nice variety in colors with my hens. She did say that he wasn't rumpless. I do want to keep the beards and muffs since I really like them on my EE's.

EE's are very popular around here, it takes weeks of calling the local feed store on chick delivery day to get EE's. I want to get chicks to sell since there is a high demand for EE chickens around here, and also I know I will want to add to my flock and I don't want to do feed store chicks when I need new ladies. I guess this is the biggest reason, is so I can incubate eggs and sell the chicks as EE's in my area.

Kev -thanks I heard that egg color was passed on by the male. Nice to know that any of my EE girls will pass on the color egg gene. I also have a couple white leghorns and buff orpingtons I am adding to my flock this year. I think having a pretty rooster to lay over them next year can really add some color variations to my flock.

 

[SlipsWife]

I have an order coming from Privett and saw that they offer sexing on EE. They have them listed under Ameraucanas . If they are hard to find in your area maybe you will luck out and be able to sell the ones you don't want if you don't want to keep 15. Of course that doesn't help if your wanting a full grown roo right now! There is a minimum of 5 per breed and 15 per order. I don't know if that means you have to have at least 5 roo's or not. If not, hopefully they offer a way to mark the roo for you so you don't have to play the waiting game!

 

[Kev]

Oh yeah I can see where you are coming from now. Totally understandable.

The gene that makes blue or green eggs is called the O gene. It's autosomal dominant... which means it's passed down by either sex, roo or hen it does not matter. So even if you bred barred rock to a green or blue egg laying EE, there will be daughters laying colored eggs. Keep in mind though if you breed a barred rock with an EE laying white/tinted/brown eggs, none will lay blue or green. (barred rock is only used as clear example of roo that does not have the O gene)

That roo out of araucana and BR cross will work for you.. assuming their araucanas are the real thing, probably likely as tufts and rumpless is mentioned. He will give a higher percentage of green/blue eggs if your EE happen not to be pure for the O gene- that happens because some stock is deliberately crossed to give a wide range of colors from tinted to blue with browns and greens in between. Also you could use him over the leghorn and orps for EE but those would not have beards, they would be perfect for someone who wants colored eggs but does not care or does not like beards.

that roo would also be good for color variety, if your EE hens are mostly browns, this roo will produce birds similar to crele coloring which is very colorful and will add twice the color variety.

but, if you can't get him any roo will do for now. try something bearded to keep this trait pure in chicks if desired. faverolles would bring in big honking beards for example. Replace the roo(faverolle or whatever breed you get if not EE this year) next year with a pea combed son for your EE breeding.

also, pea comb is linked to O gene so if you hatch out both single combs and pea combs, you will be able to tell which ones will lay colored eggs- the pea combed ones. single combs will lay tinted.

"the roo passes on X and the hen passes on Y" is bit of oldtimer myth before knowledge of genetics was understood and readily available. It really works for sex linked genes like barring but since O gene is not a sex linked gene, no worries about which sex has it for the moment.

 

[donrae]

Some of my favorite layers have been ee/leghorn crosses. They lay huge pale green eggs, getting the best of both worlds for me! The egg size, productivity and good feed conversion of a leghorn, but some color too from the ee.

I have a sex link rooster--basically what you're talking about, one barred parent--and have enjoyed hatching out offspring with the different barring expressions. Or, half aren't barred. Either way I've had some nice chicks, especially putting him over the previously mentioned ee/leghorn mixes. I'm losing my green egg gene, that's why I'm bringing an ee roo back into the mix. Plus, I like beards!

 

[DuckieTam]

@SlipsWife My first 14 pullets 12 of them came from Ideal, I also ordered a male sexed and marked. I was sent 13 (one of which didn't make it) pullets, I do know how to sex them by wing feathers and double checked the whole flock when they arrived. I could never find the one with the mark on it and not one of them had the wings that indicate male. I also picked up 2 more pullets from the feed store to get more color variety. I wasn't 100% sure on not having a roo so I didn't pick up a roo at that time (yes Im kicking myself now).

@Kev again thank you for the advice and information. That is what I was thinking with the leghorns and orps, I first got the leghorns because one of my son's will not eat the colored eggs, but said he will eat eggs from the white shells. The orps to add in more color to my egg trays, right now I am getting light olive green, to a blue that is nearly white. I think it would be interesting to see him over my newest EE pullets they are going to be mostly white with splashes of brown and blue in them (from what I can tell so far). And yes the rest are mostly browns, with a couple blue, one black, and a couple leaning more towards the buff coloring. Since you seem to know about this stuff, if I set eggs from the leghorns or orps would the off spring be sex-linked since they do not have the barring yet he does? The boys with the barring gene and girls without?

@Donrae I know I love the colored eggs, they are so pretty, that is one thing I want to keep in the flock. I am thinking I will have 24 (only 2 to go) hens so maybe I could have 2 roos around with that many hens.