Which cross?

[ChickenGrass]

Hi all.
As you may know I am into showing a and breeding quality poultry.
I was thinking of crossing some breeds though just for broodys or eggs.
Here's my breeds
Barbu d'Anver quail colour
Cream legbar
Black silkie
Gold partridge pekin bantam
Coronation Sussex
I also have a few laying hens (hybrids)
With a light Sussex rooster.
Which cross should I do for eggs and broodys.
Thank you.
Fionn.

 

[donrae]

If you want broody birds, I'd find a silkie cockerel and breed some silkies.

For layers, pick your best hens and hatch their eggs. Doesn't matter what breed, they're going to be mixes anyway.

 

[ChickenGrass]

Hi donrae,
Thanks for the reply.
I do have a rooster for every breed already so that's no problem?
Maybe I could just hatch some hybrids with light Sussex rooster?
Sussex are good broodys and have meat and hybrids are good layers.
If I crossed a Sussex and Legbar would that make the hens lay green eggs,
Or maybe it depends on the genes.
Thanks again,
Fionn.

 

[donrae]

Sorry, guess I misunderstood. I thought the first breeds were hens only, and the Sussex was the only rooster.

So.....Do you have any large fowl hens that are broody? If so, I'd go with them. I find it's more an individual hen thing than a breed thing. Any large fowl hen I get to go broody becomes a Queen here, she gets a name, a leg band and a life long place in my pens. I try to hatch her eggs when possible, cause I want to breed broodiness into my flock.

Crossing your Legbar with a brown egger should give you green egger offspring. In theory the Legbar hen will give sex linked offspring, but the silver/white in the Sussex rooster will probably interfere with being able to sex the chicks at hatch.

I'd keep two different lines going. Mix the layers with the Sussex rooster, for a production flock. Then, use your Silkies and bantam Cochins for broody hens. If you get a large broody, hatch her eggs with the Sussex rooster and see if it carries down to the pullets. I've found broodiness to be pretty genetic.

 

[ChickenGrass]

Ok thanks for the reply donrae
I think I will try the Sussex with layers.
I do have a hen that lays normal dark eggs,
She is a silver Sussex hybrid I think.
Would that work with that hen and the Legbar rooster.
I would also love to try silkie and pekin bantam.
I love the idea of surprises!
Because with the purebreds you know what the chicks will look like.
Thank you very much,
Fionn.

 

[ChickenGrass]

Also if I crossed the Legbar rooster and the silver Sussex hybrid.
Would the chicks be auto sexing?
And Is their a name for that cross or is it simply just a "mutt"
Also what colour could I expect or is it just a suprize?
Thank you,
Fionn.

 

[donrae]

For auto sexing breeds, both parents have to be auto sexing.

for a sex link cross, the hen has to be barred and the rooster non barred and non white.

But, auto sexing or sex link crosses, while cool, are really only practically necessary if you're going to cull cockerels young. If you're not, then there's no practical application. Well, I guess if you're interested in selling day old pullets, but if you're raising them yourself for layers, it's cool but not such a big thing.

 

[ChickenGrass]

Ok thank you donrae.
I'm not good at all the cross genetics as I'm used to breeding pure breeds.
I think I will do Legbar roo to a brown egg laying hen and see what I get.
Hopefully we will get some hens to lay some eggs and even better Kay blue ones.
Thank you,
Fionn.