Which would you cross?

[Itsraining]

I have 3 leghorn hens, 2 Buff Orpington hens, 1 blue Cochin, 2 partridge chanteclar/buckeye hens and 2 smaller barnyard mix hens. For roosters I have 1 Buff Brahma, 1 Lavender Orpington and 1 Black copper Maran cross (offspring from my bcm Roo and Ch/B hens mentioned above). What would you do for docile egg layers, or meat birds or a dual purpose hardy bird for cold winters.. ?

 

[sylviethecochin]

Black copper marans rooster with every hen but the cochin and the Leghorns. Leghorn crosses don't make good meat birds, and the combs are inconvenient for winters. (but adding them to your breeding stock does great things for egg production.) Cochins, on the other hand, are pretty terrible in consistent egg production, and mediocre in meat.

Lavender Orps are not bred for very good egg production (good, not very good). Buff Brahmas are similar, but I would go with him before the orp because of how heavy he probably is.

 

[Itsraining]

Black copper marans rooster with every hen but the cochin and the Leghorns. Leghorn crosses don't make good meat birds, and the combs are inconvenient for winters. (but adding them to your breeding stock does great things for egg production.) Cochins, on the other hand, are pretty terrible in consistent egg production, and mediocre in meat.

Lavender Orps are not bred for very good egg production (good, not very good). Buff Brahmas are similar, but I would go with him before the orp because of how heavy he probably is.

Mostly I got my Cochin for the broody nature and is currently on a nest of 10 but otherwise lays as often as my Orpingtons. This year I had the lav orp with the orp and Cochin girls and the Brahma with my mixed breed hens. Really loving the chicks from the lav/Buff cross, cute Hardy and hatched easily. The leghorns are new but want to mix things up and incorporate them next year. I like how your thinking lol thanks