Wing It Ranch

[Bawkbok]

Congratulations on all your beautiful girls and eggs. Love the menagerie of color. I'm curious - do any of your girls go broody?

 

[WingItRanch]

Congratulations on all your beautiful girls and eggs. Love the menagerie of color. I'm curious - do any of your girls go broody?

They were all born first week of April so haven't had any go broody yet. We'll see come spring! I originally was choosing breeds that don't typically go broody. I think it's possible my Welsummers might some day get the urge. I'd love to watch one of them mother a clutch some day.

 

[WingItRanch]

Now that I don't have a rooster, I'd probably try sneaking sexed day old chicks under a broody. I'm trying to decide what other breeds I'd like. Here's my current wish list:

-Crested Cream Legbar or Whiting True Blue
-Olive Eggers
-Black Copper Marans
-Australorps

 

[Bawkbok]

I love our Australorp. She runs from me but other than that, she is friendly and docile, quiet and gentle. The Marans intrigue me too. I thought I read where the Barred Rocks go broody on some hatchery website? I don't think I'll ever go with a hybrid again though due to all the issues we've had with our 5 previous ones - all gone due to various health issues, including Marek's. And now of course the issues with Goldie, our RSL Comet - who has decided her issues need to start up again.

 

[WingItRanch]

I love our Australorp. She runs from me but other than that, she is friendly and docile, quiet and gentle. The Marans intrigue me too. I thought I read where the Barred Rocks go broody on some hatchery website? I don't think I'll ever go with a hybrid again though due to all the issues we've had with our 5 previous ones - all gone due to various health issues, including Marek's. And now of course the issues with Goldie, our RSL Comet - who has decided her issues need to start up again.

Oh no!! Poor thing. Yeah, I did a lot of research before choosing and I knew I wanted to stay away from the high production mixes but really any chicken can have health problems- especially with inbreeding.

I understand that any breed CAN go broody but some are more inclined than others. I would never get a silkie. Broodiness is just one reason..

 

[wrathsfarm]

[QUOnTE="WingItRanch, post: 28337683, member: 687754"]
Now that I don't have a rooster, I'd probably try sneaking sexed day old chicks under a broody. I'm trying to decide what other breeds I'd like. Here's my current wish list:

-Crested Cream Legbar or Whiting True Blue
-Olive Eggers
-Black Copper Marans
-Australorps
[/QUOTE]

Those are all great choices.
Blues, Olives, Chocolate and tanish to add to your basket.

If I may suggest, (I'm biased, so hear me out )
If you consider another Roo, try a BCM.

My experience are they are more layed back and less aggressive to me. My opinion and it will vary by individuals but I've raised quite a few and only had one that was a dominant of the group that was over aggressive to the other males in his coop. He went to the butcher.

More fun stuff...
Depending on if he hatched from dark or lighter egg.

BCM x blue egg is Olives or green.

BCM x green egg is Olives or brown, all depending if you green is one or two copies of blue gene.

BCM x Barred Rocks is a sex link hybrid. All males will be Barred indicated by head spot at hatch. All females will look similar to Black Coppers laying a darker brown and in my experience produce alot of speckles. These do not breed true in further breeding being a hybrid. Some hatcheries call these Midnight Majesty Marans.

BCM x Leg bar is what's called a Marsbar. I'm unfamiliar with this cross so can't add much more.

By backcrossing the daughters back to BCM your options are further enhanced for changing color shades. Darker or lighter.

Hope this helps or at least makes your choices harder....

Can't recall what other breeds you have and hopefully I'm accurate with my explanation. But this shows with Black Copper Marans Rooster the possibilty you have with your flock if you decided to start hatching for fun colors.

 

[WingItRanch]

@wrathsfarm This is great info! Thank you! Yes, I did enjoy having a rooster and I'd like to have a good one. You've convinced me to look into a BCM male.

I also have 2 Welsummers and an Ancona. I can imagine the Welsummer mix with BCM Rooster would result in offspring with beautiful dark eggs. What about the Ancona? Would half the offspring lay white and half brown? Or would they be lighter brown?

 

[wrathsfarm]

@wrathsfarm This is great info! Thank you! Yes, I did enjoy having a rooster and I'd like to have a good one. You've convinced me to look into a BCM male.

I also have 2 Welsummers and an Ancona. I can imagine the Welsummer mix with BCM Rooster would result in offspring with beautiful dark eggs. What about the Ancona? Would half the offspring lay white and half brown? Or would they be lighter brown?

I'm no expert here so if someone has more info than I do please correct me.

Welsummers lay a dark brown so BCM would either darken or lighten it depending on BCM egg gene.

With the Ancona laying a white it would probably be similar in shade to an Australorp or possibly Barred Rock.

Realize the importance of sourcing a dark egg gene BCM here, as I feel it's much easier to lighten your shades then darken. I'm still working on my BCM line and it's been a challenge getting darker eggs without outsourcing more. (I started with hatchery stock)

I'm still learning genetics so can't speak to what feather patterns/colors these progeny will produce. Black Coppers are gold based so if mixed with a silver based hen you may get some funky silver leakage.

 

[WingItRanch]

I'm no expert here so if someone has more info than I do please correct me.

Welsummers lay a dark brown so BCM would either darken or lighten it depending on BCM egg gene.

With the Ancona laying a white it would probably be similar in shade to an Australorp or possibly Barred Rock.

Realize the importance of sourcing a dark egg gene BCM here, as I feel it's much easier to lighten your shades then darken. I'm still working on my BCM line and it's been a challenge getting darker eggs without outsourcing more. (I started with hatchery stock)

I'm still learning genetics so can't speak to what feather patterns/colors these progeny will produce. Black Coppers are gold based so if mixed with a silver based hen you may get some funky silver leakage.

Thanks! I'll do some research!

 

[WingItRanch]

Snow day here in Texas!

Chickens don't appear to be happy but seem fine. No signs of frostbite. Their waterer was frozen but I just brought out a backup. Tonight will be the true test with lows in the middle teens.

I've been mixing warm water in their food to make mash. They devour it!