The Poultry Keeper

CP · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 12:37 pm Post subject: First Crosses

Thread for first crosses.

Different breeds/colours - to discuss possible outcome at hatching & any info regarding genetics etc.

Hen-Gen · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 1:51 pm Post subject:

Great idea, Mod. Not so sure about those initials though. Sounds like a different kind of forum altogether!!! Rolling Eyes

Ah, chicken palace. My mistake!

Bradders · Joined: 13 Aug 2007 Posts: 714 Location: Cambs/Cornwall

Does it mean any kind of cross breeds

Magpie · Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 541 Location: Norfolk

Well I'll start it off then. I am looking suspiciously at my Lakenvelder chicks wondering if I might have put a couple of eggs from my buff Orp bantam in by mistake. Anyone know what colour down a Lakenvelder x buff Orp would have? I think they should still have some columbian markings once they grow up but I have 1 maybe 2 that don't seem patterned enough at 2 days old...

Maybe a starting point for Lemon Lakenveldrs Cool

I'll try and take photos soon.

Tim

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 933 Location: Carmarthenshire

I don't know if this counts but last year i hatched out some Welsummer (cockerel) X Black Rock - all the cocks were gold and the pullets are black with gold neck feathering.

In the incubator right now - due to hatch next Tues - are Welsummer (cockerel) Xed with - Bluebelle, Cream Legbar, Cuckoo Maran and Light Sussex.

There are also a couple of the eggs from the Black Rock cross - be interesting to see what they come out like too.

Hen-Gen · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:13 pm Post subject:

Its always exciting seeing how these crosses turn out. Because most of my birds are now some kind of mixture I get surprises every year. My main hatch this year are only nine days old but I'm fully expecting when they feather up to have two or three that elicit a 'where the heck did that come from?'. Very Happy

Tim, possibly those crosses will end up looking a bit like pale Buff Sussex in pattern.
Chris, one thing for sure, you're going to get a colourful mix. But from that lot one certainty due to the sex linked nature of some of the colour genes involved is that any chick that has cuckoo feathers or silver feathers must be a cockerel. So at day old any chick that has very pale down or any chick that is black but has a light spot dead centre on the top of its head is a male.
You can also say with near certainty that if you keep the pullets and any of them lay green or khaki eggs then you know that the mother of that pullet was the Cream Legbar.

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 933 Location: Carmarthenshire

I'm getting excited now Hen-Gen, I too love to see what comes from a "mixed" mating. I'm not in this to sell the chciks - this is just my, wonderful, hobby Very Happy

. Everyone round here loves my eggs though so an increase in the flock will be a bonus.

helena · Joined: 23 Jul 2007 Posts: 68 Location: north wales

Last year we crossed Buff Plymouth Bantam cock with Light Sussex bantams, the result, all the cocks are cream the hens are golden

mojo · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:35 pm Post subject:

my buff sussex coq has been playing away from home....................with miss maran........2 eggs hatched (out of 3) one chick is black looks like normal maran chick.......the other is palest biscuit colour with slight feathering on legs..........is the first a hen and the second a coq or shall i just wait and see??

kittoch · Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 149 Location: glasgow

well i deliberately crossed a lavender auracana with my mixed layers (which are all pure breds) and have a really colourful selection of growers.............will try and take some pics of them, layers include wheaten, cuckoo and copper marans, speckled, light and buff sussex and clbs, and brown leghorns............ive one thats marked like a cuckoo maran, one like a light sussex (but with a top knot), and rest all sorts of colours...............idea was to breed a few more blue/green egg layers. Very Happy

Attila The Hen · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 380 Location: Shetland

kittoch · Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 149 Location: glasgow

well, lets hope for a fair few pullets from them then!! Laughing

...........they are growing like weeds, and eating like no ones business!!!

mojo · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 2:38 pm Post subject:

First Crosses really are pure bred coq to pure bred hen.....the results are first crosses.........................but sometimes the oddbods and the mighty mixtures and the what the hell is thats........that appear after casual sex between mixed types of chicken is wonderfull to see.............but first crosses are usuall intentionally bred to try to get a special traint.....ie colour.special egg or auto sexing........so would appreciate a list of first crosses that worked and what you acheived .thanks

Hen-Gen · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:31 pm Post subject:

OK Mojo. Crossed a Black Hamburgh Cock to Black Minorca Hens then backcrossed to Minorcas to recreate the Rose Comb Minorca which died out years ago in the UK.

scot gillespie · Joined: 10 Feb 2006 Posts: 9 Location: Trossachs

Hen-gen - how did the Minorcan placidity carry through, and did the hybridisation boost the utility end of the product so to speak?