Crossbreeding for education

[The Owl]

Here is a bit of background. My Ag program raises chickens. We rotationally graze them year round and supplement with layer feed. We give our eggs away to people in the community in need. We started out with a variety of breeds. We have RIR, Buff Orpington, Barred Rock, Welsummer, and Americauna. This was mainly for the purpose of having a variety of colors and keeping kids interested. We had a White Leghorn rooster that we used to give some fertile eggs to hatch as another educational venture.
As of today we have 14 crossbred chicks about to enter production from the above mentioned breeds except Americaunas. This has turned into an experiment on genetics for our class. We are wanting to develop a crossbred variety that thrives in our warm and humid environment while being a great forager and having high egg production. So far our crosses actively graze more than their purebred parents. We keep production records on all our breeds and evaluate to determine which hens are laying the most so that we can cull the freeloaders and not pass down those traits.
Has anyone had any success trying this? I’ve searched the forum for hours and couldn’t find what I was looking for. We are open to using any breed to cross with. Any experiences or suggestions y’all have to share, good or bad, are welcome. Any birds/hatching eggs you want to donate to the program are welcome as well .

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I imagine your crosses are doing a better job of foraging and laying eggs because the father was a Mediterranean class and one of the most prolific egg laying breeds.
RIRs are excellent layers but they, the orpingtons and Plymouth rocks are built for cooler climates.
I highly recommend breeds built for your climate. That would include any of the Mediterranean class. Breeds like Leghorn, Catalana, Andalusian, Ancona, Minorca, Penedesenca, as well as Cubalayas and Fayoumis. Langshan may be another good choice. All of those are good to excellent in egg production.

 

[sourland]

That's an interesting project for you and the students.

 

[sevenfatcows]

I agree with ChickenCanoe. We have a very large flock, close to a hundred birds if the constant flow of hatching chicks and grow-outs are counted. Over time, we have been retiring our heavy breeds, especially the Orpingtons because, although we love the temperament, they really do suffer in the heat. We have been replacing them with various Leghorns, Legbars, Bluebars, (and crosses of these breeds with the heavier birds) because of all the factors you are considering. My flocks free range within my property, albeit in separated areas, and the Mediterranean types and hybrids from these are doubtless the best foragers and layers. The heat is not near as much of a concern, plus they are very wary of predatory birds and animals.

 

[centrarchid]

I am working with an urban high school doing similar in Kansas City, MO. Their starting point was barred Plymouth Rocks, Wheaton Marans, and Delawares with an American Dominique cock I provided. They are getting ready to start generation 3. Barred Plymouth Rocks dropped out. Hybrids out performing remaining parentals. They are having all sorts of fun seeing which alleles are dominant but no selection pressure to date. I would suggest getting a couple American Game hens and breeding them to a dual purpose cock from stock with good egg production. Then work from there.

 

[3riverschick]

Chicken Canoe,
What do you think of them adding some turkens or naked necks into the mix ? that could be fun and they do well in hot weather.
Karen

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Chicken Canoe,
What do you think of them adding some turkens or naked necks into the mix ? that could be fun and they do well in hot weather.
Karen

Yes, I think they would be a good choice.
People either love or hate the look of them.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

A good choice for low feed/high egg producing bird that forages. This alone or if the "need" for crossing then with Leghorn. Highest production-low feed cost breed.

Jaerhon Facts:

Size: Standard Male: 5 Ibs. / Standard Female: 3.5 Ibs.



Comb, Wattles & Earlobes: They have a small single comb, wattles, and earlobes. The comb and wattles are red and the earlobes are white.



Color:

Dark Brown: They have primarily brown plumage with uneven barring. The brown can vary from light on the head to dark on the body.

Light Yellow: They have cream and yellow plumage with dark, uneven barring.

Place of Origin: Norway

Conservation Status: N/A

Special Qualities: A small bird that lays large white eggs.

The Jaerhon is the only breed that is credited to Norway. It was developed around 1920 by breeders around the town of Stavanger on the Southern Atlantic coast of Norway. The breed first made its way to North America only recently, around the turn of the century.



These birds are small, hardy, and active and are good fliers. The hens do not tend to go broody and they often wear themselves out by laying lots and lots of large eggs.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A good choice for low feed/high egg producing bird that forages. This alone or if the "need" for crossing then with Leghorn. Highest production-low feed cost breed.

Jaerhon Facts:

Size: Standard Male: 5 Ibs. / Standard Female: 3.5 Ibs.



Comb, Wattles & Earlobes: They have a small single comb, wattles, and earlobes. The comb and wattles are red and the earlobes are white.



Color:

Dark Brown: They have primarily brown plumage with uneven barring. The brown can vary from light on the head to dark on the body.

Light Yellow: They have cream and yellow plumage with dark, uneven barring.

Place of Origin: Norway

Conservation Status: N/A

Special Qualities: A small bird that lays large white eggs.

The Jaerhon is the only breed that is credited to Norway. It was developed around 1920 by breeders around the town of Stavanger on the Southern Atlantic coast of Norway. The breed first made its way to North America only recently, around the turn of the century.



These birds are small, hardy, and active and are good fliers. The hens do not tend to go broody and they often wear themselves out by laying lots and lots of large eggs.

I like Jaerhons. I used to raise them and I would again if I had more room and time to devote attention to more than one breed.
From my observation with my birds, they are one of the best breeds for both hot and cold climates like mine. It has gone from -19 F to 115 F here and the Jaers didn't seem to be fazed by either extreme.

 

[yongrichards]

I heard a 2-phase crossbreeding study has been undertaken on some university basis to explore prospects of improving the performance of chickens under extensive production conditions: https://customwritingz.net/.