I run all Buff Orpingtons for my main layers. I have some residual other types but only 3 non BO (Buff Orpington) layers. I also have one Americauna Rooster that I got as a prize from McMurray Hatcheries.
I decided a while back to start hatching my own rather than buying just because it was something interesting to do, plus its cheaper and I get to use my own stock. My original rooster wasn’t anything special but he was very pretty and his offspring were pretty but a little small. So when i got the Americauna I was like “Hey this should be interesting”. After getting the Americauna I began wondering, the BO’s lay great eggs in my opinion and from what I have read of the Americauna so do they and there a chance I can get some different colored eggs. Now I am not overly concerned with egg color, or size as much as I am with just the hens laying eggs, but since they are laying and I have them, why not. I am more crossing them out of curiosity than anything else. Unfortunately out of the first batch of 15 AM/BO crosses I have only two left. It was interesting to see how different they all were though. Some had really puffy beards while others had none, some were white, some were gold like the BO with some speckling.
From what I saw from the 15 original hatchlings they are going to be beautiful birds. Beauty aside though I am curious to see how the eggs turn out as well as the size of the birds as I do cull the roosters for the freezer. So they serve a dual purpose. Then hens lay eggs, and the roosters (if they come out to be big enough) will be good for the freezer.
Here are the two remaining chicks out of the original 15 crosses. They are currently 4 months.
Excuse the tail feather or rather the lack there of. PapaRoo was recently in a tussle with a fox. He won sort of, sacrificing his beautiful tail feathers. Any way he is papa and the two pics above him are his 4 month old offspring. The gold doesn’t seem to have the speckling, but has small sideburns. The white has speckling but no beard or sideburns.
I am not scientific by any means but I though I would share my musings and such. I have 9 more being sat on currently so I am curious how they will turn out. Broody hens make the best incubators.