[shetan]

we lost our speckled sussex boy to old age and cold weather this week and now our girls are lonely. but as we are already downsizing, was wondering what would happen if i put them in with my jersey's.....

what would the potential cross be like? both are good layers and meat birds. both are heavy, soft feathered and girls are of similar build and height.

the sussex's are known to go broody (although mine never have) and lay a similar sized egg. only dfference would be shell colouring - sussex lay a pale speckled pink and jerseys a warm honeyed brown.

temperament wise - the sussex are far more friendly where as the jerseys have some trust issues...would the product still produce a good meat/egg laying bird?

i'm not thinking of a world wide introduction to a new breed - just a backyard cross for personal use. would really like to hear your views.

[joyfull]

would the J`ersey Giant boy not be too big for the girls? This could lead to potential injuries

[shetan]

i did think that too joyfull, but having looked at our lad, he's probably about the same height and weight as our old sussex boy was in his prime.

he's about a year old and beginning to get quite amorous but may be too heavy for them next year.

if it were to be a successful experiment it would have to be this year's breeding season.

aside from the possible injury issues, what do you think?

[Sassy]

Is it better to wait to breed from him until he is two years old and has matured up?

[shetan]

i've never had a breeding cockerel this young before. all my birds were proven sires when i got them so not sure if the off spring/eggs would be viable or not.

its not definite that anything will happen as it all depends on my brahma going broody (has happened 2 yrs in a row) and putting some eggs under her. i haven't hatched myself before and have normally turned the broody out of the nests so there are a number of variables to this actually working.