Heredity

[its hilly]

Ok, please bear with me
so I think i got it right, cockerals take after mum, hens take after dad.
So I've got 4 hybrid full siblings, 2 cocks 2 hens. Dad was mix of Lt sussex and buff orp, mum warren.
2 hens, no1 looks more sussex but buff brown patterened feathers on back, no2 cream/red splashes (amber star type)
2 roos, no1 warren red/brown with rir red wings and white splashed through entire body, no2 that gold/red/orange combo you get on buff orp roos.

So will they have inherited/pass on the characteristics of those breeds as well as the colours ie will the buffy roo not father as good a layer as the RIR? Will the warren have red daughters and the buffy type have plain buff daughters?
Or will they just inherit the egglaying ability regardless of the colour?

[Snadger]

You lost me after OK!

[Suechooks]

My guess is you'll carry on getting lots of mongrels as you're not fixing any genetic characteristics, because you've started with hybrids and they don't breed "true". They'll probably be really pretty and healthy with the hybrid vigour. It happens in dogs - hence all the non-descript mongrels who give birth and rear huge litters of healthy pups whereas the KC registered 20 generation pedigree dogs have one tiny runt.

[its hilly]

Suechooks thats all i want.
thinking more logically colour and feather pattern cant have anything to do with breed characteristics. Otherwise everything that looked like a light sussex would lay like a light sussex.
Should have thought it out more before i posted
So even though my roo has inherited the buff orp roo colour he'll still pass on mums 1-a-day egg laying ability.

[Bramble-Poultry]

to quote John Seymour, the father of self sufficiency "let your hens run around with a good cockerel. Hens like to have it off as much as we do. She may run off for three weeks but when she comes back she will have in tow a dozen beautiful healthy farmyard chicks that will lay well and eat well, the envy of your neighbours" or words to that effect anyways.

Hybrid vigour (mongrels) will never be as true a layer as the the original stock, but they will suffer less illness, and be strong helathy birds. Healthy birds lay well so you should still get a few eggs.

So what if she lays 200 eggs a year instead of 300 like her mum - thats still a lot of eggs to go through in a year!

[its hilly]

Considering the best layers are hybrids, I'm in wit a chance.
Poached, fried, boiled, scrambled, benedict, mayo...YIPPEE

[petal]

I would keep a true bred cockerel with 'mongrel' hens. I have found that they take after him in colour. I will let you know when his offspring start to lay as to whether my plan is working!

[Eco-Chic]

Hilly,

You forgot eggs florentine drools and dribbles...

[Bramble-Poultry]

and what about that good old standby, pickled eggs with a pint of beer?

[its hilly]

My MIL kept us supplied with pickled eggs till I got chooks, bite sized banty eggs.
I like mine with a pint of guiness.
Also forgot proper custard, and spiced bread'n'butter pud

STOP IT, SIT, BEHAVE..whimper. Sorry, just that the drool's getting in my keyboard.

[Birdie Wife]

Yeah, who knows. Both hen and cockerel parents birds are mixes of other things, so anything could happen! I've found from my own mixes that the 'female chick takes after dad' etc is a general rule of thumb, but not a hard-and-fast rule, so have fun finding out what happens!