How to keep a flock rotation going between egg production and meat birds...

[momofthehouse]

Hopefully this is the right area on this forum to post this if not please let me know where I should post this to get the most insight!

These are the breeds I am getting. I will list a male if I am getting a male. I would like to know how to keep a rotation of good egg birds going and a rotation of good meat birds going with these breeds I am listing. A couple I got just for fun so will mention beside the breeds which ones. Let me know any thoughts and opinions and tips on breeding to keep my process going. I dont plan on selling breeds just want to never have to buy chicks again and just hatch my own Also would like to just keep some around because they are hard to come by as well. Some came from a breeder and the rest are from cackle and ideal hatchery.
Breeds:
*Silkies (Male and female-from a breeder) These are for hopefully broodiness
*Cream Legbar (Male and Female-from a breeder) I like the teal egg colors but would like to breed these as well.
*Buff Cochin (Not sure on sex. getting a straight run)
*Golden Laced Wyandotte ( Females only)
*Easter Egger (Females Only)
*Brown Leghorn (Male and Female)
*Black Australorp (Male and Female)
*Black Sex Link (Females)
*White Jersey Giant (Male and Female)
*Blue Maran (Male and female-from a breeder)
*Cuckoo Maran (Male and female)
*Salmon Favorelle (Male and female)
*Black Copper Maran (male and female-from a breeder)
*RIR (Male and female)
If you want to post longer than a comment feel free to also message me. I did get all these so please dont tell me that I should or shouldn't get a certain breed. I did research and picked these for reasons whether it was meat, egg production, kindness cause I have kids or I know the breed already and liked it.
Thanks in advance for those that take the time to read my novel!

 

[Odelia]

Do you have separate coops for your breeds? Otherwise you will lose the traits you selected for in your breeds.

 

[momofthehouse]

No I do not but I do have a smaller coop by my house up on the hill away from the big coop. Maybe I could use that one if I wanted to work on breeding? it was also going to be my broody coop. So I could desperate a breed that way to reproduce ? Get some fertile eggs and incubate them or hopefully have a broody hen to sit on them.

 

[3riverschick]

Hi!,
Since you are breeding for eggs and /or meat this is probably where you want to ask:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/845018/breeding-for-production-eggs-and-or-meat/990
Best Regards,
Karen

 

[momofthehouse]

Thank you!

 

[Odelia]

No I do not but I do have a smaller coop by my house up on the hill away from the big coop. Maybe I could use that one if I wanted to work on breeding? it was also going to be my broody coop. So I could desperate a breed that way to reproduce ? Get some fertile eggs and incubate them or hopefully have a broody hen to sit on them.

I was reading that you have to separate a breed for several weeks for the hens to not be carrying the genetic material from other roosters. That the sperm can remain viable for several weeks. So you would need to plan on separating them for a while before you started collecting eggs to hatch. I know you like all of your breeds, but you might want to consider how many you plan on maintaining in the future.

 

[3riverschick]

You can keep all the females from the different breeds together. But the males need to be kept in a separate coop. Then when you want to breed a hen, put her with the proper rooster in a separate cage. After a few days she will be bred and the male can go back in the rooster coop. You can put the girl back with the other females but first put some blue dye on her butt so when she lays her egg, it is streaked with dye. Then you will know which is hers and can put it in a incubator or under a broody.
Or you can put her in a separate cage until she had laid enough eggs for you to incubate. The hen will lay fertile eggs by that rooster for about usually for out 7-14 days after mating .
Best Regards,
Karen

 

[momofthehouse]

Which breeds would be best to keep? Half of our flock we will butcher just not sure which breeds to butcher and which to try and reproduce.

Won't the roosters kill each other? I'll only keep the roosters that I would use for breeding purposes. The others will be consumed or sold.

 

[momofthehouse]

Hi!,
Since you are breeding for eggs and /or meat this is probably where you want to ask:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/845018/breeding-for-production-eggs-and-or-meat/990
Best Regards,
 Karen

I can't on my phone but I'll post there tomorrow.