USA Brown Chickens.

[OzssieDave19]

Hi. So my question is very specific. I understand the back story of Isa Hens.
My question is. Has anyone started with Isa Brown hens and used any breed of rooster with the flock, kept the fertile eggs and produced chickens? I would like to see pictures of this scenario if so.
We have Isa hens bought from a breeder that my 9 year old daughter is in charge of and have some ideas about getting a rooster to run with them and in time putting a few fertile eggs through an incubator. Using what we have would be easiest. Obviously the Isa off spring won't be 100% Isa that's not quite what we are trying to do.

 

[Allenw]

How have the ISA Browns done for you? I had a very few and they produced like crazy for their first season but didn't lay well after that. The Leghorns the same age are still laying, the last two ISA hens died last fall within a couple of weeks of each other.

 

[farmerjan]

I would think that using a New Hampshire rooster would be a good cross. NH's lay good and are active foraging chickens too. All of mine have had pretty good dispositions... Roosters not mean or aggressive. If you are trying to keep the reddish color then they would be a good cross. Or go with a Partridge Plymouth rock... again to keep the general reddish color. Both are brown egg layers.
Or a Welsummer which has more coloration of a brown leghorn, with laying darker brown eggs. My welsummers laid good also. Not as quiet as the New Hamps but not mean.

 

[4hfarms]

We raised a dozen RiR hens and they are all wild. When they came out of the brooder, they spent one night in a coop then never went back in. They roost in a cedar in the middle of the property. They are crazy good forage birds andthey use the creek for water. Medium brown eggs. We raised a small flock of Orpington a few years ago and let them multiply. About 40 or so now. We want to cross the two and see what we get. Would love to have the best of both. Hearty birds, with large eggs and plenty of meat that take care of themselves.

 

[Ky hills]

I second the idea of maybe crossing them with New Hampshires. I haven't had any Isa Browns. but have had some Red Stars and Golden Comets. I don't really care for those breeds as even though they lay good the eggs are not as good of quality shell wise and the hens don't seem to last long. At this time we have some Black Australorps and New Hampshire hens. I chose Orpingtons as the breed for roosters and a few setting hens mainly because of disposition and setting instinct of the hens.