Star

Breed Details:

Red Star hens are friendly, docile, dependable layers. At maturity, the females weigh about 5 to 6 lbs. They are good pets for small backyards or excellent layers for large production flocks. Stars can be sorted by gender, based on their color characteristics at hatching. They will not breed true in the second or subsequent generations, thus the offspring of Stars will not be able to be accurately sexed based on color. Females are excellent layers and males make good fryers. Red star females are buff/red at hatch and mature to mostly red with a few white feathers. Red Star males are light yellow as chicks and mature to white with portions of red, buff, or brown. Black Star females are all black as chicks and mature to black with some accents of red. At hatch, males are black as well, but have a white spot on their heads as chicks and later they resemble the Barred Rock as adults. Hatcheries sometimes call them by their own brand names, and the crossings can vary slightly. Some of these brands include Red Star, Black Star, ISA Brown, Hubbard, Gingernut Ranger, Comet, Cinnamon Queen. Here are the most common hybrids and the crosses used to make them. Black Star/Black Sex Link: New Hampshire Red X Barred Rock. Rhode Island Red X Barred Rock.--- Red Star/Red Sex Link: RIR X Delware. RIR X White Leghorn. RIR X Rhode Island White. Production Red X Delaware.--- Cinnamon Queen: New Hampshire Red X Silver Laced Whyandotte.--- Golden Comet/ Gold Sex linked: New Hampshire Red X White Rock. RIR X Rhode Island White.--- Gingernut Ranger (found in the U.K.): RIR X Light Sussex.--- *Cockerel photo used with permission from BYC member "Rafter 7 Paint Horses."