Production Red vs. ISA brown for pastured poultry egg production.

longbranch321

Chirping
8 Years
Apr 15, 2014
10
3
84
Jacksonville, FL
Production Red and ISA Brown. Of these two hybrids, which is going to give me more eggs with less feed, and do well in a pastured production model. In other words, which can forage well and give me more eggs on less feed? I'm in northeast FL and producing eggs to sell on rotated pasture, and want to increase the size of my current flock. Now, for all you nit-pickers out there with too much time on your hands, I know that both Production Red and ISA Brown are NOT breeds of chicken, but hybrids, and I know this thread is in the category of "General BREED Discussions &FAQ", but didn't know where else to post.
 
Never had ISA Browns, but my Production Reds gave around 5 eggs per week per bird. They lived in a chicken tractor, so they did have access to fresh grass daily.
 
I've had both Production Reds and Red Sex Links (including those sold under the Isa Brown label) and while Production Reds are excellent layers (X2 on beetandsteet's 5 eggs per hen per week), the Red Sex Links (including those sold under the Isa Brown label) will outlay them. Red Sex Links (including Isa Browns) are egg laying machines, typically churning out 6-7 large brown eggs per hen per week.
 
Well, I have 29 hens and a rooster already and I get a variety of blues, greens and Browns, including dark "chocolate" brown(black copper marans). One of my hens, we adopted from my brother, as he quit keeping chickens. Her name is "Alice" and she's in her second year of laying. He bought her as a chick at Tractor Supply Co. labeled as a "Production Red" but according to everything I've been reading, she seems to meet the description of an ISA brown. She lays 6-7 HUGE beautiful brown eggs a week and now that it's December she is the only hen out of 29 who is still laying consistently. She is one of the best foragers of all my chickens. I wish I could just clone her X20, but since that's not possible I'll be on the market for 20 chicks of the same breed. This is why I'm so curious about "Production Red" vs "ISA Brown".
 
Here are some photos of her and a recap of her info. She's in her second year of laying (born in spring 2014) my brother bought her at Tractor Supply Co., labeled as a "Production Red", but her appearance seems to meet the description of an ISA brown, according to the descriptions I have read. In some of these photos you wil see my girlfriend holding her and this will make her seem much bigger than she actually is, bc my girlfriend is so tiny. Alice is actually a relatively small chicken. What do you think, ISA or "Production Red"?
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Being as they are all mixed up genetically (on purpose in the case of the ISA browns), it is hard to say if that is a production red or red sexlink. If I were getting chicks where the only consideration was how well they laid brown eggs, I'd definitely get the ISA Browns, that is a trademarked hybrid bred for consistent high production.

As long as you are getting groups of 25, you can order directly from the hatcheries. Moyer Chicks is Quakertown Pa and Townline in Michigan are 2 places that sell red sexlinks for commercial use. I'm not sure if Moyers are technically ISA Browns, but they sell a lot of chicks to large operations where productivity is crucial.

Don't get them from TSC, buy direct, you will get better and cheaper that way, and no chance for TSC to screw up the order and give you something other than what you ordered.
 
Being as they are all mixed up genetically (on purpose in the case of the ISA browns), it is hard to say if that is a production red or red sexlink. If I were getting chicks where the only consideration was how well they laid brown eggs, I'd definitely get the ISA Browns, that is a trademarked hybrid bred for consistent high production.

As long as you are getting groups of 25, you can order directly from the hatcheries. Moyer Chicks is Quakertown Pa and Townline in Michigan are 2 places that sell red sexlinks for commercial use. I'm not sure if Moyers are technically ISA Browns, but they sell a lot of chicks to large operations where productivity is crucial.

Don't get them from TSC, buy direct, you will get better and cheaper that way, and no chance for TSC to screw up the order and give you something other than what you ordered.

Thanks. I would not buy chicks from TSC anyway. 1, because it's TSC, and 2, because I need these Chicks now. ASAP lol
 
Here are some photos of her and a recap of her info. She's in her second year of laying (born in spring 2014) my brother bought her at Tractor Supply Co., labeled as a "Production Red", but her appearance seems to meet the description of an ISA brown, according to the descriptions I have read. In some of these photos you wil see my girlfriend holding her and this will make her seem much bigger than she actually is, bc my girlfriend is so tiny. Alice is actually a relatively small chicken. What do you think, ISA or "Production Red"?
The bird in your pics is a Red Sex Link (Isa Brown) as she has white underfluff and white feathers. These come from crossing a red gene rooster (RIR, NH, or PR) with a silver gene hen (which accounts for the white underfluff and feathering). Production Reds on the other hand are bred by crossing red gene roosters (RIR, NH, or PR) with red gene hens (RIR, NH, or PR) so as a result they lack the white underfluff and white feathers.
 
Hey, I ordered my ISA Browns from TSC, but the chicks (I paid for all females) came in a box of 10 straight from the hatchery (in Iowa, I think-- I am in NC). My girls are 13 weeks, only one little girl didn't make it (she was doing badly right out of the crate) within the first few hours, but the other nine are awesome! I guess I am a couple of months out from eggs, but these girls are delightful and so funny.
 

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