Dixie Rainbows Thread

[yoie]

I thought I would start this thread to log the progress of my Dixie Rainbow flock. I was turned on them by Mt. Healthy Hatchery, who I ordered my 9 girls and 1 boy who arrived today! I inquired about the breed and this is what they sent me on them:

The Dixie rainbow originated from years of mixing several breeds but the breeding now is a rainbow to rainbow , they are good to moderate layers app 280 to 300 per year, they are average growing birds and will start to lay app 20 to 22 weeks, the hens will reach app 7 lbs, the egg color is brown and the chicks are very cold hardy birds.


I really like variety in a flock, that is why I also have a flock of Easter Eggers. I wanted a chicken that would breed true so I could keep sustaining my flock, but also something that was different. I am using them as a egg laying flock, but down the road when I decide to start breeding them they will become more of a dual purpose flock. I am really excited about this adventure and thought I'd share it with all of you. And if anyone else has Dixie Rainbows, please post away

And now a pic of my new flock! They are all very large chicks compared to other breeds that I have gotten, about the size of Easter Eggers. They are very robust and straight away they ate and drank when I put them in their brooder. Very curious what colors they will turn out to be, no two are alike.

My future rooster

Settling in with their Easter Egger friends

 

[shesajoy]

I realize this is an old thread ... We have six Dixie Rainbow hens. Two are reddish (one a darker red than the other with black "freckles" around her neck), two are buff with what used to be much darker "calico" patterns on them (I am new, forgive the incorrect terminology), one entirely buff colored, and one buff colored with a few black-tipped tail feathers and again the subtle black ring of freckles around her neck. They are all HUGE, fluffy, hilarious - and lay very, very large eggs. We don't have any other breeds but these girls are pretty friendly! A couple of them will even sit on your leg for a bit, and the run after us in a little herd when we go out to feed the horses. Very chatty and social ladies. I have zero previous chicken experience and have only had them since March, but we really enjoy them. One of them will try to peck (gently) the freckles on my arms if I bend down to talk to her.

 

[Ra_]

I've got Dixie Rainbows in North Central Florida.
I got one of those big rubber feed dishes and use it as a wading pond.
They love it when it's hot out. Keeps them nicely cooled down.

I took some video of them yesterday.

 

[yoie]

These guys are now two weeks old and growing like weeds! They are going to be big birds, especially the rooster which I have named "Foghorn". I have noticed that they seem to be a bit lazy too, always lying around the brooder.

Here is an updated picture of Foghorn and how he has grown!

Here he is compared to one of my Easter Eggers to get an idea of how big he really is!

 

[StephWind]

I have 17 of these chicks, hatched 4/16, and purchased them for meat. They are extremely friendly and curious and I am finding myself tempted to just see how they do laying instead... I'll try to get some pics of them when I shift them out to the stall "nursery" this weekend. They are, of course, in the scraggley stage, but I still find them to be very pretty birds!

 

[flockofbantams]

Hi! I just got this guy over the weekend. A young cockrel, I have been asking what breed he could possibly be and several folks have suggested a Dixie rainbow. So I thought I might share here and see what you all thought.

 

[LaurEliz]

This is our chicken that was labeled as a rainbow at the store. I am unsure if she actually is or not?
She grew much faster than other same-aged chicks that were bought at the same time. She had a broken toe when we bought her still has some crooked toes. She was also attacked by a hawk a few months ago. He left two gashes in her back and she wouldn't walk for a few weeks. She can walk fine now, with a limp. She's able to keep up with the others pretty well. She is very friendly and still much larger than our others. If she is not a "rainbow" I am unsure what she is. She has a lot of personality and follows us around the yard. She's even been known to jump up and grab stuff out of our hands if she can. She's a lot of fun.

 

[Seneca Utley]

We love our Dixie Rainbow chickens! They are a great dual purpose breed. We have an adult flock of only around 10 rainbows, but we have 29 babies in the brooder. My main Rainbow Roo is 15 pounds right now and he's only 9 months old! Meet Skittles, my 15 pound, 9 month old Rainbow Roo!

 

[Ra_]

Weighed Big Mama last night.
14 pounds!
Her offspring with Wingman are now almost 10 weeks old.
They are actually 87% Dixie Rainbow and have finally overwhelmed the Barred Rock genes.
All 5 of these Gold offspring are pullets.
Steady stream of hatches continues.

 

[Eballenger14]

They do look huge and pretty . Where did you get them?

We rescued them from a lady who didn’t have a big enough space for them and she got them as a gift from her dad who thought they were bantams. Lol! I got them in Alabama.