Breed?

[Pele]

I really hate to put this out here, because I know you were looking for meaties: those are hatchery productions birds. The darker ones are hatchery RIRs, and the lighter ones are most likely Production Reds.

We'll know more as they feather out fully.

 

[chickenmaniac]

Breeder stock does, but not necessarily hatchery stock.
You never see partridge that is as dark as it should be any more (in my opinion.) I have a really beautiful partridge cochin hen & cockerel (to convince him to breed chickens and not ducks is another topic - I want to breed them but no luck)

Here is my hen.

your hens pattern looks nice and your rooster mounts ducks?? i have some fertile eggs of rhode island reds and buff orphingtons mixed and none of my hens wanna go broody i hate it

 

[BlueCamas]

I'd say you have Buff Orpingtons and Production Reds. Partridge Rocks, even hatchery stock, would be more of a brown color than red and you would see a lot more partridge feathering coming in .

 

[aoxa]

your hens pattern looks nice and your rooster mounts ducks?? i have some fertile eggs of rhode island reds and buff orphingtons mixed and none of my hens wanna go broody i hate it

Yes.. He was the only chick raised with ducks.. It's very funny. He has never crowed and he is 5 months old now :/ He may just need time.. My duck likes it.. It's very weird lol.

Carlton and his girls. He still has some feathering out to do. Getting better everyday Cochins take so long to mature.

 

[BlueCamas]

Yes.. He was the only chick raised with ducks.. It's very funny. He has never crowed and he is 5 months old now

He may just need time.. My duck likes it.. It's very weird lol.

Carlton and his girls. He still has some feathering out to do. Getting better everyday

Cochins take so long to mature.

"He may just need time...My ducks like it...Its very weird."

 

[chickenmaniac]

Yes.. He was the only chick raised with ducks.. It's very funny. He has never crowed and he is 5 months old now

He may just need time.. My duck likes it.. It's very weird lol.

Carlton and his girls. He still has some feathering out to do. Getting better everyday

Cochins take so long to mature.

haha that is funny that he runs around with them x)

 

[fshrchik]

aoxa,

Your hen is beautiful!

****

Well, I got a great deal on these "assorted heavy breed cockerels for meat" - 15 for $8.99. So, we'll see how it goes. We did not want to raise the cornish x meat birds. These are supposed to be all heavy breeds, but if it turns out they are all just males of the red star, black star, etc - those are not heavy breed birds and so it's just the hatchery trying to get rid of the unwanted males. That's fine, but they should be up front about it. At that point, we will complain to Paris Farmers Union and to Murray McMurray and won't purchase this way again. We'll just have to see how this plays out, I guess.

 

[fshrchik]

These are the breeds that Murray McMurray says can show up in their "all heavies" assortment:

Black Australorps; Lt. Brahmas; Dark Cornish; Black and White Giants; Buff and White Orpingtons; New Hampshire, Rhode Island Reds, Barred, White, Partridge, Buff Rocks; Sussex, Turkens; White, Silver Laced, & Columbian Wyandottes, Red Star and Black Star.
***

I know in my mix I have barred rock and/or male black stars.