Cherry Egger

[Bucky182]

Do any of you have this bird? I have raised red sexlink, Indian Rivers (Which I love) and Barred rocks. Was not thrilled with the Red Sexlink or the Barred Rock but the Indian Rivers where calm, white, and laid lots of jumbo eggs. I have been thinking about the Cherry Egger and wondered what you guys thought of them. I am not looking at one or two but 50-100 birds. So are they docile, do they lay well, are they hardy and what size egg do they lay?

 

[Fred's Hens]

http://seventrees.blogspot.com/2008/02/cherry-egger-hens.html

FWIW

 

[jeslewmazer]

I did not find much information on them, but they are just a production breed like production red (just with a different label). No personal experience with the breed.

 

[eggscetera]

I have three Cherry Eggers - they just started to lay and are laying just as well as the production reds. Which is what they are really. A cross between a RIR and a New Hampshire, correct? My only concern is that all my 8 new layers are laying small eggs. It's been a month and I'm still getting little eggs. I sure hope the eggs come up to size. My worry is that the chicks I got (which came to me from someone who had ordered them from a certain hatchery which I will not name) have banty blood in them. Surely not? Do hatcherys carefully keep their full size hens away from their banty roosters?? But they are good layers- I'm getting an egg a day off everybody.
Starting with 50 to 100 birds of a breed you are not familiar with is a daunting undertaking. That said however, it's hard to go wrong with the production red family (RIRs/NHs/CEs etc) as long as you're certain they come from good stock.

 

[LT]

I have two Cherry Eggers. This is my first flock, so I have no previous experience with chickens, but I love our two. Their eggs are a nice, creamy tan color (if that matters to you), and our girls are very reliable producers. They both started laying in October, and their eggs were a nice size from the beginning. One of them has laid several double yolks, and this is the only breed we have to have done this. I think they are quite nice and docile, but I interact with them quite a bit. I would definitely have them in my flock again, and I really like the lighter color of their egg compared to my other brown egg layers.

 

[terrydaniel324]

Cherry eggers are very sweet, prolithic egg layers, reach maturity quickly and are really beautiful birds. I have six at the moment along with various other breeds. They seem docile and get along with the buff orphington, silkies, barred Plymouth Rock and a few cochins that I have. I adore them.