Not to get in a argument about the two breeds, but you may want to do a little more research on the Rhode Island Red.
A lot of your information on the R.I. Red is incorrect..
I admit I do not know RIR, have never bred them & do not have my SOP here with me, but I know that body shape & color are not like my Buckeyes, at least what I see at the shows. They are two distinct, discernible breeds with different looks. The RIR at the shows look rectangular to me. Its legs look thin to me. Its color looks different. Perhaps, my description of deep, lustrous red is wrong (again no SOP here), but the RIR is not a mahogany bay color (not to my eye) -- if the SOP says it is a mahogany bay, then apologies to the RIR breeders.
I am not disputing you knowledge of the Buckeye breed but there are more than one similarity in the two breeds.
As for the color of a R.I. Red. the SoP states that it should be: Lustrous, Rich Dark Red. If to talk to a Red breeder most will describe the color of a good R.I. Red as Mahogany or the color of a Bing Cherry.
The thing that I don't under is, where did the Buckeye get its Columbian pattern?
I believe this is a quote from a article that you wrought on the Buckeye -
She began by first crossing a Buff Cochin male to Barred Plymouth Rock females. She then crossed the half Cochin pullets with a Black Breasted Red Game male she acquired the next year, probably of Oriental ancestry and genetically Wheaten or dark Wheaten in color. She took the red offspring of this mating to create the breed.
I can only guess that it may have came from the Buff Cochin but is you cross a Buff male with a Barred female the offspring will come sex-linked Black females (with some Buff/gold leakage) and Barred males.
If you then cross the Black hens with a BB Red rooster you will get Black, Buff and B.B. Red offspring.
To me it don't add up.. Maybe I am missing something.
Chris
Chris09:
Your missing something.
First, I would point out that one of your basic premises is actually wrong. A Buckeye is not a true "Columbian Red" as you call it. Buckeyes are a form of Black-tailed Red - though as different to Black-tailed Red as what Light Brown Leghorns are to BB Red or Dark Brown Leghorns to Partridge.
They are not Columbian in color, but a derivative.
Second, all the colors needed to produce red was in the original mix of Ms. Metcalf's crossings as quoted by me (i.e. the genes for red color were present in that original mix of colors). The buff and barred ancestors of Buckeyes can and did give red color to the birds. The simple explanation is that black mixed with buff produces red. Barred birds are black with a gene that causes the barring, this being lost within two generations of breeding. (Exactly what happened in the case of the Buckeye's development.) Dark Wheaten also contains many of the same genes as Black-tailed Red - but it did not help matters as it added yet more color variants, though it did not prevent the red birds from appearing.
There are other major differences in Buckeyes and RIRs that you cannot discern unless you have eaten both of them (showing different ancestry): Buckeyes have darker dark meat sections than RIRs. This they received from their Game ancestors and it also makes them the most active breed of the American class. They also grow faster - the RIR is a slow growing breed, but one that lays well. Speaking of lay well, Buckeyes have shorter lateral process bones than RIRs and wider thighs.
I don't know much about breeding RIRs but a little of their history I do. Yesterday's RIRs were lighter in color than Buckeyes. It was not until about the 1930s or 40s that RIRs were bred darker than Buckeye color. Today's RIRs are much darker than a Buckeye should be. (Also note, Buckeyes should have a red glow to their color and not a dead brown.) It is not unlikely that Buckeyes contributed to darker red for some lines of RIRs... Buckeyes
may be the source of the darker color for top lines of RIRs of the past.