Crossing my Red Ranger Hens.

[Compost King]

This is my first year breeding so I am a year behind you and I am learning the hard way with all my projects. So glad you shared Hulk with this thread, It gives me a good indication of where my Dorking X Ranger is headed.

 

[dan26552]

Projects are fun. Difinetly are good learning curve.
You’re welcome. He’ll probably similar.

 

[Compost King]

My next hatch just had a pipped egg, with any luck I should have more Dorking X Red Ranger birds as next week begins.

 

[Compost King]

I now have some more Silver Grey Dorking x Red Rangers! Hatched over night. one is still hatching.

 

[Aceoky]

That's awesome CK! Hope you have great success with them! We have a few RR pullets (nearly 21 weeks old (and may consider trying them sometime next year, have RIR, NHR, Buff Orpington cockerels to experiment with (and likely some young BCM as well)

 

[Compost King]

I don’t think he was breeding hybrid to hybrid but I don’t know. He’s a (or was) a really big local breeder. Owned S&G poultry. Something that I found interesting is that when I bred my rangers back to themselves it actually improved hardiness and growth. They were still not great and I lost quite a few but they were better and matured faster. The pullets grew to about 8-9lbs by 6 months. An improvement from last year.
Hulk is indeed a big boy, I think he got the best of both worlds from his parents.
I don’t have a whole lot of experience either this was my first year breeding chickens to any extent.

If you do it start a thread about it, I want to see how well other crossings do.

Do you limit your feed to the Red Rangers? I started out doing it but wanted to know how long they would keep laying an stay healthy if they had unlimited feed since this whole thing is a learning process. Mine have unlimited feed and fly up to a 4 foot roosting pole. I wish I had a scale to track their weight but I am not sure where to find a good one.

 

[Aceoky]

I do not limit their feed they have free choice 21% protein feed 7 days per week, they're not huge certainly not obese and fly up to a 4ft roost easily. They love catching bugs when it's warmer (as I'm certain you know LOL) I've not tracked their weight or growth, just wanted to try a few (think we got 10, one cockerel I believe)

 

[Compost King]

I bought them as an impulse buy when my local Tractor Supply did not have Assorted bantams yet. I had 2 males and 2 females. The males were eaten by a neighbor so I didn't have to process them. Kept the females for breeding. They do spend more time looking for feed than they do at the feeder but they get in significant feeder time too usually just before they roost. This spring I start Tinkering with CX for breeding, may be above my pay grade. If I can keep one long enough to breed once then I can breed her offspring with offspring of my red rangers or to the Red Rangers themselves. Not sure how long the Red Rangers are going to live though.

 

[Morrigan]

Well, I'm firmly on the Dorking train now. Last night, we cooked the 14+ week old Dorking rooster we butchered earlier this year. It was small -- dressing out at 3 1/3 lbs. We brined it overnight, and oven roasted it. I was so worried it would be chewy, but it was perfect. It had slightly more density and pronounced chicken flavor than a CX, but in a very positive way. DH and I both thought it was excellent. It also carried more meat on its frame for it's size, then some of the other EE-mix cockerels I've processed in the past. Lots of really quality dark meat.

So, I'm sold on the Dorkings and I'm hoping that by crossing it was a faster growing, meatier bird like a RR, we might get the best of both worlds.

I can't wait to see how your experiment turns out.

 

[Compost King]

Well, I'm firmly on the Dorking train now. Last night, we cooked the 14+ week old Dorking rooster we butchered earlier this year. It was small -- dressing out at 3 1/3 lbs. We brined it overnight, and oven roasted it. I was so worried it would be chewy, but it was perfect. It had slightly more density and pronounced chicken flavor than a CX, but in a very positive way. DH and I both thought it was excellent. It also carried more meat on its frame for it's size, then some of the other EE-mix cockerels I've processed in the past. Lots of really quality dark meat.

So, I'm sold on the Dorkings and I'm hoping that by crossing it was a faster growing, meatier bird like a RR, we might get the best of both worlds.

I can't wait to see how your experiment turns out.

What was the breast meat like? Hoping they have decent breast meat.