Crossing my Red Ranger Hens.

[Compost King]

No, do what you want.

I was just curious ... wondering if it was tastier? Or stayed tender "on the hoof" longer ... Or something else???

I have no idea how the black meat is, never had it. I know Asians really like it, So if I create a decent sized Chicken with Fibromelanin (sp) It might have a market. I have no dreams of making money off any of my crossings since I only have chickens to because they turn leaves into compost swiftly and add nitrogen pellets. So I have a lot of room to play around and experiment with breeding. I make money off the compost as I producing landscaping trees as my "day job". I will likely sample one to see what the big deal with the black meat is. I am guessing its a novelty more than anything but it might taste different or have a different texture. So my "Because I can" type of answer explains everything I do with chickens. I am aimless and learning. No matter what I do they are going poop and scratch leaves and that's all I am concerned about. Meat Birds produce the most manure, so I went in that direction, my other breeding projects going on are in finding the best chicken for scratching up the most leaves the fastest so I can cycle through all those free leaves I saved in the fall faster. I never made a thread on that because I might be the only person on here who has chickens strictly for breaking down compost. So far Old English Game bantams (likely full size too) and Leghorns have been my best scratchers.

 

[Compost King]

That sounds like quite a diet. I bet he gobbled that up!

He actually turned his nose up at it but eventually ate it because it was all he had to eat. I read somewhere that Bresse Chickens are fed that before slaughter... not sure how soon before slaughter. I happened to have heavy whipping cream that would go bad because I wasn't drinking as much coffee at the time so why not use it to feed chickens. Its not exactly cost effective to do that. The French also only use milk and I used something with more fat which is likely better but costs more. The chicken I ate was a too tender for my tastes, it was almost mushy. But it didn't have that nasty flavor most mushy meats have... the mushy meats are usually lower quality though... like with Oscar Mayer hotdogs.

 

[Compost King]

Thank's for the update on your crossing project's. The Dorking/RR mixes have some nice color of feathering going on. It will be interesting to see how those NN crossed chick's turn out for you. My NN/Breese crossed hen's are laying nice big egg's now.

I did some research not he patterns, when you mentioned in December that I may have found a sex link with he patterns and I may have. The Chicks that came out with out the wild pattern on the back are turning out to be males, the ones with the pattern are turning out to be females. Some had a slight pattern and I am not sure which ones those turned out to be. The Females are what is called an Incomplete Columbian. They have some of the pattern of the Silver Duck Wing but its faint and without the salmon breast feathers. The males are supposedly yellow but they look white to me unless you look really close and you notice the Hackle and Saddle Feathers are slightly yellow. Can't tell until they start to mature. With Further breeding with the Silver Duck Wings (Silver Grey Dorkings) I can get a Columbia Pattern. Using a Red Ranger for the initial crossing should also get them to be a bit larger. I have been breeding my Dorkings and the chicks are so weak I assume from inbreeding. Many are older than the ones I received from the breeder when I received them and they are not nearly as large. I likely received Siblings. So when I breed some of these crossings back to the Dorkings I will also be making the Silver Duckwing pattern so I can put some vigor back into the Dorkings. Whether or not I can get them back to having all the Dorking traits is a mystery.
------Future experiments--------
In the chicks I picked up from Tractor supply I happened to buy 1 Straight Run Jersey Giant. Not exactly a great meat bird because of how slow they grow but a few crosses with existing meat birds and maybe I discover something but I am not putting much attention towards it. I also picked up 4 slow white broilers which are basically white rangers, perfect to breed with my Naked Neck. I also received 1 female Cornish X with a hatchery shipment back in February. That gives me a white naked neck and 2 different white feathered Meat breeds.

 

[BlueBaby]

I did some research not he patterns, when you mentioned in December that I may have found a sex link with he patterns and I may have. The Chicks that came out with out the wild pattern on the back are turning out to be males, the ones with the pattern are turning out to be females. Some had a slight pattern and I am not sure which ones those turned out to be. The Females are what is called an Incomplete Columbian. They have some of the pattern of the Silver Duck Wing but its faint and without the salmon breast feathers. The males are supposedly yellow but they look white to me unless you look really close and you notice the Hackle and Saddle Feathers are slightly yellow. Can't tell until they start to mature. With Further breeding with the Silver Duck Wings (Silver Grey Dorkings) I can get a Columbia Pattern. Using a Red Ranger for the initial crossing should also get them to be a bit larger. I have been breeding my Dorkings and the chicks are so weak I assume from inbreeding. Many are older than the ones I received from the breeder when I received them and they are not nearly as large. I likely received Siblings. So when I breed some of these crossings back to the Dorkings I will also be making the Silver Duckwing pattern so I can put some vigor back into the Dorkings. Whether or not I can get them back to having all the Dorking traits is a mystery.
------Future experiments--------
In the chicks I picked up from Tractor supply I happened to buy 1 Straight Run Jersey Giant. Not exactly a great meat bird because of how slow they grow but a few crosses with existing meat birds and maybe I discover something but I am not putting much attention towards it. I also picked up 4 slow white broilers which are basically white rangers, perfect to breed with my Naked Neck. I also received 1 female Cornish X with a hatchery shipment back in February. That gives me a white naked neck and 2 different white feathered Meat breeds.

So, you do think that the one batch you did ended up being a sex-link? I think that is a problem with many of the older heritage breed's, they are most likely getting too inbred because most people are going with the more productive hatchery types.

 

[Compost King]

I was able to get better pictures.

on one side of the fence is a Silver Grey Dorking, on the other side are my Dorking x Red Ranger crosses. They have the same father and same hatch date. In this picture they are 3 days short of 12 weeks old. The Dorking is a confirmed male and the 2 Hybrids of mine are are highly likely male.

A better look at my Naked Neck/Red Ranger at 4.5 weeks next to a Cornish X at 3.5 weeks. They were supposed to be the same age but the Hatchery had to send my order a week later. The Cornish is a Female and I have no idea the gender of the Naked Neck/Red Ranger.

 

[BlueBaby]

I was able to get better pictures. View attachment 1701715
on one side of the fence is a Silver Grey Dorking, on the other side are my Dorking x Red Ranger crosses. They have the same father and same hatch date. In this picture they are 3 days short of 12 weeks old. The Dorking is a confirmed male and the 2 Hybrids of mine are are highly likely male.

View attachment 1701713
A better look at my Naked Neck/Red Ranger at 4.5 weeks next to a Cornish X at 3.5 weeks. They were supposed to be the same age but the Hatchery had to send my order a week later. The Cornish is a Female and I have no idea the gender of the Naked Neck/Red Ranger.

Your NN/RR seem's to be a pullet. The male's usually have a bigger and darker reddish comb by 12 week's. Also you would see more wattle growth.

 

[Compost King]

Your NN/RR seem's to be a pullet. The male's usually have a bigger and darker reddish comb by 12 week's. Also you would see more wattle growth.

The NN/RR is on 4.5 weeks old in that photo.. 5 weeks in the next couple of days now. I would like it to be a female since I selected that chick to be the Cornish X buddy bird. I had 2 of them so it would be a trio of buddy birds but one NN/RR died shortly after moving them out of the main large brooder. I had to separate the Cornish X due to feed rationing and lower protein feed to keep her from getting too large. Tonight since isn't warming up I moved them into the little mobile coop that gets moved around to where I start the next compost pile. I like to have young meat birds near compost piles so as I restrict feed they have something to dig through to find bugs/worms/wild seeds.
If the NN/RR ends up being male the CX may lose its last buddy bird

 

[BlueBaby]

The NN/RR is on 4.5 weeks old in that photo.. 5 weeks in the next couple of days now. I would like it to be a female since I selected that chick to be the Cornish X buddy bird. I had 2 of them so it would be a trio of buddy birds but one NN/RR died shortly after moving them out of the main large brooder. I had to separate the Cornish X due to feed rationing and lower protein feed to keep her from getting too large. Tonight since isn't warming up I moved them into the little mobile coop that gets moved around to where I start the next compost pile. I like to have young meat birds near compost piles so as I restrict feed they have something to dig through to find bugs/worms/wild seeds.
If the NN/RR ends up being male the CX may lose its last buddy bird

Keep us updated on it. Can you post another picture of that NN/RR chick where the picture is more clear and closer? That way I'll be able to tell you better what it's sex is.

I'm in the middle of a hatch myself here, but mine are silkies, and some from my flock of NN's.

 

[Compost King]

I took about 50 pictures, half of them were of my finger because smart phone cameras are not that great. Many were out of focus or far away since I can't find zoom on the phone camera. He or she did not like me getting close but can you blame him/her? I am some monster looking giant and it's spent its entire life in some sort of brooder until last night. First day of freedom for these 2 birds. I have to go back outside they only have 10 more minutes of feeding before I measure how much they ate. The Cornish X needs her feed rationed.

 

[BlueBaby]

It's still looking pullet to me, although I couldn't get a clear look at where the saddle feather's would be at. If they are looking more rounded on the end of the feather's, it's a pullet. If they are more pointed at the tips, then a cockerel. Also look for that cushion padding of feather's right on the back before the tail that helps the girls in breeding.