Crossing my Red Ranger Hens.

[BlueBaby]

I can show you the pattern's that I ended up with in the White Breese males. I got them locally as hatching egg's, from a person who had gotten their flock from another person that didn't want to do them anymore.

The patterned one as a chick and then 3 as cockerels about 5 month's old:



That chick was that colored cockerel. The feather's had a pattern in them along with looking white and black. They were supposed to be pure White Breese. Notice also the difference in the shape of the comb's.

 

[Compost King]

bottom middle are my 2 Red Ranger eggs I collected today with a sample of the other eggs collected today.

My next hatch after the incubator is clean... you can see how I need to stagger the Red Ranger Eggs.

 

[BlueBaby]

I love big egg's!

 

[BlueBaby]

Are those big RR egg's there the one's from your NN roo over them?

 

[Kris5902]

View attachment 1745764
bottom middle are my 2 Red Ranger eggs I collected today with a sample of the other eggs collected today.

My next hatch after the incubator is clean... you can see how I need to stagger the Red Ranger Eggs. View attachment 1746164

Are their eggs normally much larger like that? Or is that a trait you’re breeding for? What are the other eggs from for comparison?

 

[BlueBaby]

@CompostKing Hand over those RR egg's. I need big egg's!

 

[Compost King]

Are their eggs normally much larger like that? Or is that a trait you’re breeding for? What are the other eggs from for comparison?

I didn't breed for larger eggs, if I did I wouldn't use a meat bird because larger eggs coming from a bird with a large appetite isn't going to be helpful to a bottom line. I would rather breed for a smaller bird that eats less then go for egg production after that. Although on 2nd thought maybe a larger egg could mean the chicks get a head start on growth...I have to put some thought into that.
The eggs that I am alternating the Red Rangers Eggs with are the daughters of the Red Rangers. The other 4 rows of eggs are Ayam Cemani eggs which happens to be the breed I bred with the Red Rangers to make the daughters who laid the alternating eggs. It doesn't look like the Red Rangers egg size strongly influences the size of the offspring but as other crossings start laying I will see if it might.

------- Sunday Weigh in, week 18 -------

Although I had planned to dress out a bird and eat it today I had a hatch I had to deal with as well as other chicken issues so I put it off for Monday or later this week, however I did weigh the largest of the Silver Grey Dorking X RR cross on the day I projected them to mature. 6.0 pounds. I honestly believe with this crossing unlike the Cemanis X Red Ranger They should dress out sooner. Although they are putting on weight they are also eating a lot.

closer to 9 weeks old than 8 weeks I weighed the Cornish X out of curiosity. Her feed is rationed so she shouldn't be too heavy. Many Cornish X by this age can not walk without flapping their wings to support their weight and she sprints to me when she sees me enter the pen (because I bring her rationed feed) She weighed in at 5.9 pounds. While quite large for a bird her age she is smaller than previous Cornish X I had at her age. In all actuality all but one Cornish X I have had before were dressed out before week 8, they were much heavier but as I carried her to weighing station she felt very meaty. She climbs the Compost pile like its nothing even sprinting up it and back down it today when I brought her rationed meal. Her buddy just slowly walked around it. This girl is in great shape and does forage for food most of the day although I wouldn't consider her a world class forager. She is the only CX I have ever had that even considered foraging though. I also noticed that her feathers look nice and she is very clean which I have never seen in a CX. I was concerned she would get ratty looking with the 15% low protein feed I give her.

Also on Rationed feed, not because she needs to be but because the CX needs a buddy, is my oldest Naked Neck X Red Ranger. She is one day shy of being 10 weeks old. I am not going to weigh her because she is on rationed feed and the results are skewed because of it. She forages really well and doesn't always come when I bring rationed feed to the 2 girls. She eventually shows up before it runs out after I have left. I believe she prefers to forage especially with a mountain sized compost pile in the pen I keep them in.

I also have Red Ranger Naked Necks that are about 3 weeks old who were taken out of the brooder today because they were getting aggressive and keeping other chicks from getting to the water. I have a pen with half Naked Necks (not crossed with the Red Rangers) who are about 6 or 7 weeks old that were run out of the Juvenile Bird coop by more aggressive birds. So the younger more aggressive half Naked Necks are mingling with the older formerly bullied half Naked Necks and so far they get along fine. We shall see how that works out.

 

[Molpet]

Thanks for the update

 

[Chickenheadmate]

Any juicy carcass pics from this Easter weekend?

 

[Compost King]

Any juicy carcass pics from this Easter weekend?

I found myself overwhelmed with a hatch that completed on Easter with some complications, I wanted to dress one out today but between cleaning the incubator and moving Older chicks from a brooder to a Juvenile bird coop as well as basic work that needed to be done I put it off for tomorrow. Provided not problems come up tomorrow I should be dressing out Silver Grey Dorking X Red Ranger. It will end up being a full day even from Beheading to dinner plate. Hopefully I get faster at doing this as I dress out more birds.