Crossing my Red Ranger Hens.

[igorsMistress]

All of my chickens are barnyard mixes. I think about the issues other pedigreed animals have and would rather have my mutts. Better gene pool in the long run.

 

[igorsMistress]

The Dorking/RR mix pair that hatched in August. 10 weeks tomorrow, I'm going to weigh them this evening.

 

[Compost King]

View attachment 1950684

The Dorking/RR mix pair that hatched in August. 10 weeks tomorrow, I'm going to weigh them this evening.

those are the best 2 examples of Silver Grey Dorkings I have seen and I hatched out about 30 of those eggs. You hit the lottery if you were going for Silver Grey Dorkings. Now if they have no recessive 4 toes under them you pretty much have Silver Grey Dorkings with one slight difference. Yours mature much much faster.

 

[igorsMistress]

those are the best 2 examples of Silver Grey Dorkings I have seen and I hatched out about 30 of those eggs. You hit the lottery if you were going for Silver Grey Dorkings. Now if they have no recessive 4 toes under them you pretty much have Silver Grey Dorkings with one slight difference. Yours mature much much faster.

They are beautiful aren't they? I was quite blessed I must say.

Here is a pic of most of the last hatch. It amazes me that the chicks I hatched from your eggs are feathering out faster than the Turken mix chicks that are 4 days older.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It amazes me that the chicks I hatched from your eggs are feathering out faster than the Turken mix chicks that are 4 days older.

The rate they feather out is mostly controlled by genetics. There are fast-feathering and slow-feathering genes. If they eat a high protein feed or are exposed to cooler conditions they will feather out faster but I'm guessing neither is in play with what you are seeing. It's just genetics.

 

[igorsMistress]

The rate they feather out is mostly controlled by genetics. There are fast-feathering and slow-feathering genes. If they eat a high protein feed or are exposed to cooler conditions they will feather out faster but I'm guessing neither is in play with what you are seeing. It's just genetics.

I have a slow feathering Turken in my flock that ran around with a bare bottom for a while lol. I noticed it with these because I didn't see this with the first 2 I hatched.

 

[Compost King]

It amazes me that the chicks I hatched from your eggs are feathering out faster than the Turken mix chicks that are 4 days older.

Its the Red Ranger genetics, most of those chicks are half Red Ranger with the Red Ranger genes coming down from both parents. The NN's are 1/4 Red Ranger coming from just one parent. The Red Rangers feather out rapidly. The NN2's are ... I don't feel like doing math right now but half red ranger from one side of the family and 1/4 on the other... maybe those are 3/8ths Red Rangers... I hate fractions sometimes...

 

[Compost King]

The Housing Market is showing signs that I need to sell now or soon, I might be selling off all my chickens mid project. This should give me enough time to finish my Meaty Naked Neck Project.

 

[BlueBaby]

The Housing Market is showing signs that I need to sell now or soon, I might be selling off all my chickens mid project. This should give me enough time to finish my Meaty Naked Neck Project.

Are you going to take some of your meaty NN's with you when you move?

 

[Compost King]

Are you going to take some of your meaty NN's with you when you move?

I doubt it, there will be a homeless period as I shop for the ideal place to spend the rest of my life. I may stay at a bargain hotel or I may live in my van, either way I won't be able to have chickens. I do want to complete breeding my Naked Necks with my CX and get hatching eggs out to others who may want to make and improve meaty Naked necks. Hopefully I can get hatching eggs back from someone after I get a new place to settle.