Do production reds "burn out" faster than RIR??

[Tutter]

I was afraid that might be the case. Ah well, 5 out of 27....it could be worse. Thank you for the answer.

 

[opihiman911]

Thanks everyone for the replies that just confirmed what I suspected, productions strains do end their prolific laying early on.
One thing I'm a little confused on is sex linked chickens. People are saying that red stars and golden comet sex links will have this early burn out. Why is it that the cross breeds burn out early? I thought these were just crosses of RIR, barred rock, hampshire reds, rhode whites. Why would a cross of these that make a sex link trait be any different from a cross of your average barnyard mix? I thought barnyard crosses, i.e. mutts, were actually supposed to be stronger healthier better laying hens than your purebred. Aren't sex links really just mutts that you can tell a hen from a roo?
If that is true I might have to rethink my plan of making black sex links with my RIR and BR. My barnyard mutts and laying great but it only been a little over a year with them and my first time breeding them and I just let nature do its thing.
Should I just let nature go and get a general mix of everything and have a bunch of mutts, put my RIR and BR together for black sex links or keep my couple purebreeds together to keep the purebred?
Hmmm..... I think I need to go and cross post this on the breeders forum too.
Thanks for all the info.

Cory

 

[ella]

I think it may be because the sex links you buy from a hatchery are from specialized production strains of the breeds you mentioned. Not your avarage barnyard RIR/BR etc...

 

[kstaven]

It is a combination of breeding for production and hybrid vigor.

 

[greyfields]

The earlier in life a chicken begins laying, the quicker they tend to slow down. As hybrids, they grow more quickly than a purebreed and come into lay sooner. This takes its toll in the long run. At least that's my understanding. If properly raised, I don't think they would burn-out more quickly. Then again, we don't know the selective breeding which has gone into their parent strains.

If over selected for a large number of eggs early on, then your own backyard sex linked matings should be more prolifice than any purebreed.

 

[Princessferf]

Great topic! My husband and I did a lot of reading before we got our first chickens and had planned on getting RIRs. Since our local grainery offered day old chicks from a local hatchery, we decided to use them.

When I ordered our chicks, I indicated that I wanted RIRs. The woman said "oh, we don't have those exactly, but the Production Reds are basically the same thing" So that's what we went with.

My "ladies" started laying around 5 months old and have been wonderful. They're laid back in temperament and lay quite well (we get around 8 to 9 eggs each day from 11 birds).

So I refer to my birds as RIRs since I figured they were basically the same thing. Now after reading this... its clearly not so. (not that I will appreciate them any differently)

I don't plan on culling them once their production falls (they will be one year old next month) but its very good to know that I won't be getting the same number of eggs in a few years.

Thanks!

 

[greyfields]

I think the Production Reds will grow on you. There is nothing 'wrong' with them, except being hybrids they don't 'breed true'.

In worst case, I get $10-13 per hen at auction. You could always sell them at 18 months or so and start over with RIR's.

 

[Princessferf]

I really enjoy the chickens we have. They dealt with our horrible winter very well, just a bunch of troopers!

They'll live here until their days are done.

 

[ella]

Yeah the Sex links make up for any lack of laying in their later years with the sweetest temperments.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I just realized there was a really good side to this. Yes, it's bad for us backyard keepers who make pets out of our feathered friends, but how many more people are going to buy the productions after their first experience with an early burnout.

That's the biggest issue with why so many heritage breeds are endangered, they are outdone in certain areas by the production breeds. I can use this topic of "early burnout" to further those breeds are endangered because people think they aren't as worth keeping.

Just thought I would share the idea, since most people here are dissapointed that those egglaying machines are due to burnout soon. I know I am because the only hens I have in my laying flock are sex-link. D'oh!

-Kim