Earliest Layed Egg Contest - *No Prize* - Ends 8/22/20

[U_Stormcrow]

BYC is all about helping one another out, just happy to give back for a change

 

[Newyorkrita]

My Rainbows started laying around 20-21 weeks, the eggs are large and more round than oval, brown (but not deep, rich, or dark brown) in color.

The birds themselves, contra claims on Hoover's websites, are not multicolored. They look like they came off a photocopier as either Orps with lots of RIR in their ancestry, or RIR with some Orp in their ancestry. Rainbows at left, with the dark tails, and just a bit of black markings at the neck. Dark Brahma center, pekin ducks back right, golden comets at right foreground (recognize them by the white in the neck and tails). Some of the Rainbows lean more buff and have less black leakage, almost no black in the tails, others are the darker red with the more pronounced black tails, about 50/50 split.

View attachment 2534094

and for egg reference?

View attachment 2534107

Hope that helps!

So I was looking at the picture again and it is sometimes difficult to tell in pictures but the Rainbows don't look much bigger than the Golden Comets. Maybe a little.

I was thinking about the Rainbows last night and again how disapointing it is that they are not multi-colored like Hoovers claims. Very, very disappointing.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So I was looking at the picture again and it is sometimes difficult to tell in pictures but the Rainbows don't look much bigger than the Golden Comets. Maybe a little.

I was thinking about the Rainbows last night and again how disapointing it is that they are not multi-colored like Hoovers claims. Very, very disappointing.

Consider the age at the time of this photo.

For the longest time, my rainbows were 5# and laying, while my comets were maybe 3.5# and also laying, the difference was very evident then, like seeing my 6 mo old SLWs next to my 9 mo old DBs. Only in the last few months has the size differential become less evident. My Rainbows are now 5.5-5.7#, slightly heavier than I anticipated - but my Comets are now 5#, which is MUCH heavier than I expected - expected they'd cap out near 4 or maybe 4.5#.

I do feed higher protein than most, and they free range all day, which may account for some of it. Also, I got my rainbows all at once, as part of a single batch of 12 originally - so my flock is "anecdote, not data" - its possible that if I'd bought more, or spread the purchases over a few months, I'd have seen a broader range of coloration.

Or, TSC might have mislabled them - wouldn't be the first time. But they do look like at least some of the Rainbows HH has pictured, and they clearly aren't a pure breed, though I had initially mistaken them for NHRs.

 

[Newyorkrita]

Thanks!! Good information.

I don't know why I am so upsesed over the color of the birds.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I try to help, and I do understand, I've a breeding project of my own starting, pattern and color being some of the desired end traits. No need to explain.