He may in fact be a Production Red, but given the light chestnut color and the profuse black tail feathers. I felt like it was appropriate to call him a New Hampshire (hatchery grade). Technically speaking there is little difference between hatchery grade New Hampshires, hatchery grade Rhode Island Reds, and Production Reds. It really comes down to a matter of semantics. If they are a light chestnut color with profuse black tail feathers like your bird, I would label them a hatchery grade New Hampshire and hatcheries would likely market them as New Hampshires. If they tend toward the darker red end (closer to mahogany) with profuse black tail feathers, I would label them a hatchery grade Rhode Island Red and hatcheries would likely market them as Rhode Island Reds. If the red color is centered between chestnut and mahogany, or if it is a very non-uniform red, or if they have any feathers in them that are not red or black (no matter how few), or if there are little or no black feathers in the tail, I would label them a Production Red and hatcheries would likely market them as Production Reds. And sometimes the line between Production Reds and hatchery grade NHs or hatchery grade RIRs is basically non-existent and really is a matter of semantics. Either way, as I said in my post, your rooster is a beautiful bird.
