Hatchery Choice

[ggrap]

Any one know what breed is on either side of the Easter Egger in this picture?

Thanks, Gina

 

[ggrap]

Anyone?

 

[Michael OShay]

They are both Production Reds.

 

[BantamLover21]

They're Production Reds or hatchery New Hampshires.

 

[Blackberry18]

They are both Production Reds.

They're Production Reds or hatchery New Hampshires.

I agree on both. Probably hatchery New Hampshires sold as Production Reds.

 

[ggrap]

Why did they look like chipmunks when they were babies?

 

[popsicle]

Why did they look like chipmunks when they were babies?

I've had several Cherry Eggers (basically production reds) that have started out chipmunky and end up looking like ugly New Hampshires (at least ugly next to the German New Hampshires).

ETA: I even found a picture of one! You can juuusst see the chipmunk stripes, but she grew into a production red looking bird:

 

[Blackberry18]

Why did they look like chipmunks when they were babies?

Production Reds can be hybrids of any brown-egg laying, dual-purpose, red-feathered breed (hatchery New Hampshires, hatchery Rhode Island Reds, Red Sex-Links, etc). A unique combination of genes could contribute to chipmunk-patterned chicks.

 

[Michael OShay]

Why did they look like chipmunks when they were babies?

Because Production Reds typically contain a mix of red gene breeds (RIR, NH, PR) and sometimes even a little Leghorn in their background to boost egg production, they sometimes have a chipmunk looking stripe on their backs when they hatch from the eggs.

 

[ggrap]

Ok that makes sense.