Red Star or Comet?

[ESofVA]

What are the physical differences between Comets and Red Stars?
TY
Deb

 

[AccentOnHakes]

Nothing. They're the same thing.

 

[Pele]

Red Stars, Gold Comets, Cinnamon Queens, etc are all the same thing. A hybrid cross between a red breed of rooster (Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire Red, etc), and a white breed of hen (such as a White Rock).

The result is a one-time hybrid that has high egg production, and is sexable by color at birth (females are cramel colored, males are light yellow). They are not a breed, and you cannot use them for another generation of color-sexable chicks. You must start over with the original breed cross all over again each time you want this hybrid.

 

[ESofVA]

Thanks! I have heard of "Comet chickens" for many years but have never heard of a Red Star. I have since read about both, but did not see that a Comet was the same thing. I haven't had chickens in forever until a month ago. The ones I had before were Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Reds.
Now I have quite a variety and must select the ones I want to keep through the winter...about 8. I currently have 29. I remember most of the breeds I bought but not all and cannot identify many of the chicks. I am hoping to figure it out!
Thanks,
Deb

 

[Fred's Hens]

They are both Red Sex Links. There are a dozen of these specialty "mixes" and every hatchery has at least one these hybrids, although they have many, many cute names that the various hatcheries make up. I've had a number of these mixes and no, they aren't identical. There are far too many blends. Similar? yes. Very similar.

 

[ESofVA]

OK..I completely understand that.
Another question please..
Difference between Plymouth Rocks and Barred Rocks?
I hope you don't mind my questions but I have rather exhausted my online and personal book resources.
I am trying to learn.
Deb

 

[Ridgerunner]

No real difference. There are many different recognized colors and patterns of Rocks, Barred Rock being only one of them. There is no "breed police" running around issuing fines and summons to people that use different terms for the same thing, much like those red sex links, and there is no "definition police" running around either.

By common usage for many of us, Plymouth Rock and Barred Rock are the same thing. But since the term is not clearly, officially, legally defined with penalties for misuse, you can find people that use the term Plymouth Rock for any Rock. For example, look at Henderson's Breed Chart.

 

[ESofVA]

I know that breeding a barred rock hen to a rhode island red rooster produces a sex-link offspring. Is this also true for breeding barred rock roosters to other breeds?
Is there a simple chart of genetics for chickens? I can work out the % colors of offspring if I knew what genes controlled what, which is dominant and which recessive.What is sex-linked and what genes blend.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Try reading the first post in this thread. That just talks about sex links.

Tadkerson’s Sex Link Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261208

If you wish, you can try reading through this. I'm afraid chicken genetics is not simple. You have dominant and recessive genes, but you also have incomplete dominance and partial dominance. You have some that you won't see at all unless something else is either present or missing. You have diluters and melanizers. It gets complicated pretty fast.

Genetics explanation
http://sellers.kippenjungle.nl