Red star?

[mango1612]

I *finally* caught my mom looking at chicken breeds online--I've been trying to convince her to get a couple of hens for a while now. (I can't have them at my place!) She's trying to line up a guy to build her a fantastic coop (she says if she's going to do this, she wants an amazing coop).

She asked about red stars--I saw them on Murray McMurray, don't know anything else about them. She wants a breed that will lay, and something relatively docile. It will be a small backyard coop with 2-3 hens.

Over the years, we had chickens on the farm on and off and are familiar with some breeds. (For instance, we ruled out many bantam breeds for her!) Is this a cross-bred, would something like a RIR be similar? The barred rocks I can get from a family member raising them.

 

[skennedy]

Quote:
They are a Red Sexlink chicken that is used in egg production. They are very prolific layers. Rhode Island Reds would be considered a dual purpose bird, good layer and good eating too.

 

[greyfields]

The Red Star is a "Red Sex Link" and will outperform any purebred chicken you keep. The only issue is they are hybrids, so you cannot rebreed them and get Red Stars again. So you then have to look at replacing them when they slow down laying, which can be anywhere from 3 - 10 years.

If you want to perpetuate your flock, then you'll need to a purebreed and a rooster. It's hard to criticize Rhode Island Reds or Plymouth Rocks. Very solid choices to get started with.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I have some Black Stars on order simply because they are good layers of the brown eggs. I have many breeds on order but wanted something that I know would consistently lay a regular egg and not have to worry over being broody. Others I have ordered will go broody and then I would be out some good eggs for a long while.

 

[Feather Dust]

My Red Star hen was the best I have Ever had!! She laid the biggest brown egss I have ever seen! Every day in the same place at the same time! Very loving too. I can't wait to get another! I just lost her do to a hungry hawk.

 

[equine chick]

You will love the red stars. They are a very sweet chicken and give lots of great eggs.

 

[meriruka]

Red Stars ROCK!

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

I have a few red star 10 week old chicks and they are so funny. I am told that they are a very good layer but unless my mom buys some at my 4h fair I'll never know (I sell them at the fair).