Rhode island red genetics

[Chic Rustler]

It seems that you just cant go wrong crossing a RIR rooster with any hen from what i have read lately. Is the hype true? Will it really up egg production over a standard breed hen?


Today i was offered a rir roo and jumped all over it in hopes of better genetics in my flock. What i have is 7 gold or red sexlinks (i cant tell the difference by looking) 2 buff orpington rir cross, a black austrolarp, 4 rir chicks, 5 barred rock chicks, and 7 mixed chics from my flock. If im not wrong, i should get some good egg production birds here. Maybe some black sex links, rir, and some 3/4 rir chickens. Is there any downside? If i had a couple rhode island whites or silver laced whatevers id really be in business!

 

[donrae]

Sounds like you're off to a great start.

The biggest downside I hear about hatchery Red roosters is they tend to be aggressive. I've not had one myself, so can't speak from personal experience. That's just been the tales told on this site over the years.

But production wise, they should be great. And meaty enough you can actually eat the cockerels, if you're so inclined. years ago I wanted to boost egg production and used a brown Leghorn rooster. Well, I got tons of eggs, for sure, but tiny little cockerels

 

[eggbert420]

I had two RIR roosters from Ideal poultry one would eat out of your hand. The other one would attack you every time you go outside. He was turned into dumplings.

 

[Chic Rustler]

Sounds like you're off to a great start. 

The biggest downside I hear about hatchery Red roosters is they tend to be aggressive. I've not had one myself, so can't speak from personal experience. That's just been the tales told on this site over the years. 

But production wise, they should be great. And meaty enough you can actually eat the cockerels, if you're so inclined. years ago I wanted to boost egg production and used a brown Leghorn rooster. Well, I got tons of eggs, for sure, but tiny little cockerels :/

I've often wondered what the production of a RIR x White leghorn would be.

 

[donrae]

I thought that's what some of the Leghorn hybrids were, like the Amber links? or Tetra tints, things like that. I think most of your white feathered, brown egg laying hybrids are going to be some type of Leghorn x Red something.