RIR Chicks - colors?

[Cyprus]

The rooster is a Production Red, and the hens look to be Rhode Island Reds.

Agreed

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Agreed

X2

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Agreed

I also agree.

 

[FluffTheDuck]

I also agree.

I fourth that.

 

[ColtHandorf]

The birds in question are certainly not show or breeder quality Rhode Island Reds. It is possible the hens could be "production reds". Red Sex-link hens generally have lighter hackles. The rooster might be a New Hampshire Red? He is certainly lighter in color than a Rhode Island Red should be. Red Sex-link males are generally much lighter, almost a Pyle-like pattern but not.

I'm not sure that we can narrow it down much more than that due to the amount of red production/laying birds that the large hatcheries have developed. Can you post pictures of the chicks?

@nicalandia might be able to pinpoint the genetics behind the down color you're getting in the chicks and from there further narrow down the parent's breeding.

 

[nicalandia]

@nicalandia might be able to pinpoint the genetics behind the down color you're getting in the chicks and from there further narrow down the parent's breeding.

I've been summoned here

The birds in the pic do look like production type RIR, the hens are dark enough not to be confused with standard New Hampshire(they are even lighter) pictures of the chick down will help alot, we have some reports that some lines of RIR are based on the eb e allele instead of the usual wheaten allele

 

[nicalandia]

I have a Friend that is actually working on Wildtype based RIR, this was extended from his Rhodebar improvement program(Rhodebars vs RIR), here some pics

The theory behind using eb and e+ on RIR is that it helps produce darker birds

 

[Henny Chesney]

First chick on the left is what half of ours look like.

 

[Henny Chesney]

These are the two different colors we are getting from the same hens/roo posted earlier.

 

[nicalandia]

Yes, that's e+ right there.! I can confirm that e+/eWh may look very much wild type(confirmation from the Rb x RIR breeding program) so only one parent is required to have e+!

How it got there? That is a mystery