RIR Crossed with a CC Marans

[lotzahenz]

I was hoping to get some nice laying hens by crossing a Huge, Mahogany RIR with several nice CC Marans hens, that would be easy to sex at hatch.

Does anyone have any experience with the particular cross? What results did you get?

I think I have learned this:

The prolific laying ability comes from the ROO, handed down from his mom.
The dark red Roo over a cuckoo hen creates sex-links (black pullets)
The egg color will be somwhere between the Roo and the hen's color of egg.
The comb should be straight if both start out straight (RIR's)
They should be friendly, as RIR's seem to be docile and Marans are also quite and easy going.


I want a nice, calm, big bird that lays a dark brown egg, (not a 7 or 8 on marans scale, maybe a 4). This would be an easy project as far as keeping only hens and a few Roo's if they were sex-linked. Any thoughts at all on this cross and what it might produce? This will be my son's FFA project this coming fall. He must do one on livestock or plants. I vote chickens of course!

Thanks, HenZ

 

[Mahonri]

Sounds like fun and like you've also done your homework.

Keep us posted and get us pics!!!

 

[stuckinthecity]

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://uphilldowndale.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/bluebell-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://uphilldowndale.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/thou-shall-not-covert/&usg=__eeBusj8Tk9GokKDklZU-z7Aj_Uo=&h=480&w=467&sz=88&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=Tkbs-eOWhDXEHM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=126&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbluebell%2Bchicken%2Bbreed%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2GPEA_en%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

This is a Maran/RIR cross. Im not sure which one ism the mom/dad though

 

[lotzahenz]

OMG, that is a beautiful chicken! You must find out which Marans they used? Do you think it was a Blue marans. I'll have to go back to the gentics web site and punch in colors again. Is this chicken a specific breed? Or just a random cross. Gosh, that would be an awesome bird if she lays 6 eggs a week!! Can you imagine, but the blue would never breed true would it? Ahhh, thoughts.

 

[Goose and Fig]

They look like blue Orps, was it really a cross that made the blue ones? The sex-link in one of the picts looks more likely the result of RIRxMaran.

 

[lotzahenz]

It does look like a Blue Orp, with the lacing. I have been looking up "Bluebells" and they don't look quite that pretty. It is a cross of some type of Marans and a RIR. Wish I could find some definite info on them. They are nice. What I did read sounds like they lay a biege colored egg though, and only seem to be available in the UK. There would be no way to breed them true and still have them sex-linked. HUm.

 

[stuckinthecity]

No, I promise its a Cuckoo Maran Rooster crossed with a RIR hen.
But yes very pretty
Its a sex link used in the UK

 

[stuckinthecity]

Quote:
sorry I didnt read your last post

 

[stuckinthecity]

Sorry for posting so many times!
But pretty much the color could be described as lemon blue. Some of the hens don't show the lemon in their neck very well at all though