The Florida

[Ra_]

This is a crossbreed project inspired by the Delaware breed.
The Delaware were created from white sports that resulted from mating a Barred Rock rooster to a New Hampshire hen.
I crossed my Barred Rock roo with Dixie Rainbow, which look similar to New Hampshire but instead of 5 to 6 pounds apiece, my girls weigh 10 and 12 pounds.

I am also getting white sports in every hatch.
Now that I'm am breeding the first generation Rainbow Rock cross back to the Dixie Rainbow hens for a 75/25 mix, I am getting 50% white chicks.
Of these birds, half or more are getting their mother's caramel coloration.
The remainder are staying white and black and these are the birds who will be bred.

 

[Ra_]

Speckles is maturing.
He's got a very deep voice.

 

[Gray Farms]

Good luck with your project. Getting them to breed true is the key.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Looks like they're barred silver columbians. Probably came from the buff columbian of the Dixie rainbows and the silver gene of the barred rock.

 

[Ra_]

I found a pic of the Rainbow Rock alongside the purebred Barred Rock.

 

[Ra_]

I got a lot of white birds from the Rainbow Rock flock when I bred a roo directly back to the Dixie Rainbow hens. They were mostly roosters. I raised 10 of them and chose this bird. He did turn out to be the biggest and most imposing. He is now the only one left.

Wingman, sire of the Florida crossbreed.
His first weigh-in was this morning.
10 pounds on the nose.

 

[Ra_]

After 10 years of raising chickens, hatching 40 roos this year got me to finally kill a rooster for food. I sold most of the roos eventually but I ate three of them and I preserved two of their pelts.
The breast meat was tender and delicious breaded and fried and there was a lot of it.
The leg meat is darker but still plentiful. It tasted tough when fried but it probably needed to be cooked longer. I made it into soup and it fell off the bone. I also froze some and am going to stew it and make some mole.

 

[Ra_]

Some whites to breed true.
Some Dixie Rainbows to breed a giant.
And a black to breed some blues.

 

[Ra_]

I think that The Hulk might be a huge female, just like her Mother?

 

[Ra_]

The chicks are a week old today and they've already spent 3 nights outside.
They are a hearty breed.