This Rooster Ilustrates Why It's Difficult to Judge Mixes

[speckledhen]

Hector's mother, Meg, the RIR x Buff Orpington.

 

[JedJackson]

I thought so, too. The hens looked like blue or black Brahmas with sometimes a little ticking in the chest area. The roosters were giants and I'm told, very sweet, which doesn't surprise me. Suede was a big teddy bear of a rooster. Sure miss him. I would make that cross with my current Blue Partridge rooster if I had any Orpington hens left. My last Blue Orp hen died a couple of months ago, but she was almost 10 and had not laid an egg since Suede died.
Anyway, it's certainly easier when there are just two breeds involved. Suede had a huge flaming red RIR/Buff Orpington cross hen that came from some Orpington exhibition stock. She was probably 12 lbs by herself, big old gal. None of my Brahma hens have hit her size yet. This was their son, Hector, who was taken right off the front porch of my friend's house in KY by what we think was a bobcat. I named one of my BR roosters after him. He was always bringing up the rear of the flock at roost time as 2nd in command to her Blue Orpington so was the most vulnerable, I guess. But he was 12 lbs and not a feather was left anywhere. Funny how you can actually see a resemblance to his sire-they have the same head, just in different colors.
View attachment 1189833 View attachment 1189834

That's a handsome rooster, too. It's strange how the red color seems to win out against most colors.

Too bad about him being taken. He sounds like a good bird.

 

[JedJackson]

Hector's mother, Meg, the RIR x Buff Orpington.

View attachment 1189836
View attachment 1189837 View attachment 1189836

She is huge. Wow. The biggest I have now are Silver-grey Dorkings but they're not even close to being that big.

 

[speckledhen]

That's a handsome rooster, too. It's strange how the red color seems to win out against most colors.

Too bad about him being taken. He sounds like a good bird.

Yes, he was. Not to get too off course, but he was taken so silently, with none of her other roosters, not even the hyper-alert little Belgian D'Anvers, sounding an alarm, right off her front porch. She searched and searched her entire 5 acres, though the pasture into the wood line, never found even one single red feather. She even thought maybe someone actually stole him (that had actually happened twice, no, three times, to her, someone stealing her birds), it was so unbelievable to us both, that something could pluck that very experienced rooster without even him making a sound, and carry that heavy boy off like it did, so I felt a bobcat would be the most likely culprit. He, along with her Orpington rooster, had fought with foxes, coyotes, wandering dogs, etc, and were never severely injured so he had a lot of predator experience. So sad. She looked for clues for weeks and never found even one. But, he was such a handsome rooster. Meg and Suede, plus Suede and Caroline, had some great progeny.

I did another cross later, put my Porcelain Belgian D'anver over my lavender bantam Cochin hen. We called him Coch'Anvers. Porcelain is just mille fleur with the addition of the lavender gene, if you're not familiar. The chicks were either lavender or black, with rose combs and usually feathered legs, tended to the Cochin body type. Beautiful cross.

 

[JedJackson]

Yes, he was. Not to get too off course, but he was taken so silently, with none of her other roosters, not even the hyper-alert little Belgian D'Anvers, sounding an alarm, right off her front porch. She searched and searched her entire 5 acres, though the pasture into the wood line, never found even one single red feather. She even thought maybe someone actually stole him (that had actually happened twice, no, three times, to her, someone stealing her birds), it was so unbelievable to us both, that something could pluck that very experienced rooster without even him making a sound, and carry that heavy boy off like it did, so I felt a bobcat would be the most likely culprit. He, along with her Orpington rooster, had fought with foxes, coyotes, wandering dogs, etc, and were never severely injured so he had a lot of predator experience. So sad. She looked for clues for weeks and never found even one. But, he was such a handsome rooster. Meg and Suede, plus Suede and Caroline, had some great progeny.

I did another cross later, put my Porcelain Belgian D'anver over my lavender bantam Cochin hen. We called him Coch'Anvers. Porcelain is just mille fleur with the addition of the lavender gene, if you're not familiar. The chicks were either lavender or black, with rose combs and usually feathered legs, tended to the Cochin body type. Beautiful cross.

I had some Porcelain D'Uccles many years ago when I first did 4-H. They are beautiful with the lavender blue markings on the yellow background. Nowadays the ones I see look kind of washed out in color, so I haven't been tempted to get more. Cochin bantams are among the sweetest. I had those too back then but never thought of crossing them.

I am not sure what could take a huge rooster like that with no sound or feathers on the ground, but a bobcat seems like a strong possibility. A coyote would struggle with an animal that size and a dog would make a mess. I'm sad to hear a human could be responsible-- thank goodness I've never had to deal with that sort of thing.

 

[speckledhen]

My porcelain rooster, who is aging fast, going on 7 yrs old. And his "Coch'Anver" daughters. He's the dumbest rooster on the planet, I have to say; good thing he's handsome These were fierce broodies, this cross.

 

[JedJackson]

Cute! I love the Belgian and booted bantam roosters. They're just funny, full of strut, and they think they're as big as Brahmas. Real characters.