What are the "assorted red pullets" at tractor supply?

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Jdc361 said:
Well I have heard that new hampshires are not the best layers because they have been bred more for meat production. Is that true?
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That's true if you're talking about pure, APA quality New Hampshires, but I can guarantee you that the New Hampshires in the TSC bin are anything but pure, APA quality. Even if the hatchery they came from markets them as "New Hampshires", they are for all practical purposes "Production Reds", which means that they won't be as good a meat bird as a pure New Hampshire, but they will lay plenty of large, brown eggs.
 
Jdc361 said:
Well I have heard that new hampshires are not the best layers because they have been bred more for meat production. Is that true?
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Breed does NOT determine the laying, per se. The specific strain determines the laying. What did/does the breeder (in the case of breeder birds) or the hatchery (in the case of hatchery stock) breed toward?

I know of ribbon winning New Hamps that do not lay a lick. I also know of ribbon winning Hamps that lay up a storm. Overly generalizing statements is the fodder of internet chat threads but rarely reflect the reality on the ground.
 
Ok that's good to know... Are there anything bad about these hybrids? Experiences?
 
Michael OShay said:
That's true if you're talking about pure, APA quality New Hampshires, but I can guarantee you that the New Hampshires in the TSC bin are anything but pure, APA quality. Even if the hatchery they came from markets them as "New Hampshires", they are for all practical purposes "Production Reds", which means that they won't be as good a meat bird as a pure New Hampshire, but they will lay plenty of large, brown eggs.
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I agree with this. But with this caveat. There are indeed fantastic, egg laying strains among the Standard bred Hamps. You simply must know the intention of the breeder involved.
 
Jdc361 said:
Ok that's good to know... Are there anything bad about these hybrids? Experiences?
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I loved them when I had an egg business. The various red sex links I had were prolific as were the production red types. But since there are dozens of hatcheries I hesitate to anoint each and every one with the laurels of excellence.

For certain, a number of these fast and heavy layers seem to burn out in the out years. This is something one just has to expect and not be caught off guard by it. Because these are often the same birds genetically that are sold to the brown egg laying farms, in many cases, but those laying barns flip their entire flocks out at moult or certainly following the second moult so there's no incentive to breed birds that live productively for 4 or 5 years.
 
Jdc361 said:
Ok that's good to know... Are there anything bad about these hybrids? Experiences?
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I love the hybrids such as the Black and Red Sex Links. They are hardy, egg laying machines, outlaying either parent breed. It's one of the interesting quirks of hybridization. I've raised both Black and Red Sex Links for years (along with dozens of other breeds and hybrids) and they have been my best layers, consistently churning out more than 300 eggs per hen per year (even better than my Production Reds). I actually prefer the Black Sex Links slightly to the Reds as my Blacks have been friendlier and have laid slightly better in really cold winter weather, but you can't go wrong either way with the sex links.
 

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