what is a "designer" chicken?

[Freckle Face Farm]

Quote:

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

I agree with Sonoran, when they cross two breeds and call the offspring a combo of both parent breeds it is a designer chicken. Like a wyandotte x lakenvelder could be called a wyanvelder, it mght not breed true but the F1 would have the designer name with it just like the goldendoodles and labradoodles and all the other 'doodles'.

 

[Krys109uk]

IA designer chicken needs to breed true, otherwise it is just a crossbred & then what's the point of calling it anything else? To me the best known of the "designer" poultry are the "designer ducks" they are all proper breeds in that they all breed true (& in their case are recognised & have a standard to which they can conform).
A show girl or a sizzle would be a designer chicken. They were deliberately made to a certain "design" & generally breed true (as far as frizzle & other genes will allow)

 

[egggreenthumb]

For my point of view a "designer" chicken is one like the "Show Girls",
Silkie X Nacked Neck (Turken) cross, intended to looks different.
Not for meat or eggs, even broodiness, just to looks what they are:

Unique, etc...

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

So how is a showgirl or a sizzle different than an araucana, an RIR or a golden comet? Those were all developed.

 

[egggreenthumb]

Sonora Silkies, I understand what you said. I got a conclusion on that,
except the original "Jungle fowl" (which is designed by the nature). All
modern chickens are "designer" chickens, by mean of crosses, duplication of certain characteristics, etc., to fill a purpose ex: color eggs, meat, egg producers,color, shape, etc. Actually you are a silkies designer, you intent
to create new colors.

I hope in the future get some of your new creations.

Thanks.

 

[ChickenPotPie]

Looking at this from a breeder/exhibitor standpoint speaking to a buyer, to me, the term "designer"is code word for "run the other way". This is true for dogs, cats, rabbits, and I suppose birds, too.

I am new to the poultry world but I would think that serious enthusiasts would use proper terms to advertise their birds if they are in fact pure breeds and recognized by their national registration organization (or in the official process of development with a working standard).

I'm all for experimenting and developing new breeds and colors but there are those that play with it and then there are those that work on getting their hard work approved by their specie or breed registry.

I'm all for cross bred birds. We have several. They lay eggs, they do their job well. I'll happily pay for a cross bred bird if it's advertised as such but I won't pay show bird prices for one and I won't pay more money for it because that cross bred chicken is a "rare" color, mismarked, a cross, or designer animal. I've seen too many people sucker folks into paying outrageous amounts of money for what I would call a cull. You choose where you want to spend your money.

 

[Krys109uk]

So how is a showgirl or a sizzle different than an araucana, an RIR or a golden comet? Those were all developed.

The modern commercial hybrids (eg Golden Comet) are not breeds.
I's imagine the older breeds such as RIR & Araucana more evolved in a particular area than were actually deliberately made with a clear idea of the desired end product before the bird was "made".
The Showgirl & Sizzle were made with a very definite end in mind. I suppose one would also call the autosexing breeds developed by Profs Punnett & Pease designer chickens.

For comparison I can only really refer to the "designer ducks" which are well known by this description. These are the runner derived breeds such as the Campbells, Appleyards, Harlequins (which were sports from the Campbells) & various others.​

 

[My Little Sister's Farm]

All of your production breeds are "designer" breeds. Any sexlink is a designer breed. They are bred to blend charateristics of 2 breeds (or more). I think the reason they are called designer breeds is because of the posh association that goes with the title. If you want dark olive colored eggs, you breed maran and easter egger. You want frizzle feathers and a top hat, breed a polish and a frizzle. You can call it po-shizzle. I don't think anything sold to you as a designer chicken would breed true, or else they'd give it a name - like they did the Chantecler (4 breeds into 1, breeds true).

I wouldn't by "designer chicken" eggs unless you know the charateristics you want are dominant. My luck for a "po-shizzle" I'd get smooth feathered chickens with no top hats rather than puffy heads and frizzle butts. Oh and they'd pe perpetually broody AND flighty, you know all the great things about those breeds

If you found a chicken you liked that wasnt pure, buy it, it's fun, but don't expect repeat offspring.

 

[Krys109uk]

I don't think the commercial hybrids would be referred to as "designer" chickens because they don't breed true.
All the breeds I've seen referred to as designer have been proper breeds bred to be a certain way & breed true.