What is the difference?

[can you hear me now?]

what is the difference from a RIR to a production red and a cherry egger? I have RIR that looks almost identical to a cherry egger that i saw in a picture last night and I am not sure that they even look to be different breeds. Not trying to be sleptical but it is more of a curiosity than anything.

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

RIR are a breed. In other words when you cross a RIR cock to a RIR hen they will have RIR chicks. Production Reds and Cherry Eggers are production crosses bred for eggs. If you cross a cock of either 1 to a hen of the same they will not breed true. Hope this helps.

 

[speckledhen]

Hatchery RIRs will often be as light colored and orangey as production reds. They breed for egg production, not color. A good RIR will be much darker and there would be no confusion then. Here is my RIR pullet I used to own to show what a RIR should look like-not your typical production red color, is it?

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

Thats what my RIRs look like and the red star pullets are a much lighter color.