I have a flock of New Hampshire Reds. Or so I thought. Lately, I have noticed that one of my Reds has a huge comb while the others are on the small side. I am thinking these can not all be Rhode Island Reds. The one on the left has a huge comb. What breed is she? The one on the right has a small comb. What breed is she?
She is the chicken who looks more New Hampshire than others.Some hatchery NH have big combs.I had one like that.Other hens are too dark and look more Production Reds to me.
Quote:There all production reds. Hens will get larger & redder combs when in higher production. Mitch
Are "production reds" the same as "red sex link"? They look similar to my Firecracker (on the right) and she is a RSL (or so I have been told....) Ginger is a NHR on the left
No, production reds and red sex links are not the same thing. Production reds are Rhode Island red and New Hampshires that have been bred by hatcheries for quantity rather than quality. Sex links are the product of pairing "red" roos with "silver" hens to produce chicks that can be sexed at hatching. If you breed a production red to a production red, you will get more production reds. If you breed a sex link to a sex link, you won't get sex linked chicks.
Quote:There are two true types of "Production Red" one is a R.I. Red bred solely for egg production and selectively bred solely from the R.I. Red. These birds tend to have some black in there tail and some ticking in there hackles. The other type of "Production Red" is a cross and the result of R.I. Red with Leghorn blood added. These birds tend to be lighter in color and may have some white in there tail. Some Hatcheries clam that there R.I. Red /New Hampshire cross is a Production Red but this cross to me is not a true Production Red. Sex-links are different here is a post on them https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261208
