White Leghorn roo with RIR hens?

[woodlandblaze]

Anyone ever tired this? You know they say "Hybrid Vigor" and a good mix is usually a more hardy bird. I was wondering if you could get an excellent brown egg layer from a leghorn and RIR. And hopefully get the better temperament and foraging of the RIR. Would they even lay brown eggs, or would they be white or tinted? I don't know the rules here about that. Any thoughts?

 

[Chris09]

Anyone ever tired this? You know they say "Hybrid Vigor" and a good mix is usually a more hardy bird. I was wondering if you could get an excellent brown egg layer from a leghorn and RIR. And hopefully get the better temperament and foraging of the RIR. Would they even lay brown eggs, or would they be white or tinted? I don't know the rules here about that. Any thoughts?

If you get/got "Rhode Island Reds" from a hatchery they already have a good amount of Leghorn in them.

Chris

 

[Bullitt]

Brown Leghorns were one of the breeds used to create Rhode Island Reds. Leghorns are good foragers and are able to fly short distances to get away from predators, so they make great free-range birds.

Some Leghorns can be noisy, but some people say that their Leghorns are calm. Leghorns are hardy chickens and can handle the heat well. The only thing is most Leghorn varieties aren't the best choice in very cold regions. There is the Rose Comb Brown Leghorn, which is a better choice in a very cold region. Leghorns lay about 6 white eggs a week on average in a year.

Rhode Island Red is one of the hardiest breeds. It does well in heat or cold, and is known for continuing to lay eggs even with marginal housing and feed. If you want brown eggs, you can't do much better than Rhode Island Reds. They lay about 5 brown eggs a week on average in a year.

I am not sure what shade the eggs would be from a White Leghorn rooster and Rhode Island Red hen cross. I would guess that the eggs would be light brown. Maybe you could also reverse the combination with a RIR/Leghorn cross.

Either of these breeds are great the way they are, and they would probably also produce great offspring if bred together. Maybe you can give it a try and let us know how it turns out.

 

[Chris09]

The Brown Leghorn may have been used in some of the "newer" strains of Single Comb Reds but from what I have read they weren't used in the original breeding.
Now there was a strain or two of Rose Comb Red that were noted to have a Leghorn appearance but they were few and far between.

ETA --
On the other hand a lot of the Reds in the U.K. have Leghorn in them.


Chris

 

[Bullitt]

The Brown Leghorn may have been used in some of the "newer" strains of Single Comb Reds but from what I have read they weren't used in the original breeding.
Now there was a strain or two of Rose Comb Red that were noted to have a Leghorn appearance but they were few and far between.

ETA --
On the other hand a lot of the Reds in the U.K. have Leghorn in them.


Chris

Are you saying that White Leghorn was used to create Rhode Island Reds instead of Brown Leghorns? Or are you saying that no Leghorns were used?

From what I have found, Brown Leghorn was one of the breeds used to create the original Rhode Island Red.

I found this on Backyard Poultry Magazine's website: http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/4/4-2/the_history_of_the_rhode_island_red.html
"According to most accounts, the breed was developed by crossing Red Malay Game, Leghorn and Asiatic stock."


I also found this: http://www.ultimatefowl.com/wiki/index.php?title=Rhode_Island_Red
"The ancestors of this chicken include the Malay, Shanghai, Java and Brown Leghorn."

 

[Chris09]

Are you saying that White Leghorn was used to create Rhode Island Reds instead of Brown Leghorns? Or are you saying that no Leghorns were used?

From what I have found, Brown Leghorn was one of the breeds used to create the original Rhode Island Red.

I found this on Backyard Poultry Magazine's website: http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/4/4-2/the_history_of_the_rhode_island_red.html
"According to most accounts, the breed was developed by crossing Red Malay Game, Leghorn and Asiatic stock."


I also found this: http://www.ultimatefowl.com/wiki/index.php?title=Rhode_Island_Red
"The ancestors of this chicken include the Malay, Shanghai, Java and Brown Leghorn."

The Original Red had no Leghorn in them, it was only after becoming a "breed" did some breeders introduce the Rose Comb Brown Leghorn blood into the Rhode Island Red and that was only in areas where the Rose Comb Brown Leghorn was present. Most of the good old books on the Red breed say much of the same.

ORIGIN OF THE RHODE ISLAND REDS
THE RESULT OF CAREFUL RESEARCH GIVENAUTHORITIES SEEM TO AGREE THAT
IT IS AN OUTCROSS BREED, WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR THE VIGOR OF THE BIRDS
DR. N. B. ALDRICH

1911
( Editor's Note:After exhaustive research and study for authentic information regarding the history of the origin of R.
I. Beds, we have decided the following article written in 1903 for the club book, "Red Hen Tales" by the late Dr. N. B. Aldrich,
Fall River, Mass., one of the most prominent Rhode Island Red breeders in America, is the most interesting and authentic ac account of the early history of the breed.Ed. )
I am not one of those who is willing to say, "Never mind the origin of the 'Reds' or any other worthy variety of fowls." I have been breeding poultry for twenty odd years, and I am always interested in the origin of every breed. Go back in history with me fifty years, and we find that, at that time, 1846-1850, different Asiatic breeds were introduced into this country, especially in the neighborhoods
that were near the coast. One variety, the Shanghai fowl (yellow and white) was introduced, just after the Cochin China, and the two breeds for a time became confused, and "many farmers and poulterers declare, spite of feathers or no feathers (on their legs) that their fowls are Cochin Chinas or Shanghais, just as they please." At this time, Bennett, in his poultry book, says: "There are but few, if any, bona fide Shanghai fowls now for sale." These Shanghai fowls (Simon pure) were heavily feathered on the legs. Not so with the Cochin China. At this time the Cochin Chinas were bred extensively in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Dr. Alfred Baylies, of Taunton, Mass., imported in July, 1846, specimens of the yellow Cochin Chinas. "The cockerels were generally red."
These were not specimens of what were called the Royal Cochin Chinas, as bred by the Queen of England, but direct importations. "The Royal Cochin Chinas were one-third larger." The Shanghais were heavily feathered in the legs; these imported Cochin Chinas lightly feathered, if at all. The ship Huntress, in May 1847, direct from Cochin China brought a pair of this variety of fowl, and Mr. Taylor, in speaking of them, says: The imported cock was a peculiar red and yellowish Dominique, and the hen a bay or reddish brown;" that the young stock varied "only in shade of color."
Bennett says, "The|*,legs of both sexes are of reddish yellow, sometimes, especially in the cocks, decidedly red more so than in any other variety."
How many times I have called attention to the red pigment in a R. I. Red cock's legs. So much, then, for the Red Cochin China cock of fifty years ago. The sea captains brought home just such specimens
to Little Compton, R. I., but a little later came the great Malay fowl, with its knotty knob of a comb a comb that even today occasionally is to be seen on the R. I. Reds.
The Jersey Blues Bucks County and Boodieswere inferior varieties of Malays. These Malays were spoken of as "serpent headed." Their color was dark brown or reddish, streaked with
yellow; some varieties of Malays ran more red than others. In Little Compton was introduced what was spoken of as the Red Malay. The Red Cochin China cocks and the Red Malay cocks
were selected, and crossed with the flocks"of fowls in Little Compton, forty and fifty years ago, the same as today. Later, before the Wyandotte fever, the R. C. Brown Leghorn was introduced into many flocks in this neighborhood. Even at the time of the introduction of the Leghorn blood, the Red fowls were spoken of as R. I. Reds. In a certain section where the Leghorn blood was not used, today
old settlers speak of their fowls as Red Malays; in this section ten years ago, the Reds were all single combs, where as, ten or twelve miles further south were to be found rose combs in abundance.

 

[Chris09]

What a lot of people don't know is that there were three varieties of the R.I. Red, there is the Rose and Single Comb Red but there was a Pea Comb Red. All three varieties were around and being bred before the Red was admitted into the ASOP. Also that the Rose Comb Red could have a bit of Rose Comb Red Java in them since the two were very hard to tell apart at the time.


Chris

 

[nicalandia]

Anyone ever tired this? You know they say "Hybrid Vigor" and a good mix is usually a more hardy bird. I was wondering if you could get an excellent brown egg layer from a leghorn and RIR. And hopefully get the better temperament and foraging of the RIR. Would they even lay brown eggs, or would they be white or tinted? I don't know the rules here about that. Any thoughts?

you want leghorn type production of eggs, but with brown eggs?.. that´s easy, get yourself a few ISA browns, golden sex links or any other red sex links..... they have lots of leghorn blood and will give you brown eggs...

 

[Bullitt]

The Original Red had no Leghorn in them, it was only after becoming a "breed" did some breeders introduce the Rose Comb Brown Leghorn blood into the Rhode Island Red and that was only in areas where the Rose Comb Brown Leghorn was present. Most of the good old books on the Red breed say much of the same.

ORIGIN OF THE RHODE ISLAND REDS
THE RESULT OF CAREFUL RESEARCH GIVENAUTHORITIES SEEM TO AGREE THAT
IT IS AN OUTCROSS BREED, WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR THE VIGOR OF THE BIRDS
DR. N. B. ALDRICH

1911
( Editor's Note:After exhaustive research and study for authentic information regarding the history of the origin of R.
I. Beds, we have decided the following article written in 1903 for the club book, "Red Hen Tales" by the late Dr. N. B. Aldrich,
Fall River, Mass., one of the most prominent Rhode Island Red breeders in America, is the most interesting and authentic ac account of the early history of the breed.Ed. )
I am not one of those who is willing to say, "Never mind the origin of the 'Reds' or any other worthy variety of fowls." I have been breeding poultry for twenty odd years, and I am always interested in the origin of every breed. Go back in history with me fifty years, and we find that, at that time, 1846-1850, different Asiatic breeds were introduced into this country, especially in the neighborhoods
that were near the coast. One variety, the Shanghai fowl (yellow and white) was introduced, just after the Cochin China, and the two breeds for a time became confused, and "many farmers and poulterers declare, spite of feathers or no feathers (on their legs) that their fowls are Cochin Chinas or Shanghais, just as they please." At this time, Bennett, in his poultry book, says: "There are but few, if any, bona fide Shanghai fowls now for sale." These Shanghai fowls (Simon pure) were heavily feathered on the legs. Not so with the Cochin China. At this time the Cochin Chinas were bred extensively in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Dr. Alfred Baylies, of Taunton, Mass., imported in July, 1846, specimens of the yellow Cochin Chinas. "The cockerels were generally red."
These were not specimens of what were called the Royal Cochin Chinas, as bred by the Queen of England, but direct importations. "The Royal Cochin Chinas were one-third larger." The Shanghais were heavily feathered in the legs; these imported Cochin Chinas lightly feathered, if at all. The ship Huntress, in May 1847, direct from Cochin China brought a pair of this variety of fowl, and Mr. Taylor, in speaking of them, says: The imported cock was a peculiar red and yellowish Dominique, and the hen a bay or reddish brown;" that the young stock varied "only in shade of color."
Bennett says, "The|*,legs of both sexes are of reddish yellow, sometimes, especially in the cocks, decidedly red more so than in any other variety."
How many times I have called attention to the red pigment in a R. I. Red cock's legs. So much, then, for the Red Cochin China cock of fifty years ago. The sea captains brought home just such specimens
to Little Compton, R. I., but a little later came the great Malay fowl, with its knotty knob of a comb a comb that even today occasionally is to be seen on the R. I. Reds.
The Jersey Blues Bucks County and Boodieswere inferior varieties of Malays. These Malays were spoken of as "serpent headed." Their color was dark brown or reddish, streaked with
yellow; some varieties of Malays ran more red than others. In Little Compton was introduced what was spoken of as the Red Malay. The Red Cochin China cocks and the Red Malay cocks
were selected, and crossed with the flocks"of fowls in Little Compton, forty and fifty years ago, the same as today. Later, before the Wyandotte fever, the R. C. Brown Leghorn was introduced into many flocks in this neighborhood. Even at the time of the introduction of the Leghorn blood, the Red fowls were spoken of as R. I. Reds. In a certain section where the Leghorn blood was not used, today
old settlers speak of their fowls as Red Malays; in this section ten years ago, the Reds were all single combs, where as, ten or twelve miles further south were to be found rose combs in abundance.

Rhode Island Red became a recognized breed in 1904. The article you posted was written in 1903.

Thank you for confirming that Brown Leghorn was one of the breeds used in the creation of the Rhode Island Red breed.

 

[nurse_turtle]

The white leghorn carries a white dominant gene. The offsprings will be 90% white with 10% dark spots on them. As far as hardiness, I don't recommend a large single-combed bird for winter. Terrible frostbite can occur.