White Leghorn rooster x Rhode Island Red Crosses

[Cuckoo Roo]

Hey there. I have a really nice White Leghorn roo that I'm planning on matching with my five Rhode Island Red hens. I have searched and searched but the only reference I can find to this cross is that the Kansas State Agricultural College did an experiment with this set and other crosses in 1930. They published their results and they are very encouraging. They can be feather sexed, they have a much lower chick mortality rate and a higher hatch rate which they ascribed to their hybrid vigor. They lay earlier and more than any of the other crosses that were attempted including the standard black sex link.

Why is this not a commonly available cross?

Why has this mix not been bred and stabalized to see how they compare?

What is this mix called? Many seem to say, "Oh I know that cross. It's called XXXXXX." But when I check on it the information is wrong.

Has anyone made this cross? I know there's a post on RIR roo on Leghorn hens but not the other direction.

The results of the Kansas test was that this cross lays sooner than the RIR roo/leghorn hen cross and the straight RIR hens. They lay almost as soon as the straight Leghorns. They layed bigger eggs than all the others in the test. They layed more eggs than all the others by a considerable margin. They are bigger and grow faster even than the straight RIR's. They started laying almost two months earlier than the RIR's. They are a medium broody. Not as broody as the other cross and RIR but not near as indifferent as the straigh Leghorns.

All in all this seems like a superior cross to anything else they tried but it doesn't seem to be available commercially. Just seems odd.

Does anyone have any experience with this cross? Any pictures? I would love to see some before we give it a shot.

Thanks!!

 

[cornfed80]

it should turn out like a sex link i would think

 

[lynchfisher]

I was researching the same question this morning. Did anything ever come of this?

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have a leghorn. they are great birds. light weight, good egg layers and don't eat much.

 

[cmfarm]

I believe they can only be feathered sexed but only if the Leghorn is not already bred to be feather sexed, then it won't work. Here is some info on how it works.


The table below contains some of the birds that can be crossed to produce chicks that can be feather sexed.

Any of the males in the table, can be crossed with any of the females in the table to produce offspring that can be feather sexed. If you purchased your birds from a hatchery, check with the hatchery to see if the hatchery feather sexed the birds you purchased. If your stock was feather sexed, then the chickens can not be used for feather sexing crosses.

 

[Brandon Kerr]

I am actually incubating eggs with this mix, but my leghorn is a Pearl white (with white legs, rather than orange/yellow, like normal). I’ll post the results. Because similar to your experience, I’ve been looking online for months regarding this particular mix.

 

[Brandon Kerr]

I am actually incubating eggs with this mix, but my leghorn is a Pearl white (with white legs, rather than orange/yellow, like normal). I’ll post the results. Because similar to your experience, I’ve been looking online for months regarding this particular mix.

I ended up with five of this particular mix. All five hatched, while the same hen who had two eggs from my other Roo one hatched and one didn’t. All five are yellow (which I assume they will all be white). Four of the five have small black spots and one seems to be all one color. It looks like feather sexing is possible. But I’m not entirely sure.

They seem very independent, sweet, and really smart. Not as social with me, but they seem to be very social with one another. When I hold them they are very calm, but a little jumpy when you attempt to pick them up. They are only 3 to 4 days old. So I will keep updating as time progresses!

 

[RoosterHuggerLiz]

My rooster was something called an ideal 206 which is basically a Leghorn crossbred with other egg laying breeds to create a more disease resistant leghorn, I crossed him with my Rhode Island Red hen and we got eggs from her by the time she was maybe 15 or 16 weeks old

 

[Wlsn3]

I ended up with five of this particular mix. All five hatched, while the same hen who had two eggs from my other Roo one hatched and one didn’t. All five are yellow (which I assume they will all be white). Four of the five have small black spots and one seems to be all one color. It looks like feather sexing is possible. But I’m not entirely sure.

They seem very independent, sweet, and really smart. Not as social with me, but they seem to be very social with one another. When I hold them they are very calm, but a little jumpy when you attempt to pick them up. They are only 3 to 4 days old. So I will keep updating as time progresses!

I hope you get to read this. I just hatched my eggs from my rhode Island red hens with my white leghorn rooster. I hatched 10 whites some with black splash and some with none. I also hatched out 8 black chicks that look just like the black sex links. 1 has the white spot on the head and the other 7 all black. Now I did have rir roosters 2 weeks before incubator that's why I started my hatching to get some more rir hens. So I am shocked I have black chicks. Has anyone experience this? Also now for 2000s they are calling the hybrid rir hens to the white leghorn a California tan. Which is the white chicks with black or red splash. So now I am lost where the black chicks come in. Any help be greatfull.

 

[LifeSimpleAndSweet]

I'm searching as well. I have RIR pullets and PWL cockerels that I will be hatching eggs from, hopefully later this year. I"m wondering what treasures I will get. LOL