White Leghorn rooster x Rhode Island Red Crosses

[BarbJorg]

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!!