Chickens Ducks Poultry Links
We started with Rhode Island Reds.
After our R.I.R.
rooster died we purchased a New Hampshire champion cockerel. The F1 generation
of NH x RIR was consisted of 3 males and 4 females. The
females are all fairly similar, of intermediate type between the
two breeds (which are fairly similar to begin with). The
F1 females look better than their mothers in both comb shape and
overall body type. The F1 males vary in size, with one being
wider and taller than the others, one having better body type,
and the third being smaller but having better coloration, with
no black ticking on his hackles (black ticking on the hackles is
undesirable due to the tendency to lighten up the neck color
once we introduce dominate white into the flock).
Chicken Breeding Project
The goal for our chicken breeding
project is to develop a chicken breed that lays well and is
best adapted to the natural conditions and free range homesteading
management. In addition we are breeding for a specific
color to differentiate the breed.
Color genes of interest in our current stock include:
eb eb (partridge
color pattern) Co Co (Columbian restriction, restricts black to
tail and hackle) s s (gold) Mh Mh
(red) i i (recessive counterpart to dominate white).
Desired color is: ER ER (crowwing/birchen
color pattern) co co (not Columbian restricted)
s s (gold), Mh Mh (red), I I
(dominate white, turns all black areas to white.). 
Step 1: Incorporate dominate white into line and remove Columbian restriction. To do this, we need to cross our reds with a dominate white bird (dominate white breeds include white leghorn, red pyles etc.), Male, red crossed with Female, dominate white. We will then save the F1 females, and breed them back to another red rooster. Then saving those that display a white tail, and breeding them together with continued selection against any not displaying dominate white, some (a small percentage) should appear which are not Columbian restricted. The females should certainly be kept and a male without Columbian restriction should be crossed to the females with white tails . Over several years of this selective breeding, the line should be eb eb co co ss Mh Mh II.
Step 2: Incorporate birchen/crowwing color pattern. This is to remove the reddish coloration on the secondary feathers of the roosters. Possible breeds which show ER ER include Copper Black Marans, Brown Red Games, etc.
Although color selection will play a role in our goal, it cannot supersede egg laying ability. thus it is not diserable to introduce any lines into the strain that have not been selected for egg laying ability at some point. Also a reasonable size should be maintained so that the breed may be dual purpose.
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