![]() Pure breeds were still the preference for the production of eggs. But for many decades the need to keep and produce breeding stock for two or more pure breeds in order to have stock to produce the hybrid chickens was of no advantage to the farmer/ poultryman cost simply outweighed any advantage. Vigor and faster rates of growth in hybrid chickens were true advantages in meat production and eventually led to the birth of today’s 4-way cross industrial meat chickens. They also exhibited that same trait we find when we cross two breeds of almost any animal – vigor, a.k.a. Hybrid chickens could be relied upon to grow slightly faster and lay well. ![]() Early promoters of these crossbred chickens knew they needed a new term for their poultry to disassociate them from the derogatory connotations of terms like “mongrel” or “crossbreed.” As they noticed some improvement in rate of maturity and growth, they stole a term from plant breeding-the term “hybrid.” And thus hybrid chickens became acceptable nomenclature. This may have started as a curiosity, but a few of these crosses were found to produce faster growth, meatier bodies, or higher egg production.ĭuring the early 1900s, poultrymen supplying chickens for meat found these crosses advantageous, but popular opinion had already been formed against chickens that were not purebred. All throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, some poultrymen would cross various pure breeds. I like to think that human curiosity-that desire to wonder, “what would you get”-led to many experiments. There is nothing new about crossing breeds. Photo courtesy of Gail Damerow Crossing BreedsĪ crossbred chicken (today often called the hybrid chicken) is simply the result of crossing two or more purebred chickens. Fast growth have them ready to harvest as fryers at six weeks of age. The Cornish Cross meat bird is a cross between the Cornish and the Plymouth Rock breeds. Any chicken that was not a pure breed was referred to as a mongrel and the meaning was derogatory. The fact that purebred poultry could be relied upon to produce predictable results, generation after generation, and the fact that they were productive, by the standards of that time period, were the basis of profit that could be relied upon. Crossing of Asian and European stock formed the basis for many new “improved” breeds-such as American breeds like the Plymouth Rock or the Wyandotte-these “improved” breeds formed the basis for a burgeoning emphasis on poultry farming as a standalone farming enterprise. These flocks were referred to as “mongrels” or “mongrel poultry.” HistoryĪt the time (circa 1850), more and more poultry from diverse parts of the globe became available in North America and Europe. Little thought was given to selective breeding. At this time there were only a few “breeds,” most flocks of chickens displayed a variety of color characteristics, sizes, rates of production, etc. ![]() The idea of purity in a genetic population has old roots, but was not widely applied to poultry until the 1800s. Each of these terms has some historic relevance worth knowing in order to help understand how they relate to pure breeds. Mongrels, crossbreeds, and hybrid chickens are all terms that mean the birds are not pure breeds. Purebred Rhode Island Red chickens, when mated to purebred Rhode Island Red roosters, do not produce offspring barred in color or that lay green or white eggs. Each generation will be “red” in color and lay brown eggs, just as their parents did-and at much the same rate of production. For instance, Rhode Island Red chickens were developed in Rhode Island and are brown egg layers. The advantage of pure breeds is that each generation of offspring can be counted on to look and perform in the same way as the previous generation.īreeds were often developed due to geographic isolation or for specific purposes. ![]() First, what does the word “breed” really mean? We can define “breed” as a group of animals with similar characteristics that, when bred together, will produce offspring with the same characteristics. Terminologyīefore we go too far in stating what “is” and what “is not” a breed, there are some terms we need to define. Such poultry can be very productive and useful for the backyard fancier but cannot be considered a breed. Many times the chickens pictured are not purebred chickens at all but crossbreeds / hybrid chickens hatcheries produce for very specific purposes – such as egg production. By Don Schrider – At Backyard Poultrywe get questions all the time asking for help identifying the breed of various chickens. ![]()
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