Chicken Hybrids - whats in a name?

[Anonymous]

Hi all just a quick question... I've been browsing the net and found various breeders selling POL hybrid hens but I'm a bit stuck when it come to all the different breed names.

Can anyone tell me whether there really are that many different hybrid breeds out there or are they different names for the same breed?

Can anyone tell me whether a Ranger is known by another name? And is a Bovans Nera also known as a Black Star?

I can't find any books available which are specifically about hybrid chooks and I'm starting to get a bit confuddled by it all! x

 

[Tim]

I lose track of the different names!

Yes, many are the same breeds crossed but different strains. For example if I cross RIR with Barred Plymouth Rock and get Bovan Nera, I may have some very good strains that give me lots of eggs from hardy birds - these may perform differently to someone else crossing their strains.

The same cross, just different names from different breeders.

Taking Bovans Nera as the example, Black Rock hens are famously known all over the UK. They come from one Hatchery owned by Peter Siddons in Scotland and are shipped at day old to suppliers who 'grow them' to POL amd sell them. They can legitimately call them Black Rocks. If they breed their own birds using the same cross, they get a similar looking bird but they are not from Peter Siddons strain that has certain qualities. They are not allowed to call their birds Black Rocks as I believe the name is protected so they might call them Black Stars or just Bovans Nera or various other names.

-Most- hybrids have either RIR (you see the red in them), white Leghorn or Light Sussex in them. There are others that use Auracana or Cream Legbar to give blue eggs, the list goes on but the best layers are usually from these breeds. Best bet is to ask the supplier before you buy.

I hope this helps Donna