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One of the most common breeds of redbred chicken in Western poultry farms today is a large chicken, which some classify as pure broilers, others towards the meat and egg direction. It’s not even clear whether it’s a cross or a breed. Russian owners of chickens of this breed have long been arguing about this. But since this chicken is very similar to other similar breeds, it is difficult to say who exactly was bred by the person who claims that the Redbrown is a cross/breed.
It is believed that Redbrown chickens are of English origin and are the result of crossing Cornish hens with Malayan fighting cocks brought to England. It was from Malayan roosters that Redbrown chickens acquired large sizes.
At the same time, the Hubbard laboratory, which breeds industrial crosses for large poultry farms, offers for sale three types of redbro: JA57 KI, M and S, which differ slightly in their productive characteristics. This is typical not for breeds, but for industrial crosses. The redbro presented on the laboratory's website is a breed of chicken, the description of which clearly indicates the presence of a recessive gene in females. The presence of this gene determines the phenotype of a chicken that looks like a rooster. This is also not usually observed in the breed.
Redbred chickens, detailed description with photos
It is quite difficult to describe the Redbrown chicken breed without a photo clearly indicating the difference in types, since Hubbard does not provide a detailed breakdown of the types. In Russia, this breed is classified as a meat and egg breed; in the West, they are increasingly inclined to think that it is a slow-growing broiler, that is, a meat breed.
The general features of chickens of this breed are almost the same:
- large head with a leaf-shaped crest and a strong, medium-sized beak;
- the comb, face, lobes and earrings are red;
- neck of medium size, set high, with a bend at the top;
- The position of the body depends on the type of cross. For JA57 KI and M the body is located horizontally, for S the body is located at an angle to the horizontal;
- the back and lower back are straight;
- the wings are small, tightly pressed to the body;
- roosters have black tail feathers. The braids are relatively short and black;
- metatarsus unfeathered, yellow;
- weight of laying hens up to 3 kg, roosters up to 4.
Interestingly, a similar description is typical for Loman chicken breeds brown, red highsex, foxy chick and many others. It is impossible to say, based on the given description of redbrow chickens, what breed of roosters are in the photo below.
Meat productivity
The redbro is often called a colored broiler for its rapid weight gain. By 2 months, chickens have already gained 2.5 kg. Chickens of this breed really grow faster than usual meat and egg breeds, but are they really as good as industrial broiler crosses?
A comparison of the productive characteristics of Cobb 500 and Redbrown chickens with photos shows that in terms of growth rate, Redbrown chickens are significantly inferior to industrial meat crosses.
At a research farm in Maryland, they are raising two types of broiler chickens: the familiar Cobb 500 and Redbrown “colored broilers.”According to experts, redbro chickens grow 25% slower than Cobb 500. Redbro chickens have less developed pectoral muscles, but stronger thighs. And most importantly, the taste of Red Broiler broiler meat is more intense than that of Cobb 500.
Comparative characteristics of redbro and Cobb 500
| Breed | Cobb 500 | Redbro |
| Frame | Short legs, heavy body | Longer legs, lighter body, upright posture |
| Plumage | Unfeathered bellies are common | The entire body is fully feathered |
| Meat yield | Big breasts and wings | Big hips |
| Slaughter time | 48 days | 60 days |
At the same time, meat from slow-growing chickens is gaining popularity, and many chicken producers are switching to products from slow-growing chickens. The main reason: tastier meat. Companies such as Bon Appétit and Nestlé have already announced a gradual transition to meat from slow-growing chickens. Bon Appétit claims that by 2024 its products will be made only from meat from such chickens.
A comparison of feed consumption to produce a kilogram of meat shows that regular broilers eat more feed per day than redbroilers. Broilers need time to gain weight, and this means having a very good appetite. Redbros are more economical per day, but in the long run they consume more feed to produce a pound of meat. This happens because redbirds grow much smaller and, moreover, they are more mobile than ordinary broilers, which means that “colored broilers” require more energy, which they spend on movement.
Egg production
The egg characteristics of redbred chickens are low, regardless of the type. For the egg-bearing breed, redbreasts begin to lay eggs very late: at 5–6 months.There are also differences in egg production depending on the type of cross.
Type M lays 193 eggs weighing 52 g in 64 weeks. Of these, 181 are incubatory. Peak productivity is 28 weeks.
Type S during the same time produces 182 eggs weighing 55 g. Hatching eggs are 172. Peak productivity is 29 - 30 weeks. Type S has a higher body weight.
For home keeping, the most convenient type is JA57 KI, which has a fairly high egg production: 222 eggs in 64 weeks with an egg weight of 54 g. Hatching eggs from this amount are 211. Peak productivity is 28 weeks. But in terms of meat indicators, this type is close to egg breeds.
Conditions of detention
Due to the similarity of the Redbro with other “red” breeds of chickens, it is difficult to find not only a video on raising Redbro chickens at home, but also any visual information in general, about which we can confidently say that the video is about the Redbro.
According to the manufacturer, that is, the same Hubbard company, redbros are good primarily for private farms, since their maintenance and diet are practically no different from the conditions for traditional breeds of chickens bred by folk selection.
As for any heavy chicken, floor housing or low perches are preferable for redbros.
Therefore, the construction of perches with a ladder along which chickens can climb to a high perch is undesirable. They will be able to go up, but they will hardly guess to go down the stairs. Jumping from a height can damage a chicken's paws.
Thanks to the calm nature indicated in the description of the Redbrown breed, reviews of chickens on foreign sites sound something like this: “I was very impressed with these chickens in terms of endurance and ability to eat any food. It was fun to watch them roam freely. They have no problems with their legs and are growing well. Very active. They promise in the future to acquire a fleshy chest and powerful muscular legs.”
Information from the video of a foreign user only confirms this review.
The five-week-old chicks in the video really look very large and powerful. But the author of the video bought these chickens from a farm controlled by the relevant services and guaranteeing the sale of purebred birds.
The comparative photo shows that in the same area there are significantly fewer colored chickens than ordinary broilers.
Reviews of Redbro chickens from Russian users can even be negative. And most likely, the matter is not in violation of the maintenance of these chicken crosses, but in the fact that the ones purchased were not redbros at all.
Pros of redbro
Due to their lighter body and better feathering, they do not have bedsores and ulcers, like broiler crosses. The poor feathering of ordinary broilers is clearly visible in the photo.
The absence of a feather makes it difficult to maintain an ordinary broiler in a private backyard. Such a bird needs special conditions. In contrast to ordinary broilers, the S cross feels good running around the yard with other birds. The plumage of the redbro is of good quality.
The advantages include the resistance of crosses to diseases, which does not cancel routine vaccination. In addition, these crosses tolerate cold well, which makes them almost ideal for keeping in the Russian climate. But due to the small number of these chickens in Russia, it is not yet clear whether they can be bred as a breed or whether they are really a cross that will split in the second generation.
The only downsides are slow growth, late maturation of laying hens and higher feed consumption than broilers.
Diet
Due to today's demands for chicken meat, which must be obtained from a “free-roaming and happy chicken,” Hubbard began producing crosses that can live like a country bird. Therefore, redbro crosses really do not require a special diet.
Chicks are fed in the same way as chicks from a regular laying hen would be fed. In the first days they give food rich in protein. Later, the chickens are transferred to the diet of adult chickens. The owner decides what exactly to feed his bird, depending on his own views and preferences. “Colored broilers” successfully absorb both industrial feed and home-made grain mixtures and wet mash.
When free-ranged in the summer, the redbreast will find its own greens. In winter, they will need to be fed with finely chopped vegetables and root vegetables.
Reviews from Russian owners of the Redbro chicken breed
Conclusion
Descriptions of the Redbrown breed, photos of chickens and reviews about them are very contradictory, since these chickens are often confused with other birds of a similar color. In particular, one can even come across statements that the Redbro was bred in Hungary and is one of the breeds called Hungarian giant. Therefore, you can buy guaranteed purebred redbreds only from breeding farms with a good reputation or directly from Hubbard’s laboratory. But Redbrown is now gaining popularity among industrial producers, so soon chickens of this breed will be as easy as the egg and meat crosses currently being bred.
I bought RedBro chickens several times, I like the breed, I refused broilers the first time, and never got them again. RedBro's only problem is his tendency to get sick. The roosters have reached a size of 3 to 4 kg. I took them at the end of May, now the chickens have hatched, the eggs are small, but I don’t need it. I just don’t know if it’s possible to leave the chickens until next year and get a brood from these eggs.
Hello. Redbro is not a breed, but an industrial cross from Hubbard. They have broiler, all-purpose and egg crosses. You gave up broilers, so do you have either a universal or an egg cross? Then they are not in danger of dying from gaining too much muscle mass and the chickens can be kept for the next year.
The issue of obtaining a brood is more complicated. Since this is a cross, the offspring will have split characteristics. In other words, even Hubbard specialists will not tell you what quality the second generation chickens will grow up to be. Although on their website they have a simulator of receiving crosses from crosses. the original material is Hubbard products, but when crossed with certain types of crosses, offspring with specified characteristics can be obtained. True, you cannot cross chickens from the same cross. That is, for example, a Redbro M hen cannot be crossed with a Redbro M rooster. But it can be crossed with a Redbro or New Hampshire rooster. And they have strict rules about who to cross with whom in order to get the desired result.
Second point: industrial crosses usually have very bad brooding instincts. That is, to produce chickens you will need an incubator.
If you are simply interested in getting offspring from these chickens, then, of course, you can do this. The chickens will hatch.