[Sharondp]

Hi All

Came back from the poultry sale yesterday with 4 french Cuckoo Maran Pullets - beautiful birds, very tame and friendly. Was planning on putting them in with my layers for a bit of colour variety in the egg box, but then considered my 'spare' RIR cockerel, and thought about breeding some speckledys (otherwise the cockerel is for the pot!)

Anyone breed speckledys - this is all new to me as I only do pure breeds at the moment! 

[bamford6]

The Speckledy is a modern hybrid and comes from a Rhode Island Red crossed with a Maran. The feathering closely resembles that of a Maran but it is a far more prolific egg layer. They are large yet elegant birds with a deep breast, upward pointing tail and pale legs. The comb is medium, red and serrated and the face is smooth. The earlobes and wattles are small and smooth and the beak curved and mottled. They have pale bay eyes very nice bird try and get some  BLUE Ranger lays around 260 brown eggs a year. She is a very placid, pale grey bird.

[darkbrowneggs]

Hi There - I have never seen a photo of the eggs from a Speckledy, though I have trawled the internet.  Do you have a photo of an egg at all, and about how many would one expect them to lay each year.

Does anyone know of a site with photos of the actual eggs?

If there isnt one and people would like to send my photos of their birds eggs I will try and make something as a reference.

All the best
Sue

[jinglejoys]

http://www.dominant-cz.cz/index_en.htm

   This is the place a lot of the original stock came from

http://www.dominant-cz.cz/en/dominant-barred-d-959.htm  I think this was the speckeldy
http://www.dominant-cz.cz/en/dominant-blue-d-107.htm and this was the original Blubell

   I think you could breed autosexing breeds if your birds are true and you get the right cross but don't ask me how I wanted to keep silver Brussbars for years but could never get the stock.I had a flock of Bluebells for several years...until hunting was stopped

  Try asking here  http://www.autosexing.co.uk/