[little blue]

We have some chicks of unknown parentage 

It seems that the brown ones will be Warren (ISA brown) hybrids ...   


the other two began yellow, and are now a creamy colour (not white - they are in with 2 light sussex and the difference is obvious!)
one has a tiny splash of gingery brown across his back/wing feathers.

Are they warren type cockerels?
they are obviously boys, but will they stay this kind of colour?  and be fertile, if they are hybrids?      

[hughesy]

Thing with crossing is you only really get that hybrid strength and all the best bits from the parents in a first cross, ie pure breed parents. If you breed from a crossed bird you very likely will get inferior offspring that don't have the best features from the original pure breeds.

[Hopewell]

No reason why they shouldn't be fertile, but I agree with hughsey that you will have lost the benefits of hybrid vigour that presumably the parents had.

[Roxy]

We have a warren cockerel that we rescued while in the battery farm.  He looks like a cockerel, but thats it.  He does not crow, does not go near any hens, does not fight our other cockerels, just keeps himself to himself.  To be honest, I had never seen an ex battery hen cockerel before, or, that should read, warren.  Really he should have been for the pot, but he had spent a year in that hell hole, so I thought he deserved a nice life, and he is no trouble.

[SallyintNorth]

The best cockerel I had was Silkie dad, RIR x LS (ie, warren type) mum.  Long story but this lad did the job better than any other I have had - great at taking care of the hens, showing them the best food, protecting them (even though he was also the smallest cockerel I ever had - well, excepting his dad, who hadn't lasted very long.)  When he had to go as we had a lot of his pullets coming up to laying age, I was given a pure bred Silver Grey Dorking.  What a beauty - but what a wuss!  Ran away at any sign of trouble, useless at protecting the hens therefore, ate all the good food himself (and I have a great-grandson of his now who is also first in the queue for the best food, although otherwise a good cock.)  One of the sons of the SGD (from a sister of that good Silkie / Warren cock) was spectacularly beautiful (sorry never took a pic of him - stupidly) and made a good cockerel.

Generally I do agree that the first cross is the best, but I would do purebred on warren again very happily.

[little blue]

We have a warren cockerel that we rescued while in the battery farm.  He looks like a cockerel, but thats it.  He does not crow, does not go near any hens, does not fight our other cockerels, just keeps himself to himself.  To be honest, I had never seen an ex battery hen cockerel before, or, that should read, warren.  Really he should have been for the pot, but he had spent a year in that hell hole, so I thought he deserved a nice life, and he is no trouble.

so ... what does yours look like?!

I dont want to breed from them, I'm more curious as to what they might end up like.

for various reasons, we now have all the cockerels (Silkie, RIR and these two young 'uns) in adjacent pens. Luckily, Lenin and Rocky are fairly quiet ... and Lenin has been alone for a couple of days, as they wily girl we earmarked to join him has evaded capture til today!
We may even have a LS boy in with the warrens, time will tell (all our LS girls are unrelated, so may get a few offspring from them first)
So quiet boys would be great ... the noisy ones end up in the pot I'm afraid

[Roxy]

He just looks like a Warren, only larger, and has a big comb, obviously - just wish all the other cockerels were as well behaved (and quiet!)  Not sure why he does not crow, whatever his breed, I would expect him to make some sort of noise ....but nothing!!

[little blue]

He just looks like a Warren, only larger, and has a big comb

hmmm.... now I'm doubting a little what my chaps are then- one has a few browny feathers, but the other is just cream.
I was under the impression they would be sex linked and therefore brown girls & whitish boys, from the RIR and RIW parents ... or maybe your boy has more of a feminine side Roxy - if he's brown and doesnt crow?! 

[SallyintNorth]

I don't know if this'll help or not - but my white Silkie cockerel on RIRxLS hens produced all brown boys.

[Roxy]

Little Blue - just what are you suggesting about our poor Henre ......yep, thats his name!!  But, to be honest  I do have my doubts about which sex "he" is supposed to be!!  But "it" has never layed an egg, as far  as  am aware