Columbian Blacktail - Gingernut Ranger Hybrid hen
Blacktails are a hybrid derived from the Rhode Island Red and Light Sussex breeds. They lay a large light brown egg.
Blacktails are also know as Columbian Blacktails (The Columbian reference comes from the darker feathering that they sometimes have around their necks), they are also sold as British Blacktails, Gingernut Rangers & Red Rangers. Blacktails lay a brown medium to large egg (63 grams average) and they start to lay at around 21 weeks old. In carefully managed conditions thay can lay 280 – 300 eggs per year. Compared to other Hybrids they are a medium weight bird typically reaching about 2.2kg by 72 weeks.
Blacktails supplied from the Poultry Paddock come from vaccinated parent stocks that are regularly tested for samonella to comply with European Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003. They also go through a vaccination programme over a 14 week period to protect them from Marek, multiple strains of Infectious Bronchitis (IB), Newcastle disease and infectious bursal disease (IBD).