California Gray

The California Gray is an American breed of domestic chicken. It may be also known as the "production black".[1]: 47 

California Gray
Other namesproduction black[1]: 47 
Country of originUnited States
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    2.5 kg (5.5 lb)[2]: 47 
  • Female:
    2.0 kg (4.4 lb)[2]: 47 
Egg colorwhite
Classification
APAnot listed[3]

History

The California Gray was developed in California in the 1930s by Horace Dryden in Modesto, California.[4]: 432  His aim was to produce a dual-purpose chicken that would be suitable for meat production and would also lay large white eggs. By cross-breeding of Barred Plymouth Rock and White Leghorn birds, an autosexing breed with barred gray adult plumage was produced. As in other autosexing breeds, the sex of chicks can be distinguished at about a day old.[2]: 47 

The California Gray was never recognized as a breed by the American Poultry Association, and in the twenty-first century is a rare breed.[2]: 47  It is not listed on the conservation priority list of the Livestock Conservancy,[5] and is not reported to the DAD-IS database of the FAO.[6]

Use

The California Gray is a dual-purpose bird, producing both meat and eggs. Cocks are crossed with White Leghorn hens to produce the California White commercial sex-link hybrid.[1]: 47 

References
  1. Gail Damerow (2012). The Chicken Encyclopedia: An Illustrated Reference. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing. ISBN 9781603425612. p. 47.
  2. Carol Ekarius (2007). Storeys Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing. ISBN 9781580176682. p. 47.
  3. APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012. American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.
  4. Janet Vorwald Dohner (2001). The Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds. New Haven, Connecticut; London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300088809.
  5. Conservation Priority List. The Livestock Conservancy. Accessed August 2014.
  6. Breed data sheet: United States; Chicken. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed March 2023.


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