The California Gray is an American breed of domestic chicken. It was developed in California in the 1930s by Horace Dryden in Modesto, California. His aim was to produce a dual-purpose chicken that was both suitable for meat production and laid large white eggs. By crossing a Barred Plymouth Rock rooster and a White Leghorn hen, a naturally autosexing breed with gray barred plumage (as adults) was produced. Largely because the breed was never recognized officially for exhibition by the American Poultry Association, The California Gray is a rare breed in the twenty-first century. It is not listed on the conservation priority list of the Livestock Conservancy. California Gray cocks are crossed with White Leghorn hens to produce the California White commercial sex-link hybrid, and may be known as "production black". References Chicken breeds Chicken breeds originating in the United States