BackYard Chickens › Breeds & Supplies › Chicken Breeds › Rhode Island


What People are Saying

More Related Forum Threads and Articles

Rhode Island

Most often when one thinks of Rhode Island Reds they are thinking of the Large Fowl Rhode Island Red as it is one of the oldest known breeds of chicken and was developed mainly in Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the mid 1840's.
The first birds were bred in Little Compton, RI with the use of a Black Breasted Red Malay cock who was imported from England. This Rooster can actually still be seen on display in the Smithsonian Institution as the father of the breed.
The breed was accepted into the American Poultry Association in 1904.
A monument funded by the Rhode Island Red Club of America was erected in Little Compton and today is listed on the national register of historic places. It can be seen here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Island_Red_(sculpture)
The Rhode Island Red is the State Bird of Rhode Island.
The breed was developed to withstand the harsh New England winters and be a very hardy bird who produced hens with excellent large egg yields and who also would dress out well and look nice on the table, a true dual purpose bird.
While the names and places of origin are the same, the Rhode Island White is actually a distinct breed separate from the Rhode Island Red per the American Poultry Association.


If you are familiar with this product, please update the details list so it is complete!
Detail Value
Breed Purpose
Dual Purpose
Comb
Rose
Broodiness
Average
Climate Tolerance
Cold
Egg Productivity
High
Egg Size
Large
Egg Color
Brown
Breed Temperament
Aggressive,Friendly,Flighty,Easily handled,Calm,Noisy
Breed Colors/Varieties
The Rhode Island Red is only recognised in Red.
Breed Size
Large Fowl

Many products have multiple models (e.g. black edition, white edition, etc.). If you know of any other models of this product with a different MPN/UPC, please add them below.
Model Name/Type MPN EAN/UPC

If you know of links that pertain to this product, add them below. Be sure to fill out the full url; e.g. http://www.example.com/products/ML6782.asp



User Reviews: Rhode Island

Ranked #9 in the category Chicken Breeds
Share Your Opinion. Rate this Item.

Share your thoughts with the community about this item so that you can help other users decide.

Write a Review
Community Rating (30 reviews)
Overall
February 1, 2012 at 8:54 pm
SmithEdnaValley
Reviewed by SmithEdnaValley
Pros: Lay most regularly, pretty eggs, good temper
Cons: none

Our reds seem smarter than the others--they get out of the day-run most easily, allow us the catch them by taking up their hilarious defensive posture of stop, "squat" and extend wings, and they follow anyone shaking a can of cracked corn.  This gets the attention of the other birds, who then follow the reds back in to the run.  My buffs are more beautiful, but I like the spunk and egg frequency of this bird. 

January 30, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Gracie04
Reviewed by Gracie04
Pros: Great egg layers, friendly, Great with children, affectionate, great with other chickens
Cons: fast, flightly

I got Rhode Island Reds as a gift when my grandfather died. They are GREAT layers, (quite a few eggs a day) Though they tend to hide their eggs, i didnt find out how many they were laying till i found there stash!! My rhode island (rosy) is extremely affectionate, and loves being held and pet. She gets along well with my Ancauna(i think thats what she is) and even got along well with our old rooster(that we had to get rid of) I have had her since she was 2 weeks old, and she is the best D.gif!! I definetly reccomend this breed!

January 11, 2012 at 12:22 pm
ChickenWisperer
Reviewed by ChickenWisperer
Pros: Great egglayers, nice to look at, human friendly
Cons: They like the taste of chicken

I will agree, the RIR and production red I owned were better layers than any other breed I've had to date. They were very friendly to me and were nice to look at, but they were the main proponent of aggression in my flock for over a year. I gave them multiple chances to correct behavior began to free range, gave them stimulation, but nothing worked. They killed 2 birds before I got rid of them and I'll never own another.

January 11, 2012 at 5:08 pm
WoofMeowCluck
Reviewed by WoofMeowCluck
Pros: Great layers
Cons: non

VERY friendly, calm, talkative. Lay LOTS of beautiful brown eggs. 

See All 30 User Reviews


Article: Rhode Island

Chicken Breed Info:

Breed Purpose: Dual Purpose
Comb: Rose
Broodiness: Average
Climate Tolerance: Cold

General Egg Info:

Egg Productivity: High
Egg Size: Large
Egg Color: Brown

Breed Temperament:

Aggressive,Friendly,Flighty,Easily handled,Calm,Noisy

Breed Colors / Varieties:

The Rhode Island Red is only recognised in Red.

Breed Details:

The Rhode Island Red- Large Fowl and Bantam are available as both Single Combed and Rose Combed. The red should be a deep, dark Mahogany or Rust color, the darker the better. Some birds can be so dark as to appear black from a distance, both sexes have black tails with a "beetle" green sheen. The body is best known as being "Brick" shaped for both Rhode Island Reds and Rhode Islands Whites for both Large Fowl and Bantam. The legs are clean and feather free. The skin and feet are yellow. The eyes are red orange. The beak for the Rhode Island Red LF and Bantam is Reddish Brown. Large Fowl weights as follows: Pullet 5 1/2 pounds, cockeral 7 1/2 pounds, hen 6 1/2 pounds and cock 8 1/2 pounds. Bantam weights: 34 ounces for a cock and 30 ounces for a hen at eighteen months of age Eggs- Eggs are always brown (From all varieties) and range from light to dark in color, large in size for the Large Fowl. Not uncommon for first year LF laying hens to have eggs too big to shut into a carton. Eggs are known for hatching well. Rhode Island Reds can be fiesty and a little hot tempered. Especially the cockeral but if handled a lot from early on and won over with treats they can make lovely back yard chickens who tolerate roomy confinement well. Temperments differ greatly between induvidual birds depending on sex, and method of raising.

LL

Rooster
LL
Hen
LL
Egg
LL
Chick
LL
Adolescent
LL
BackYard Chickens › Breeds & Supplies › Chicken Breeds › Rhode Island