The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site - Page 293

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChickMagnet207 

Thanks Jim, I've tried that number with no answer....  I wonder if they still do that Gilmanor Swap?

Yes - they absolutely do and it's a blast! The spring swap is on May 4th. I come up for it from southern VA (carpool with a friend and her chickens) - it is always worth it! Only trouble is trying to leave with less birds than I brought... I sell out and then find birds there that I just can't leave without - LOL!

I was reading an old book by George Scott from the turn of the last century.  In it, the author mentioned "black speckles" on the wings of pullets.  Mr Scott suggests that such a pullet be bred to a clear colored cock.  Question for Bob or anyone one else wishing to venture an opinion.

While the black speckling on the wing is surely a fault, Scott seemed to suggest that one can actually make use of this and make a positive thing out of it, moving forward.  Thoughts?

just curious, but are there any good heritage RIR in Indiana?

Matt's cockerel did win champion largefowl.He is a really nice bird. There was a very nice class of Reds shown.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred's Hens 

I was reading an old book by George Scott from the turn of the last century.  In it, the author mentioned "black speckles" on the wings of pullets.  Mr Scott suggests that such a pullet be bred to a clear colored cock.  Question for Bob or anyone one else wishing to venture an opinion.

 

While the black speckling on the wing is surely a fault, Scott seemed to suggest that one can actually make use of this and make a positive thing out of it, moving forward.  Thoughts?

Yes you guys that know how to breed for color and move it around, please elaborate, I would like to or might need to know this for future references.

Jeff

I'm wondering how you get involved in showing birds. I've done the usual google searches and checked with the Local AG website but have not been able to find a single thing about poultry shows. I wonder if in my area it's local fairs and festivals that have the shows.

I'm also wondering about bio-security when taking your birds to show. How do you make sure you don't leave with a healthy bird and bring home a sick one.
 

I cannot "cut and paste" from the Cornell library online reader, but here's the link.

http://archive.org/stream/cu31924003091323

In a nutshell, George Scott talks about matings and discusses how black smut in the pullet and black peppering in the wings can be a good thing.  He talks about mating to a clear male and this mating has potential form moving a strain forward.

When the mating is reversed and the male has the smut or black peppering, Mr Scott found less advantage to this mating.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred's Hens 

I cannot "cut and paste" from the Cornell library online reader, but here's the link.

http://archive.org/stream/cu31924003091323

 

In a nutshell, George Scott talks about matings and discusses how black smut in the pullet and black peppering in the wings can be a good thing.  He talks about mating to a clear male and this mating has potential form moving a strain forward.

 

When the mating is reversed and the male has the smut or black peppering, Mr Scott found less advantage to this mating.

Here his talks a little about using smut.

2. A Mating Designed to Improve the Color of Cockerels in a Strain where they are inclined to be too Light a Shade of Red.
Select the best, most even and soundest of these inferior cockerels, paying particular attention to the soundness of his under color. With him mate hens or pullets, dark even red, with smut in otherwise red under color, dark red hackles (preferably showing a little smut at base of hackle) that are darker even than the rest of the plumage, and good black tails.

3. A Mating Designed to Improve Cockerels in a Strain where they come with Black in Hackle.
Select females with no black whatever in hackle, little or no wing markings, but sound even red top color free from peppering, and under color free from smut. If possible get females as described bred from a clear hackled cockerel.

4. A Mating Designed to Improve a Strain where the Pullets, although Even, are too Light in Color.
Select the soundest and most even of such pullets, and with them mate a cockerel from a good pullet strain, absolutely even in color; dark, rich and brilliant, with clear hackle, good tail, deep red breast, and showing a black bar on wing bows and black peppering on breast.

Information from,
GEORGE SCOTT, F.Z.S.
Hon. Secretary of and Club Judge of the British Rhode Island Red Club.

Chris

Here is what Kaufmann & Windheim thought about smut back in 1911.

Under Color

Last of all but most important, under color. It must be red as the day of smut has passed. Many breeders think smut helps to get the rich surface color but they are sadly mistaken. Smut will help you to get a dirty dark surface color, but not the clean rich shade that we are after. A smutty feather here and there will not do very much harm but if a bird shows smut so strong that you cannot look at the under color without seeing it, discard such a bird at once. Mr. Breeder, smut will not help but it will do harm, so cut the bird heavily that has it, no matter how good he may be otherwise. It is worse in a male than in the female. White of course is out of the question, as a bird that shows white, no matter how perfect he may be otherwise is simply a cull. This we think most every breeder knows. Through all this color madness, however, do not let your birds run down small but keep up the size because color and size make the Rhode Island Red and no matter if you should have all the other qualifications combined you would have nothing if these two are left out. We have followed the above laws as closely as possible over sixteen long years and the record that our birds have made in the show room is well known to every Rhode Island Red breeder in the country.

Chris