Heritage RIR vs production RIR

[Robert Blosl]

This issue is very simple. A heritage Rhode Island Red is brick shaped, very dark in color and lays about 150 to 175 eggs per year and are show chickens. They are only sold by maybe one or two hatcheries in the country. There is a club called the Rhode Island Red Club of America which I am a member, I am a former President and I was voted into their Hall of Fame about ten years ago. They put out a magazine from 1912 to 1944 called the Rhode Island Red Journal. At one time there where over 40,00 subscribers to this chicken magazine . The chickens where mostly the dark ones ,but in or around the late 1930 up to 1944 they were taken over by a Red Chicken that was light in color not true to type and would lay up to 275 eggs per year. This was the birth of the Production or Commercial Red. They have kept the name Rhode Island Reds but they are not the original bird.

I have people who want the best Commercial Reds they can buy so they can try to make a profit with them during these tough times. I don’t know who has the top line of production reds in the country. I am sure some of the huge farms that has thousands of brown egg chicken in cages get them but these are not the old fashion Heritage Rhode Island Reds. There are only about 200 of these birds alive in Single Comb and maybe 50 in Rose Comb in the country today during breeding season or the winter. Production Reds are still popular maybe 10 to 20 thousand of them on hobby farms and commercial farms today.
Now let me tell you two breeds of chickens that are about disappeared and that is the Delaware’s and the old fashion New Hampshire the Heritage breed type. I only know one breeder who has this old line left. He has bred them for 30 years on his Ranch.

So the difference is there is Rhode Island Reds, the Rhode Island Red Club of America and they have a web site and the pictures you see on this site are the dark ones. http://showbirdbid.com/coppermine/redclub/displayimage.php?pid=5#top_display_media
Look at the pictures on this site. No production reds to be seen or posted at this time.

http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/Rhode-Island-B97.aspx
The third chicken on this page is a good production chicken. All others are Rhode Island Red bantams. Notice their brick shape and dark color of the other birds.

There is the Production or Commercial Red and that is the spinoff of the old New Hampshire days and the ROP contest Reds. They are bleached out in color and have very little black in their tails and their tails are not at the angle of the Standard of Perfection.
The debate is who should be called a Rhode Island Red?
Just like Barred Plymouth Rocks so many call them Domineckers. They are not a Dominique bird which is half the size, has dirty color for the white barring and they has a Rose Comb.
All we are trying to do is help about three to five people out of one hundred who want to move up to the real Rhode Island Reds and we need their help to keep this endangered breed alive. All the others if you are happy with the Commercial Production Reds that is well with us.

If you check out the history there is only one Rhode Island Red alive today just like the Durham Short Horn Cattle.

 

[punky rooster]

is your RIR dark like this?:

or light like this?:

NOT MY BIRDS top is Bobs

 

[MTFarm]

Quote:
Need a better picture but I don't think that bird is what the breeder clams it to be...

Chris

I'm no expert but when I picked the birds up that was the only breed she had & she had quite a few. Why would she tell me that ?

1. To sell birds?

2. Because she doesn't know any better?

3. Because she knew you didn't know any better?

4. Because she doesn't care?

Lots of options as to why....

Right now I have some production reds. I would like to have heritage RIRs instead (or frankly in addition to) and also some Dominiques, but I'm not setup to hatch birds and one of our primary interests at this point was eggs. So, as I look for some laying hens that are heritage RIR and Dominiques, I'll take what I've got acknowledging my limitations and the availability of such birds given my situation. Laying age birds in production reds were pretty easy to find so I was able to stay away from the hatcheries and also see where the birds came from, a good compromise to me for our situation.

What I won't do is claim I know better than (or attempt to correct) people who have been at this for decades and are helping to keep wonderful heritage breeds alive and true to form/function. Instead, I'll offer my sincere appreciation and continue to learn from what they post.

Just a thought....

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
I'm no expert but when I picked the birds up that was the only breed she had & she had quite a few. Why would she tell me that ?

1. To sell birds?

2. Because she doesn't know any better?

3. Because she knew you didn't know any better?

4. Because she doesn't care?

Lots of options as to why....

Right now I have some production reds. I would like to have heritage RIRs instead (or frankly in addition to) and also some Dominiques, but I'm not setup to hatch birds and one of our primary interests at this point was eggs. So, as I look for some laying hens that are heritage RIR and Dominiques, I'll take what I've got acknowledging my limitations and the availability of such birds given my situation. Laying age birds in production reds were pretty easy to find so I was able to stay away from the hatcheries and also see where the birds came from, a good compromise to me for our situation.

What I won't do is claim I know better than (or attempt to correct) people who have been at this for decades and are helping to keep wonderful heritage breeds alive and true to form/function. Instead, I'll offer my sincere appreciation and continue to learn from what they post.

Just a thought....

I llike my birds either way.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Wow that is a old picture about ten years ago. Those females layed about 200 eggs per year. This was at the hight of the Mohawk line. They had great feather quaility, great brick shape layed a big extra large egg almost 2 3/4 oz and they layed heavy till they whre five to eight years old. Thanks for the picture. Will have some of these birds coming back home to me this January. I have a strain that a fellow has kept pure for 14 years. They may not look like these but I can breed them up.
bob

 

[Robert Blosl]

7 L I got a personel message and the person asked if I knew who you got your Rhode Island Red Chickens from. Did they advertize on this web site. Are they a high laying strain. Thats what this perosn wants. She is tring to get a strain of brown egg chickens that will lay a egg a day so she can start a home deleverly businnes. She has a large barn where she can raise two to three hundred females. She needs a good production strain. The Rhode Isalnd Reds that we raise will not help her make it with this bussiness .

Look forward to your reply.

I still do not know who the top three hatcherys are with production reds.

bob

 

[roverjohn]

Quote:
I don't want to hijack this thread but if all your friend wants is a bunch of brown eggs to sell why doesn't she get a barn full of Golden Comets or Amber Links? Do her customers really demand RIR eggs?

 

[Robert Blosl]

Do golden comments lay more than production reds? never heard of them. Where do they come from what hatchery.

Thought the production birds in the commercial plants where reds. Maybe I was wrong.

Got a pictrue above of some reds $40 for 25 chicks might be a good deal for my friend.

 

[kathyinmo]

Please ..... pass the nitro.

(just kidding)

Golden Comets, Productions Reds, etc .... I think there are different names with different hatcheries. They might just be different crosses that still produce, "production birds."

 

[punky rooster]

I have both and i would say they lay about the same