The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[henpeckedmuch]

I haven't won any shows yet, I've had a very knowledgeable breeder and judge show me where my birds need improvement. But, my heritage LF SC Rhode Island red rooster had a 94% fertility rate, a 100% of the fertile eggs hatched and survived to their present age of 8 wks. One week after I sold my Rooster and most of my hens, one of the three hens I had left decided to go broody. I decided to allow her to continue just to see if she would set the whole 21 days. I doubted that any of the 8 eggs she was setting on would be fertile. And, if fact I found one of them to be bad just a couple days ago and threw it out. Surprise, Surprise, today when I checked there were 3 little chicks running around in the hen house. She was still setting on the other eggs which were laid some days later by the other hens when my broody was off the nest, so I'll wait a few days to see what happens.
These chickens may not be look as good as I am striving for but, they are hardy, self foragers, they propagate well, go broody, lay a medium to large egg 67% of the time (6-7 eggs every 10 days) Heritage chickens so what's not to like?

 

[docdandc]

Good post's Guys! Just lurking here on the side.

 

[griffinkid02]

Ok, commenting mostly so I can find this thread again. I am so very disapointed. I have had some RIR since last June and believed they might be heritage stock. Looking at ya'lls's birds I have to admit the truth. While my birds are no where near as off color as pure production stock, they are NOT dark enough. The Roos' tails are not green enough, they all have a clear, orange lacing around the hackle feathers. However they are beautiful birds with fair, if not great, type, and might be worth improving on with better blood. But not sure. WOuldn't want to go to the trouble of finding full heritage birds and screw them up with mutt genes. I'm in East Central Alabama, anybody close to me that has the real deal and some advice?

 

[Pidgey104]

Looking for where you can order mohawk chicks. I need another rooster for my hens. Mine has the crooked tail which can't replace him til I find another.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Ok, commenting mostly so I can find this thread again. I am so very disapointed. I have had some RIR since last June and believed they might be heritage stock. Looking at ya'lls's birds I have to admit the truth. While my birds are no where near as off color as pure production stock, they are NOT dark enough. The Roos' tails are not green enough, they all have a clear, orange lacing around the hackle feathers. However they are beautiful birds with fair, if not great, type, and might be worth improving on with better blood. But not sure. WOuldn't want to go to the trouble of finding full heritage birds and screw them up with mutt genes. I'm in East Central Alabama, anybody close to me that has the real deal and some advice?

There will be some extra large fowl Mohawks this fall from South Alabama. I think you could pick them up in Clanton athe fall show in October or make a Road Trip to the Gulf Coast. I got to go see them maybe this Friday afternoon. They are the old line I use to have. Dark, brick shaped, green tailed the works. Glad others are getting them. Hopefully the Don Nelson line and this line can be spread all over the USA this year and next year. Both are great lines but should never be crossed to avoid a gene pool blow out. No reason to make a cross if you do you will have to work five years to get back to where you started. To many people have each line and can share with others in the next year. Bob

 

[monnie662]

What part of Mississippi do you live? I have 6 chicks I hatched for someone who now cannot get them because of out of town work issues.
I live in central Arkansas.
They are almost 4 weeks old.

I'm about 80 miles south of Memphis, sorta central part of MS. My little chick is only a week old. I was hoping to find one about its age, it is so tiny from eggs being banged up and it took it several days to hatch but it is running around, was touch and go the first day and night, I got up during the night to make sure it was getting nourishment it couldn't stand up at first. But I guess it is making up for it now.

 

[griffinkid02]

There will be some extra large fowl Mohawks this fall from South Alabama. I think you could pick them up in Clanton athe fall show in October or make a Road Trip to the Gulf Coast. I got to go see them maybe this Friday afternoon. They are the old line I use to have. Dark, brick shaped, green tailed the works. Glad others are getting them. Hopefully the Don Nelson line and this line can be spread all over the USA this year and next year. Both are great lines but should never be crossed to avoid a gene pool blow out. No reason to make a cross if you do you will have to work five years to get back to where you started. To many people have each line and can share with others in the next year. Bob

Awesome, thank you. I was looking closer at my birds today, after finding this thread last night, and The arn't all THAT bad, but their color is off and while the shape itself isn't too bad, they don't carry themselves properly. They do have a GORGEOUS oxblood horn bead color though, lol. I've loved that on them even before reading this thread. I see no reason to get rid of the hen I have, she does lay pretty consistently after all, but if I can get a least a pair or trio of true heritage birds then she needs not even actually pass on her genes. My bigger roo is aggressive to. He needs a good beating with a stick (no joke) about once a week to remember who the REAL alpha bird is. On the other hand, what would the neighbors do for entertainment if they didn't get to watch me sword fighting a rooster with 4ft piece of 1x1, lol.

 

[griffinkid02]

I'm thinking in hindsight (especially given that odd, deep auburn lacing on the roosters hackles) that these may be heritege-ish decent birds from someone's mutt flock. Which would explain why they look NOTHING like the production reds, but not QUITE like they are supposed to. one or two non HRIR roos in the gene pool back around great-grandroo or so's time would be all it would take to throw them off.

Then again, maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part... lol

 

[Ourfamilyflock]

Any Heritage Red breeders in the Pacific Northwest? Most of you folks are in the south east, would be afraid to have anything shipped that far. Bob you mentioned something about Kansas, thats a little closer. Anyone in Northern California, Washington, or there abouts?

 

[monnie662]

I drowned mine in the horse trough. He was a production red.