The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[Robert Blosl]

Quote: Just about all the new folks I have helped in the past six years on my new approach to breeding Reds came from Production birds and moved up. Heck I started with Production Light Brahmas as a kid so what I had, got rid of what I had and got what I wanted. Never looked back. When I write on this Forum I write in beginners terms. You got to start out on a 101 level. As you progress you can advance to 102 and 103 REDALOGY. There's a new term for you.

But you start slow and set your plow deep and look ahead and tell the horse to move. When you get back and turn around and look back and you got a straight farrow you plowed. You get back in with your plow tell the horse to get up and do it again. If you make a mistake you correct it and move forward. Very simple if you start off right.

In regards to the Rose Comb Mohawk Cross we are taking 194 Redlogy. I and my partner Anthony know what we are up to and what problems we are gong to see but we feel in five years we will reach our goal a Mohawk female large fowl with a great Rose Comb that will win on Champion row. For others who want Rose Combs my two right now have been posted in pictures on this thread. Keep them pure improve what you have slowly and you will be just fine. Don't ask for more faults and head aches in crossing the two strains. You are money ahead to pick the one that works best for you and if you are happy we are happy. Remember the person who carries the feed bucket is the most important person we try to help. If you are unhappy and get discussed we loose you as a valuable member of our H movement and cause. Keep posting wonderful information to learn from that's why this is the best thread on Reds in the internet.

 

[RedRidge]

Just about all the new folks I have helped in the past six years on my new approach to breeding Reds came from Production birds and moved up.

Strange story...
HRIR had been in our family for years... my great grandfather had Rose Combs in the early 1900's thru 1940 that he raised and competed all over IL and MO. When I tried to find those old lines and get back into the Rose Combs years ago, I had a hard time finding what I was looking for so... I settled for Production Reds because I got impatient in my search. Remember... I'm not a youngster... and finding these lines prior to the internet was NOT an easy task. The young folks of today just take for granted how easy information is to access with the touch of a few keys. I actually got in touch with Gary after listening to him on a radio show on a totally different topic... strange story... but...
that road led me to him and to the HRIR I have today, which I am so grateful for.
Then... with this site... the information available is SO plentiful.
As I've said before... I'm so grateful to all the experienced folks here who are willing to share their time and knowledge.

 

[Jharper]

Is this a good deal?

 

[bruceh]

Is this a good deal?

there is a big problem with buying "heritage" bred birds off eBay ads like this. the word heritage gets thrown around a lot. for starters who's line. how can it be traced. is the line pure. how did they breed them. what is your intention.. in the words of bob blosi..mixing lines can give you more trouble than you can think of.. just my 2 cents. if you want a true heritage bird. go to the web site of the rhode island red club. do your research and make your choice.infact go to jimmyj's website and read it.

 

[Jharper]

there is a big problem with buying "heritage" bred birds off eBay ads like this. the word heritage gets thrown around a lot. for starters who's line. how can it be traced. is the line pure. how did they breed them. what is your intention.. in the words of bob blosi..mixing lines can give you more trouble than you can think of.. just my 2 cents. if you want a true heritage bird. go to the web site of the rhode island red club. do your research and make your choice.

Ok should I just wait till Saturday because I will be drivin and hour and a half to go to a MAJOR buy sell trade swap thing and hoping to find some good show breeds and add a RC HRIR to my flock so that my SC HRIR isn't by her self! LOL!

 

[NestingHillsSC]

I got some great complements yesterday on Ron's birds. A guy wanted to buy a few of my Heritage Delawares. As we talked on the phone he said that he had his grandfathers HRIR's. I asked if they were the dark old fashion ones. He said yes. So he came out and as we were looking at the HDellies he asked if he could see my Reds. I was like sure. So we walked back and the first one he seen was one of the hens. He was like, WOW, what a nice dark bird that is. So I got all the birds out of the house so he could see them. He was in awe over them. He said his isn't close to that color. He couldn't believe they were just over 4 months old for there size. He also noticed the yellow legs on half of them and the horn color strips. He thought that was just awesome looking.

Then he seen Sir Walter! LOL. He was in love. LOL I think he asked me at least 5x if he could buy him. Ever time I was like, NO!!! I probably could have gotten a lot for him, but he is going to be my breeder this coming year. He said his son goes to local shows and wins sometimes. He said there's wouldn't stand a chance if I brought mine. I told him like Ron tells me, just wait for another 4 months when they really start to mature. They will even look better. He said he would agree. He asked if he could come back in a few months just to look at them. I said sure.

He said he's been in chickens his whole life and knows a lot of people in chickens. He said that in this part of the state there's nobody that has birds as good as mine. For the size and color and just overall appearance. That was probably the best complement. I just had to smile over that one.

I had to text Ron yesterday about it. Because as far as I am concerned, these are Ron's birds. I am just raising them. When I breed and hatch my first batch, then those chicks become mine. So when I texted you Ron, all these complements go to you!

Just had to share this!

 

[Jake Levi]

Our feelings exactly... I farm for a living... if we don't raise it or grow it we don't eat it... "we" meaning my family and my livestock.
I do buy nutribalancer for the chickens... and I do put ACV in their ferment about once a month.
I have never added anything to their water, added any sugar, feed any medicated feeds, or used Corid.
I've been blessed to never have an outbreak of cocci, although I've been worried about it this year with all the rain we've had so I do have some on hand since I have 60 chicks right now. Knock on wood I haven't needed it.

We freeze or cure all our meat (beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and venison) and can or freezer our fruits and veggies (mostly canned - (I canned 450 quarts last year, I haven't counted this year).
Our milk is raw cow (A2/A2 only) and sheep... and of course cheese... lots of cheese.
The grains we don't raise ourselves are raised by friends and we swap.
I do buy salt for livestock... and coffee... hubby has to have in morning coffee.

We eat only Celtic grey sea salt (which has totally eliminated the need for BP meds), and I make kefir every 48 hrs which we drink daily. The kefir has eliminated the need for nexium for hubby which he took daily for more than 10 yrs. So... no meds for us anymore and at 50 we are healthier than we've ever been.
Everyone should be so blessed. I thank the Lord every day that we are. My youngest leaves for college next month and already has her stash of canned goods (especially her favorite tomato soup) and her bottles to make her kefir. Eating healthy for her will likely be a challenge... oh to be young again...

Ditto on self suffiency, we still have venison in the freezer, that and chicken are our main meats. Home raised all we can do.

I am rehoming my Delawares this week and that will free up a pen, so I will be looking for some RC HRIRs shortly. What HRIR breeders are there here in MI? Or northern Ohio/Indiana. I will drive to pick up some, I hope for some Underwood breeding. I am open to lines. I would like either 4-5 mature, or 8-10 chicks or started birds. I'm in no hurry, I have waited a long time for these.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
I agree, http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/id67.html

 

[Fred's Hens]

I wouldn't have confidence in an ebay seller, sorry. You might hit a home run one in 3 dozen times, but the other 35 times? Nah.
Further, shipped eggs are iffy, hatch rates can be absurdly low and selling packs of 6 eggs? Really? That's kind of odd.

Why does this person still have their breeding pens running? Question I'd ask myself. Why is this person asking people to take a chance in the dead heat of mid-summer with shipped eggs? Another question I'd ask.

 

[docdandc]

I used to free feed dry grains. Now I feed fermented grains. Twice daily for chicks. Once a day for the older chickens. When they aren't free ranging (dec-feb) I feed full ration which is the equivalent of .25lb/day for my production birds and .33lbs/day for the HRIR and Rhodebars. I say equivalent because I feed by weight and my fermented grains weigh 2.25 times their weight when dry.
I do no ferment my premix/powder ingredients such as limestone, nutribalancer and fish meal, so I keep a ratio chart on the wall above my ferment buckets with the amount of premix to add each morning.
I feed BSF to the laying hens during the winter months when other animal protein isn't available, so this is calculated in for their winter ration. When they free range during the summer it is not necessary.
Hope that helps. I prefer to avoid pre bagged feeds for a variety of reasons I won't go into here, so I grind and mix my own feeds using a small hammermill. Primary grain ingredients are non-gmo corn, field peas and oats. Never soy, and always plenty of animal protein.

Thanks for the information. Great ideas. Dan