The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Quote:
That is correct, cmom. The primary wing feathers also come in sooner on females.

 

[FourShuesFarm]

A question on the Standard of Perfection books. I saw one the 1900's online as a PDF. Is there any difference in wording from the original and the latest version as it pertains to RIR's?

 

[gojira]

A question on the Standard of Perfection books. I saw one the 1900's online as a PDF. Is there any difference in wording from the original and the latest version as it pertains to RIR's?

Yes, there are differences in wording from the early standards til now. If you are talking about the 1910 standard, it says the tail angle for males is 45 degrees, and it is now 20 degrees. If no one else gives a complete list of differences before then, I will try to compare the standards later. Cmom posted something not long ago that should be close to the current wording.

 

[FourShuesFarm]

Well I suppose Ill just spend the $60 for a brand new copy. All I am really interested in is the RIR section, however there is a bunch of other good information so it won't be a waste of money. Anyways, today I had to build a bigger brooder. The small one (36" diameter) I built for them didn't last long. It lasted 15 days as a matter of fact. The new one is 2'x6'x18" it should last much longer. They are running all over now and having all sorts of chicken fun. The cat like this brooder better becuase it low to the ground and she can see them real good. I am not real happy about the cat these days.

I am sure you all know what the various stages of the RIR chicks look like, regardless I still want to post some pics of my little ones.

 

[4stakes]

I noticed that the wing feathers hang away from the body of a couple of your chicks. We have a couple RIR chicks also doing that. Is that common for some chicks to do that? Our Orpington and Leghorn chicks didn't do that. Thanks, Kevin

 

[FourShuesFarm]

I'll be honest, I did notice it, but don't really know what I am doing with respect to standards. Maybe some of the breeders here will chime in. Maybe it's bad genetics, I'd be guessing at best.

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

I'll be honest, I did notice it, but don't really know what I am doing with respect to standards. Maybe some of the breeders here will chime in. Maybe it's bad genetics, I'd be guessing at best.

It may not be anything more than the chicks trying to regulate body temperature. If they get too warm, they'll droop their wings and hold them away from their bodies. If you're using infrared bulb(s), try moving up a little. If it's too warm, chicks will spread out. Too cold, they huddle together.

 

[FourShuesFarm]

They huddle at night, but wander all around during the day. They are super healthy

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Quote:
If they are scattered during the day, it may be too warm in the brooder. They naturally huddle at night, but they should also scurry under the heat source during the day. Think of chicks with a broody hen. They'll come out from under her to eat, drink, and explore. When they get cool, they go back under her to warm up. Your brooder should simulate this. Move the heat farther away. If it's too warm, they'll stay away from the heat source all day. If it's too cool, they'll huddle together during the day and chirp loudly. Find the sweet spot between cold and hot, and your chicks will be perfectly content. You should reduce the heat in the brooder 5F every week until it's 70F, at which time your chicks should be feathered enough to not need external heat. Your chicks are a few weeks old, right? They don't need as much heat as they did the first week. -5F for each week.

 

[FourShuesFarm]

They are a couple of days past 2 weeks old now. I built a larger brooder. It's 2ft. X 6 ft and 18" deep. I just went and checked and when sleeping there is a big dog pile of birds and a couple scattered just outside the pile. They have a ton of room to move away from the heat, and they are moved away from a direct line of it. I'm using the 125 watt infared white light bulb. I think for future flocks, I'm going with a ceramic bulb.