The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[cmom]

And I see some say use the same cock rotated through all three pens or I could use a different cock and then use uncle/niece or aunt/nephew pairings the next year?

Yes. I don't rotate but some do. I have a chosen male with chosen females for the traits I'm looking for. The fellow who started this thread Bob Blosil who unfortunately passed away a few years ago but knew his birds. I believe he did rotate his male of choice. I think he actually posted on it. I usually have two breeding males for each breed I have. I have rotated but don't make it a practice. Good luck and have fun...
http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/id55.html

This is for Rotational Line Breeding White Plymouth Rocks but will work for other breeds as well,
http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/id60.html

 

[cmom]

I hatch out a few hundred chicks each year. I usually have around 500 birds I maintain. I do sell a few and most of the males except the ones I keep for breeding. My avatar is some of my coops.

 

[moving coops]

I hatch out a few hundred chicks each year. I usually have around 500 birds I maintain. I do sell a few and most of the males except the ones I keep for breeding. My avatar is some of my coops.

That is really nice, yes I am
More thinking winter challenges with separate pens of many’s families for each breed. Summer would work better for us as we can do chicken tractors.

But winters here, no way - and winters are long. -20 to -25 if the normal temps and for many periods we get -30 to -35. Then yes colder does happen too! Last year we had a very very bad stretch for 8 weeks, never saw anything like it. We had heat in the coop and the cold was even over riding it and froze the water. Which was our pump. Not good.
It was cold -36 to -42 for 8 weeks with only a couple days break twice were it was -20. When it went that long the cold started just penetrating the walls of the insulated coop and heaters!! The heaters could not keep up to that. It was a super expensive winter for us in heating the chickens. Don’t want to do that again.

 

[moving coops]

So why I am racking my brain on how to do my winter set up with so many families as I always want them to have a good amount of space to roam as long winter inside.. but to break the coop into many small pens does not make sense as long winter to be cooped like that. And can’t just go outside to roam more room!

But if your doing 4 to 5 females then that works with my set up, though I have to pair down one more of my other breeds so I can get serious with my Rhode Island’s Reds!

We are a very large family and climate is a challenge and we are excited about working with a breed that seems truly duo purpose but also hardy. And beautiful to behold at the same time.

We go through a lot of eggs for eating itself let alone what we hatch out.

And to many heritage breeds just can’t perform up here like they do else where and how they are written about in chicken books and their description.

 

[cmom]

I'm taking a few young males to the Dunnellon, FL., TSC Farm Swap tomorrow.

 

[marius86]

Good day
I got my first RIR pair and would like your expert opinions if they are of good standards

 

[cmom]

Please post some pictures. I raise both Rose Comb and Single Comb Rhode Island Reds. Here is a SC hen and some SC cockerels.

 

[marius86]

 

[cmom]

Do your birds belong to any particular line? Here is one of my birds you can compare yours to. This is a cockerel I sold to a young girl. She showed him in the youth show and he was a champion.

This is male was a champion at a show. He did somehow cut his comb so I no longer show him but have gotten a lot of very nice chicks from him.

The light makes the birds look lighter in color than they actually are.

This is a son to my other male.

 

[marius86]

No not that I am aware off, I got them at a local poultry show, I am from south africa
Thanks for the comparison photos I will compare my chickens to them