As I was reading thru this thread, learning about a thing or two (really, ALOT) about the RIRs. What I am amazed about the fact of the origin when the RIR started.
I am a CW reenactor and sometimes I see folks bringing in game bird fowls to these events to show people that these are the breeds existed in the US around the Civil War time about 1860-1866. These breeds were the ones you would have seen in farmer's backyards and white chickens were unheard of or a very strong dislike because of predator problems.
Many CW folks told me the only breed existed were the gamebirds, Dark Cornish (non commercial fast kind of meat), Dominques, Barred Rocks, Javas and Cochins. Now I am glad to see that the RIR may have been around when the War between the states were going on, and what the soldiers would have seen at that time. Surely they would have eaten them for supper or raiding some poor folk's chicken coop of their prized RIR for their dinners.
So how many strains are out there?
Im still in the dark about strains and lines......my brain farted when some comments by a Marans breeder has lost me in the first paragraph. I raise Welsummers and trying to get some headway where I would have use strains and lines. I thought its the same.
I am a CW reenactor and sometimes I see folks bringing in game bird fowls to these events to show people that these are the breeds existed in the US around the Civil War time about 1860-1866. These breeds were the ones you would have seen in farmer's backyards and white chickens were unheard of or a very strong dislike because of predator problems.
Many CW folks told me the only breed existed were the gamebirds, Dark Cornish (non commercial fast kind of meat), Dominques, Barred Rocks, Javas and Cochins. Now I am glad to see that the RIR may have been around when the War between the states were going on, and what the soldiers would have seen at that time. Surely they would have eaten them for supper or raiding some poor folk's chicken coop of their prized RIR for their dinners.
So how many strains are out there?
Im still in the dark about strains and lines......my brain farted when some comments by a Marans breeder has lost me in the first paragraph. I raise Welsummers and trying to get some headway where I would have use strains and lines. I thought its the same.