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Rhode Island Red

Rhode Island Reds are one of the most popular and oldest known breeds of chicken and was developed mainly in Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the mid 1840's.
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General Information

Breed Purpose
Dual Purpose
Comb
Single
Broodiness
Seldom
Climate Tolerance
Cold
Egg Productivity
High
Egg Size
Large
Egg Color
Brown
Breed Temperament
Friendly, Easily handled, Calm,
Breed Colors/Varieties
The Rhode Island Red is only recognised in Red.
Breed Size
Large Fowl
APA/ABA Class
American
Color
Red or white
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Most often when one thinks of Rhode Island Red they are thinking of the Large Fowl Rhode Island Red, as it is one of the oldest known breeds of chicken and was developed mainly in Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the mid 1840's. The first birds were bred in Little Compton, RI with the use of a Black Breasted Red Malay cock who was imported from England. This Rooster can actually still be seen on display in the Smithsonian Institution as the father of the breed.

The breed was accepted into the American Poultry Association in 1904.

The breed was developed to withstand the harsh New England winters and be a very hardy bird who produced hens with excellent large egg yields and who also would dress out well and look nice on the table, a true dual purpose bird. While the names and places of origin are the same, the Rhode Island White is actually a distinct breed separate from the Rhode Island Red per the American Poultry Association and will be featured in another Breed Focus thread.

The Rhode Island Red breed comes in both large fowl and bantam size and and single as well as rose comb varieties can be found readily.

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Rhode Island Red eggs

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Rhode Island Red chicks

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Rhode Island Red rooster

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Rhode Island Red juvenile

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Rhode Island Red hen

For more info on Rhode Island Reds and their owners' and breeders' experiences with them, see our breed discussion here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-rhode-island-red.1021447/
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Latest reviews

Fluffy_Moth_With_Silkies
Pros: Great for eggs and meat
Stereotypical roos
Very pretty
Not very broody
Cons: Males are kind of aggressive
Great birds! The roos are very pretty and the hens are very sweet.
These are the birds you think of when you think of a rooster.
Great review, love it, good job!
Addicted To Chickens
Pros: Friendly
Easy to hold
Good laying production
Cons: Scaredy
RIRs are a very good laying breed and I would highly recommend them for eggs. They can also be mean to the other chickens.
Mary Poopins Love
Pros: Good layers

Friendly ( most times )
Cons: Can be VERY agressive

Broody often
I have four RIR hens. they are good layers most times, however they go broody often in my flock. Three of my four hens are friendly and social, but nugget, the mean one acted very agressivly to me and is a bully to Mary Poopins and fuzzy.
Purchase Price
Free ( from neighbors )
Purchase Date
2022
Read more…

Comments

Ladyorchid
I am wondering why mine are not so friendly and they don't seem to like any kind of treat.. they are young but I thought that a treat would help make them more friendly they just seem to freak when I come close to them. I have only caught one of them once and that was only cause she was kinda trapped and couldn't get to the other one. I have since fixed that problem with getting trapped.
 
matt1898
I have three and they were very skiddish for a while. I bought/raised them with 4 Americana's and wasn't able to "play" with them as much as I'd like. However, at around 4 months of age(and after having moved them in with older birds) they very quickly became docile and no longer feared me or anyone. I'm not really sure why, but they now are very tame, almost as much as my buff orpingtons. They are also very curious birds.....always walking up to me and watching as I work on their pen.
 
The Mother Hen
I actually had some bad experiences with RIR's. I've had many die in the heat and so that too is a con. If you live in a dry area it is best not to get Roadies because the heat CAN kill them easily. I love this breed, but I plan not to get any more.
 
posshaven
My RIR came to me and got sick the next day. It tool a few months for her to get better. She is lovely and healthy now and at 40 wks is finally getting a red comb. She is at the bottom of the pecking order and is very quiet. Started tamish but untouchable now. I got them at 16wks. She is a lovely natured bird and does love her food scraps!
 
DuginMT
My family had RIR free range chickens when I was growing up. We seemed to get plenty of eggs. Now I have two young (22 week old) RIR pullets that have started laying, about 5-6 nice small to medium brown eggs per week. One of them was pecked on the tail until showing blood, but she is healing up now. My two do not seem to be mean and will tolerate being held and petted. I am glad I got a couple of them in my flock of 13, they are doing well. I have noted that they are excellent foragers when I let them out in my yard every night. A good all-around chicken!
 
Bill Matthews
Great review...Commercialized RIR'S are great chickens....It is just another of the many myths that ALL Commercialized Reds are mean and nasty...Some are ...Some are not...And by the way, they are rarely if ever crossed with White Leghorns for better egg production...
 
hosspak
Sorry to hear that the honeymoon is over. My Maran roo was mean at first and still at times when we let him out he will turn his side towards me and stomp his feet, so I just stomp back at him and he remembers who's boss. Regarding the pecking, you should return the pecks to him and he will learn that you are in charge. But stop showing him the love maybe he will return it someday. I would separate him if possible to keep the little ones safe.
 
dkatz99
that is where i draw the line. the roosters do get agressive as they grow up - they are after all, providers and protectors of their ladies. but, hurting one of the hens is not acceptable. i put up with the most beautful rooster for almost an year - he thought he was the boss in the yard. the first time he pecked one of the hens so she was bleeding on her head - he turned into a delicious soup.
 
House of Lange
I'm having the same issue with my four boys ...they are currently not with any other chickens...just the Fab 4 as I call them, 2 are getting aggressive...towards me and people...and cats. Not sure what to do.
 
Connie Winner
I have 7 roos all turned out "free range" of course they hang around the chicken coop in hopes to be inside.....they are all getting along and fly to the top of the coop (outside) at night. Not sure where they will go when bad weather gets here! There is a hay barn they could go in if they are smart enough, but it is a little distance from the hens. They aren't mean to people yet, but if that happens, not sure they or he, will be anything but BBQ!!! Out of the 7 5 were bought as "hens" guess I better contat the tack store and tell them the supplier goofed!!!
 
cls82
My RIR is the sweetest chicken alive. She is ecstatic to see me everyday (multiple times a day), squeaks like crazy when she sees me, abandons whatever she is doing and runs full speed whenever she hears my voice, *loves* to be held, stroked, and rubbed, constantly falls asleep in my arms and lap, jumps on my back and shoulders, lays on my feet, comes when I call her, snuggles up to my body, and will actually throw a fit if I do not pick her up when she wants (she will squeal and squeak, chase me and rub up against my legs and jump at me if I ignore her) and she loves to eat my hair, haha. She actually flew into the window screen because I was talking to her thru the open window yesterday!! She was excited to see me and wanted to be in my arms!! My others- silkie, americana and buff orphington couldn't care less about me.
 
ald
My RI Red roo Spike was also a meanie. But he and a Barred Rock hen hatched a son who is the sweetest rooster (Baby Huey) in the world. We had father and son for a while, and the mean father was dominating the son. Two roosters is one too many for my backyard flock. We finally gave away the old mean rooster to a farm that needed a red stud.
 
Cheryl1948
I have 15 chicks I got in August (7 different breeds) One chick is a RIR and she totally freaks out when I get near her. She has seen me hold others and love them, but she will NOT let me get close. :( Maybe someday she'll get over her fear of me.
 

Item information

Category
Chicken Breeds
Added by
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Views
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Watchers
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Comments
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Reviews
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Last update
Rating
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