Chicken Breed Focus - New Hampshire

[sumi]

The New Hampshire is an American breed, developed beginning around 1910 in the New England states from the Rhode Island Red breed. The New Hampshire breeders selected for a vigorous dual purpose bird, one that would be early maturing, very fast growing, fast feathering, and producing a good table bird with hens having good egg laying ability. By the 1930’s they had successfully developed the New Hampshire to the extent where it was a popular breed choice for commercial egg production, used as crosses in the commercial broiler industry on the east coast, and were popular entries in the Chicken of Tomorrow contests which led to the development of the modern broiler industry.

It was admitted to the APA in 1935 and are very popular as show birds today. The APA recognizes one color, that being a rich chestnut red with black tail feathers. Birds kept outdoors will often find their red color is prone to fading. They are found in several other colors, including blue and white in other countries.

They are friendly birds with people, usually making good pets, and can be tamed fairly easily. They are good foragers and do well free ranging. They are vigorous and competitive and should be watched that they aren’t overly bossy with gentle breeds. They are quite cold hardy and good winter layers. The hens will go broody and are good mothers.

Though often called New Hampshire Reds, the name of the breed is New Hampshire, with the name New Hampshire Red often being used to identify a hatchery New Hampshire / Rhode Island Red cross.
There is a bantam New Hampshire, though it was developed primarily in the Netherlands.

It was recognized by the APA in 1935.
It is on The Livestock Conservancy's Watch list.

Details:

Breed purpose: Dual Purpose
Comb Type: Single
Broodiness: Occasional
Climate Tolerance: Average, Cold Hardy
Weight: roosters 8.5lbs, hens 6.5lbs
Egg Productivity: Good 200-240 year
Egg Size: Large
Egg Color: Brown


Chicks - pic by @lualshannon



New Hampshire rooster - pic by @Arizonachicken



New Hampshire rooster - pic by @kathyinmo



New Hampshire hen - pic by @Barred Rocker



New Hampshire hen sunning - pic by @little farmer

BYC Breed reviews:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/new-hampshire-red

General breed discussions & FAQ threads:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/581950/german-new-hampshire/1620_20
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/290040/new-hampshire-breed-thread/280_20
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/738646/new-hampshire-red-thread/180_20


Do you own New Hampshires? Are you a New Hampshire breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:

· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

We have a bunch of other awesome breed-focus threads for you to enjoy. You can see all of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-project.975504/

 

[JessHeller]

.
Love my NH, Mathilda, she has a sweet nature and her crooked comb is very cute

 

[mymilliefleur]

New Hampshire's are one of my favorite breeds! The hens are good layers and very docile so make great pets. The roosters grow out well, and make great meat birds if you are looking for a tasty alternative to the Cornish X.
For those looking to purchase NH's I recommend getting them from a local breeder, as hatchery quality NH's can vary substantially in both color (from dark red with black speckles to buff) and size.

 

[Latestarter]

Hey there @dima guy

! I live on the front range in Colorado. Last winter we had a 2 week period with night temps of 10-15 below zero. Couple of things you need to address in freezing weather, especially with large combed birds, but more or less with all of them:

1. Moisture is a killer! Combine cold with wet and it's a recipe for sick/dead birds. You need as much ventilation as you can get, without causing...
2. Drafts/cold wind directly on your birds... You NEED the ventilation, but it's best if you have incoming air down low away from where the birds roost, and out-flowing air high up above where the birds roost. Natural convection (heat rises) will carry moisture (bird sweat if you will) up, away, and out of the coop. The droppings (poop) in the litter are not a huge concern right now as they will be freezing solid and not be an issue (moisture) until they thaw, but then moisture won't be as much of an issue (no longer freezing). chickens will survive in 40 below temps outside as long as they aren't wet and there's little wind. They have a natural down/feather blanket covering them remember?
3. Even low amounts of moisture in very cold air can cause frostbite on your bird's combs, wattles and toes.... kinda just like on humans if you substitute ears for combs and noses/chins for wattles. Rub/wipe/smear/coat/cover the combs and wattles with a petroleum based/oil based substance like Vaseline/bag balm/Vitamin A&D/even triple antibiotic. They won't like it, trust me, but they'll benefit from it. Do NOT use water based products! We're trying to prevent moisture on the birds skin surface, which will freeze.
4. Look at your roosts... chicken paws are not really designed to grip/perch like a wild bird. Though they can, it's not best. If they have a flat(er) larger surface they can lower themselves down on, and cover their toes with feathers, then you don't have to worry so much about frostbitten/frozen toes.
5. Cold weather means heavier energy consumption to keep warm... just like for us. I tend to up the fat content in their food a little during winter to give them more to burn off and keep warm. Remember... it takes protein to burn fat, so upping that a bit is also a good thing.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[ShrekDawg]

They're dual purpose I thought? They were comparing them to solely meat birds like Cornish, Cornish Xs, and like rainbow rangers, etc. I think. NHR can be used for meat and probably often are but they're not "meat birds" I think is what they mean, especially when the meaties it's usually 8-12 weeks and dual purpose or heritage ones usually take longer to mature so I think they were surprised

 

[JessHeller]

Hey @Latestarter I am also on the Front Range in Colorado. Where abouts are you located? I'm in Longmont. Kinda of fun to see someone else on here in who is in the same locale.

 

[Hugz21]

I have one new Hampshire hen named Magenta. She's a total sweetie who loves to cuddle (my avatar picture is her when she was about 3 weeks old). She can be a little bossy, but in a maternal kind of way. 8 weeks old in the attached picture

 

[edgarmongold]

Bit late posting as found this thread on another Google search.
There are two different types colors and maturity level for both meat and egg production.
One is being called American New Hampshire and the other German New Hampshire.
While there is quite a difference between the two the name recognized by American Poultry Association and American Bantam Association is New Hampshire.
No American no German New Hampshire and no Red added to end as New Hampshire Red.
Every other adjective added to New Hampshire is more a marketing name to distinguish it from the others.
If it isn’t ready to butcher at 16 to 20 weeks old and laying around 5 months old you might want to reevaluate what you are raising no matter what name they were sold as.
They’re not a tall rangy breed as they would need more time to put on meat and mature to start laying.
Attached are a couple of pictures of New Hampshires that live up to their purpose and heritage.
Carcasss are a New Hampshire and Barred Rock cockerels at between 16 and 20 weeks old.
Chicks are for cute factor.
Good Shepherd Ranch Frank Reese JR and Sustainable Poultry Network Jim Adkins are the 2 farms that I am familiar with that maintains the dual purpose New Hampshire large fowl.

 

[N F C]

Those roosters sure are handsome.

Another interesting breed to learn about, thanks Sumi!

 

[luvmigirls]

Very pretty! Didnt know they were their own distinct breed. Even APA recognized since 1935! Great informative article.