does anyone know about or heard about a Mohawk line of heratege RIR's

[americana-chick]

Never heard of them, they sound neat!

 

[Robert Blosl]

I Saw this thread yesterday after I goggled Mohawk Rhode Island Reds into my search engine and found it interesting you are talking about the old Mohawk line of large fowl Reds. This line is very rare and I doubt if there are 50 large fowl alive from this old strain today. It originated from a man in Thompson Georgia twenty years ago named E W Reese Jr. and he got his start about thirty years before that from the Hall of Fame breeder Mrs. Donald Donaldson of Decatur Georgia who started this strain in 1912 from her start with Owen Farms. In or around 1930 she purchased the famous male bird Mohawk V from Maurice Wallace of Canada for $150. She crossed this male into her line and over the years this great male appeared many times in his style and type. Mr. Reese had a male that was six years old that I saw about twenty years ago and he looked so much like this male. Mr. Reese told me he had five great pullets that came out of the same mating, but he sold them all to beginners. I found a sister from this mating and that is how I got the large fowl Reds to start to look like this hen and about ten years ago my females where some of the best layers that I ever saw in large fowl Reds. The correct size for these birds is to weigh them at about 10 months of age and you want the birds to weigh one pound over standard weight. This will give you the best size large fowl Red and the females will lay more eggs per year with plenty of meat on their frames for eating. There are a few other strains of large fowl Reds other than the old Reese line but this was a very special strain which one breeder has still kept pure. There are a few others who have got some of these large fowl one breeder is from Colorado and he will share his birds with you as he builds his strain up. There is a bantam strain that was shrunk down from these large fowl and they are now looking like the old Mohawk large fowl in a bantam size. There are other large fowl that have the name Rhode Island Reds but they are much lighter in color and these are the production reds which there are thousands out there in many homes. Just remember the old style Rhode Island Reds of the 1930s are rare. Its fun trying to keep these Heritage old lines going and you do not have to show them to breed them pure to the standard. Below is a picture of a young Bantam Male that was shrunk down from this old line of large fowl with a pullet about seven months of age.

 

[RoseMarie1]

What's the best feed to feed them? Mine are still baby chicks right now but I'd like to know what kind/brand etc. you guys feed yours?

I bought mine from Jon and he got his from Chris Herzog.