Quote:
That really sums it up. Do you have Rhode Island Reds? Yes you do but they are not of a line that has been selected to conform to the standard as defined by the APA. I suspect your are much more productive layers than the standard version as birds such as yours have been selected for productivity. It's not a case of better than it's a case of different from.
Which is what it all comes down to. Unless they have been crossed to some other breed or variety they are ALL Rhode Island Reds. SOME have been selected to conform to the cosmetic standards of the APA, SOME were selected with rate of lay, growth rate, and early maturity in mind, and SOME were not selected for much of anything other than looking more or less like a Rhode Island Red. This whole "heritage" and "production red" business is only serving to confuse people.
But this has been going on for a hundred years now so it's not like it's a new issue. The folks who keep birds for their practical qualities and the folks who keep birds for their cosmetic qualities largely parted company many decades ago and likely the twain will never meet again.
That really sums it up. Do you have Rhode Island Reds? Yes you do but they are not of a line that has been selected to conform to the standard as defined by the APA. I suspect your are much more productive layers than the standard version as birds such as yours have been selected for productivity. It's not a case of better than it's a case of different from.
Which is what it all comes down to. Unless they have been crossed to some other breed or variety they are ALL Rhode Island Reds. SOME have been selected to conform to the cosmetic standards of the APA, SOME were selected with rate of lay, growth rate, and early maturity in mind, and SOME were not selected for much of anything other than looking more or less like a Rhode Island Red. This whole "heritage" and "production red" business is only serving to confuse people.
But this has been going on for a hundred years now so it's not like it's a new issue. The folks who keep birds for their practical qualities and the folks who keep birds for their cosmetic qualities largely parted company many decades ago and likely the twain will never meet again.