Lacing on RIR?

[klcabe]

Granted, this is a hatchery bird, but the other RIR I got with this one looks normal. Any idea what might be going on with this one's markings??

 

[Cyan Night]

Some of them just seem to have that light colored lacing kind of look. My RIR has it too, but it's not really lacing. It is very pretty though

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

You don't have Rhode Island Reds. You have Production Reds, which are just what they sound like: red birds bred to make lots of eggs. Hatcheries sometimes sell them as Rhode Island Reds, but to my mind that's just as much fraud as calling Easter Eggers Ameraucana/Araucanas.

True RIR would not have this color gradation, would be mahogany colored (instead of the red that your bird shows), and would have black in the hackles and tail.

 

[klcabe]

Oh how nice. :-( They do have black in the tail and hackles. They came from Meyer, I think..

 

[Fred's Hens]

True bred birds are not what hatcheries do.

Those production oriented reds will lay you lots of eggs. Keep them healthy and enjoy them. Unless one is a breeder, improving the birds and preserving them for others to enjoy, it really doesn't matter. Backyard eggers? They'll be just fine.

 

[klcabe]

I'm sure they will, but RIR is what I thought I was paying for is all.

 

[Chris09]

True RIR would not have this color gradation, would be mahogany colored (instead of the red that your bird shows), and would have black in the hackles and tail.

I just wanted to add to and clarify that the black in the hackles should be ticking and not lacing or a solid black hackle.

 

[hdowden]

RIR also have black on the wings.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I just wanted to add to and clarify that the black in the hackles should be ticking and not lacing or a solid black hackle.

Quite true. I was not specific enough.

To the OP: I totally agree with Fred's Hens. Production Red are very nice birds, in the same way that Easter Eggers are very nice birds--just not what you thought you were buying. I think people who get Production Red instead of RIR should complain to the hatchery the same way that people who got EEs instead of Ameraucana have started to complain. After all, Meyer is one of the only hatcheries in the country to actually label its EEs as such, and to sell purebred Ameraucana as well. They just started that last year, maybe? So they are congnizant of the problem.

It's a problem of education at this point, again exactly like the EE/Ameraucana problem.