My Rhode Island Red Rooster

[SlaveJud]

This is Tails. He is our boy and a very good tempered boy at that. He doesn’t attack me and only bites my husband. He is still very protective of the girls and will attack others that try to go to my coop. ( I consider that a good thing)
The problem is that half of white feather on his butt. The person I bought him from turned out to be completely untrustworthy. The person I bought him from does have a show quality RIR rooster but I’m highly doubt that the show rooster is actually Tails father. Sometimes Tails will grow 1 partially white feather on his butt usually once a year around / after molting time. It quickly goes away quickly but it still really really bothers me.
My husband and I have recently decided to start hatching our own eggs, mostly for personal use. And if someone wants my extra chicks and asks me about breed how can I honestly say if he is actually a red? I don’t want to lie to someone as I was lied to.... I’m not trying to make show babies. Just chicks for my own personal use. I’m just asking for if someone gets any extra chicks I end up with.
No worries about his comb, it got bitten off when he was a baby. And no worries about the girls, we have new one from a new set in our baby box
Oh and I have a different thread on here somewhere. Please disregard it. I am trying but this site is extremely difficult to use.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Important to know: Chickens don't have pedigrees. The closest a chicken comes to having a pedigree is something like "he's from Dave Smith's line of Orpingtons." Because of this, if a chicken fits the RIR breed standard, it's an RIR. If it looks like a recognised colour of Ameraucana and it lays blue eggs, it's an Ameraucana. (Conversely, some very well-bred lines of, say, barred Ameraucanas, an Ameraucana colour not recognised by the APA, are technically mutts, because they fit no known breed standard.) I personally am quite happy with this status quo.

He's an RIR. Sometimes, a Labrador has a random white toe, or a spot on his chest. Sometimes, a chicken has a random white or black feather. It's not always a sign of poor breeding or mixed breeding, just a thing that happens.

You're taking these pictures at a rather odd angle, but he doesn't actually appear to be a bad quality RIR. I'd go ahead and sell/give away chicks as pure RIR, just don't make claims that he can compete at national level or anything. And be aware that some of your hens appear to be Production Reds rather than Rhode Island Reds.

 

[SlaveJud]

Important to know: Chickens don't have pedigrees. The closest a chicken comes to having a pedigree is something like "he's from Dave Smith's line of Orpingtons." Because of this, if a chicken fits the RIR breed standard, it's an RIR. If it looks like a recognised colour of Ameraucana and it lays blue eggs, it's an Ameraucana. (Conversely, some very well-bred lines of, say, barred Ameraucanas, an Ameraucana colour not recognised by the APA, are technically mutts, because they fit no known breed standard.) I personally am quite happy with this status quo.

He's an RIR. Sometimes, a Labrador has a random white toe, or a spot on his chest. Sometimes, a chicken has a random white or black feather. It's not always a sign of poor breeding or mixed breeding, just a thing that happens.

You're taking these pictures at a rather odd angle, but he doesn't actually appear to be a bad quality RIR. I'd go ahead and sell/give away chicks as pure RIR, just don't make claims that he can compete at national level or anything. And be aware that some of your hens appear to be Production Reds rather than Rhode Island Reds.

Angel of camera is because if a hen named midget on my shoulder so my apologies. I did not know that chickens was so lax in their lines. I appreciate all the info. I never planned on trying to pass Tails off as a show rooster, I just didn’t want to lie to anyone who asked me what bread he is. I know how angry I am at the person who sold him to me and I don’t ever want anyone who gets my chicks to feel the same way I feel.
As far as the girls go, they are all being rehomed in late January/ Early February. The new girls are in the baby box and about 6-8 weeks old and came from a completely different location.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

Not everyone is like it, but I've had an experience in a different breed (a Golden Polish) rooster we were trying to sell. They asked for photos and because he had one certain coloration on the tip of his feathers on his back they refused to buy him. Mind you, we never advertised him as show quality- they wanted him for it but were not very nice after receiving photos.

If you advertise them as the breed and just talk with folks honestly, that coloration may never matter to them! They may just be looking for a pet and not once consider show quality. I hope you don't fret over it too much and have great experiences with the rooster/future chicks.