One says Production Reds, one says Rhode Island Reds; what do YOU say?

[Chris09]

Quote:
Some say that, however, Ideal sells both Production Reds and RIRs. I've seen them in the feedstore. I bought their RIRs with my original flock and the one girl I have left is almost as dark as my breeder quality RIRs, however, her body type is quite different. I think that production reds can also have New Hampshire Red blood in them, a cross, though not sexlinked.

I think your right that production red can be eather RIR or New Hampshire blood in them...
Chris

 

[Shesapip]

Sonoran Silkies wrote

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't a production red or a production RIR simply a hatchery quality RIR? The lighter coloured feathers (as compared with exhibition birds) indicating that it was not bred for plumage and conformation qualityh, but rather that the focus was on egg/meat production?

If a production red hen lays 6 eggs a week like my RIRs, then I'm okay with that, since it's eggs I'm after. I didn't get them from a feed store, but from a young farmer of barely a year's experience.

The productions red roos I had "processed" were skinny at 5-6 months and did not strike me as being built for meat. They had pellets available at all times and got fruit, greens, corn and sunflower supplements but nonetheless were quite thin. If they are meat birds, I need to start a thread about why my doted-on, healthy, active juveniles were so thin.

I'm going to post pics of my adult RIRs here to see if they're true to breed.
Chris09, thanks for your pics. My kids seem red in comparison.​

 

[sunket77]

they look like my productions, I was told they where dual purpose bird. But then I also found out my Amerucauna's are really EE. Really doesn't matter to me though they are just for pets and eggs. My productions are some of the sweetest birds I have (I have three) I am not sure if it is a trait of the breed or not but all three are very tame and easy to handle. They run up to me and sit and wait for me to pick them up and don't run away.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Quote:
Some say that, however, Ideal sells both Production Reds and RIRs. I've seen them in the feedstore. I bought their RIRs with my original flock and the one girl I have left is almost as dark as my breeder quality RIRs, however, her body type is quite different. I think that production reds can also have New Hampshire Red blood in them, a cross, though not sexlinked.

I think your right that production red can be eather RIR or New Hampshire blood in them...
Chris

It looks like it depends on which hatchery your chickens come from.
Ideal's PRs are a mix of New Hampshire & RIR, while McMurray only has one type of "RIR" - the production type. This is copied and pasted from their RIR description:
"Outstanding for production qualities, they have led the contests for brown egg layers time after time. No other heavy breed lays more or better eggs than the Rhode Island Reds. Our "production" strain is keeping up the fine reputation of this old favorite. Baby chicks are a rusty red color and the mature birds are a variety of mahogany red."

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
I think your right that production red can be eather RIR or New Hampshire blood in them...
Chris

It looks like it depends on which hatchery your chickens come from.
Ideal's PRs are a mix of New Hampshire & RIR, while McMurray only has one type of "RIR" - the production type. This is copied and pasted from their RIR description:
"Outstanding for production qualities, they have led the contests for brown egg layers time after time. No other heavy breed lays more or better eggs than the Rhode Island Reds. Our "production" strain is keeping up the fine reputation of this old favorite. Baby chicks are a rusty red color and the mature birds are a variety of mahogany red."

Right.. Some hatcheries cross a RIR with New Hampshire which isn't all that bad to a point because there just adding more RIR blood in the New Hampshire.. So you will get a light color RIR or a dark color New Hampshire.
Now other hatcheries may cross the RIR with a Single Comb Leghorn. RIR's out of this cross are light in color some might have white feathers in them...
There might be other types of "RIR" out there but these are the two I have herd about...
Chris