RIR Breed Thread

[IggiMom]

I like RIR's. I always have a few others, but my favorite birds are always the Rhode Island Reds.

I don't show. I am in it for the eggs, although I like the chickens just for themselves. I just an incubator full of RIR eggs, so I hope they hatch out nicely.

I did think I would try crossing my Welsummer roo with a Rhode Island Red lady one of these days, just to see if I would get a slightly darker egg from a chicken that looked much like a Rhode Island Red.

Those Pine Grove birds are certainly very pretty indeed.

Catherine

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Is that typical, that RIRs don't lay earlier? I know the production types are bred to lay earlier, but the show quality or breeder quality ... do they start laying much later?

Rosecomb RIR ... I would love to try them, too!

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
It is common for some of the larger show breeds. I have Single and Rose Reds and most of them take about a 10 to 12 months till they start to lay....
( You can look at it like this, as long as a hen is growing she isn't ready/going to lay) My Horstman hens take a year to fill out and start looking real good...

Chris

 

[greathorse]

I have some from both Rademacher and Greg Chamness, they started laying at 36 weeks I guess that is about 9 months. The nice Wyandottes that I have started at about the same time. I think it is worth it.

 

[IggiMom]

I don't understand that. My RIR's have always started laying at about 5 months. They are not huge birds, but they are not supposed to be, are they? It seems to me that they should start laying at about 5 months and lay pretty well.

Are you talking about show type birds?

I am not trying to be argumentive here, just trying to understand.

My RIR's are hatchery birds, although the ones I am hatching out now, the eggs came from Taterschicken, and they look like nice eggs. She has pretty birds, I think. She sent me a lot of eggs, I am excited about them.

Catherine

 

[Katy]

RIRs from a hatchery are not like the RIRs some of the others are talking about. I had some nice non-hatchery ones and they were probably at least 8 months when they started laying. Hatchery birds are bred for quantity, not quality.

 

[IggiMom]

So then, Katy, would you expect them to lay longer?

Catherine

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Yes. They often don't lay as many eggs per week, but they also don't wear themselves out like a lot of the hatchery birds do. The older a pullet is when she starts laying the less problems she's likely to have such as becoming eggbound or internal laying.

 

[IggiMom]

Ok, that's interesting. Thanks.

I never heard of internal laying.

Catherine

 

[greathorse]

Those eggs you got from Taters chickens should be very representative of the true RIR that you hear about. She got her starter stock from a very good breeder and that person got them from one of the finer breeders in the country.

I think you will be very impressed with the difference that you see in the birds themselves, but you should not be concerned or surprised if Tates RIR dont start laying until they are beyond 34 to 36 weeks old and maybe even older. Once they start you will know it is worth the wait

I wish you the best with your hatch and you will very much like the hens you get from those eggs.