RIR Right?

[ILoveChickens01]

Are these Hens RIR? The seller is claiming so, but I am not sure.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

No - those are not RIR -- they look like red sex links.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

It may be as simple as the seller making the common (and incorrect) association of anything with "red" in the name being a Rhode Island Red - or even any chicken that is a red color....or it may be someone being intentionally misleading about what they are selling .

 

[ILoveChickens01]

It may be as simple as the seller making the common (and incorrect) association of anything with "red" in the name being a Rhode Island Red - or even any chicken that is a red color....or it may be someone being intentionally misleading about what they are selling .

Okay, bummer. I was afraid of that. Is that breed still just as good?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

What are you wanting out of the birds? Are you looking for production, pets, etc?
RSL are egg laying machines - they are a selectively cross-bred bird that is able to be sexed by color at hatch (which is where 'sex link" comes from - as their color is linked to their sex). They produce LOTS of brown eggs.
How old has the seller said they are (though, if they are being intentionally misleading about breed I'd take their assertion of age with a BIG grain of salt)? That would paly into how "good" these particular birds (vs the "breed" in general .... "" because sex link is not actually a breed) are for your intended purpose.

 

[ILoveChickens01]

Breeding. I am looking to hatch my own baby chicks

I assume RSL are not good for that?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Breeding. I am looking to hatch my own baby chicks

I assume RSL are not good for that?

They are not a bird that is generally known for broodiness, no......are you wanting to hatch with an incubator or the good ol' fashioned broody bird? If you want to use a broody there are some other breeds I would recommend. What lead you to look for RIRs? Are you wanting to produce a particular breed of bird? Do you have a rooster as of yet or will that be your next procurement?

 

[ILoveChickens01]

I would use an Incubator. I do not have a rooster yet. I don't need a RIR hen, I am looking at different breeds. This person was local and advertising that they were RIR, so I figured I would post here.

Edit:

This link also. I was looking for a breed here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/626809/top-5-backyard-chicken-breeds

Edit again:

I am not specifically looking for a breed on that list, but that is what got me interested in RIRs.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Well, since you are open on breeds - what are the characteristics you are looking for? Was there something about the RIR that drew your attention?
Things to consider would be

rate of egg production
color of the eggs
friendliness of the breed in general - do you want a pet, do you want something that prefers to be left alone, etc
cold/heat hardiness of the breed
do you like clean or feathered legs, heads and faces
are there colors you do/don't like - same with patterns
what size bird do you want
do you want something that will also make for good meat birds or just layers

 

[ILoveChickens01]

Well, since you are open on breeds - what are the characteristics you are looking for? Was there something about the RIR that drew your attention?
Things to consider would be

rate of egg production
color of the eggs
friendliness of the breed in general - do you want a pet, do you want something that prefers to be left alone, etc
cold/heat hardiness of the breed
do you like clean or feathered legs, heads and faces
are there colors you do/don't like - same with patterns
what size bird do you want
do you want something that will also make for good meat birds or just layers

By the way, I have to thank you for helping me with this. Here is my priorities:

Cold/Heat Hardiness (20 F in winter, 90 F in Summer)
Meat Birds is a plus, but not needed
Color of eggs does not matter
I would prefer a decent production rate, maybe 4+ eggs a week per hen.
Any bird size is fine.
Broodiness is not needed


What breeds am I looking at?

I would prefer to buy the birds already laying, as not to lose time in raising them. Afterwards I might raise some chicks, but I am looking for fully grown chickens. For this reason I am looking locally. I live in southeastern PA.