SOP Breeders: How many to hatch yearly and pen sizes?

[cmom]

Planning on starting to breed RIR's this year. Had anyone else bred them?

(P.S. Love your signature @Chickenaddition )

I raise both Rose Comb and Single Comb Rhode Island Reds.
Here is one of my Single Comb females that was a champion at a show.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Don't you love how the dark mahogany contrast with bright yellow legs? Beautiful bird. I saw some nice RIR at Northeast last month too. Great breed.

 

[cmom]

I just finished moving birds around for this years breeding season. Later in the month I'll do a test hatch with the breeders I picked out to breed this year. I have some very nice birds from last years breedings I'm planning on showing at a show next month.

 

[cmom]

For anyone who is thinking of breeding for show quality, I suggest going to a show as an observer and check out the birds. You may be able to make arrangements to buy some potential show quality birds at the shows.

 

[SBFChickenGirl]

Actually, @SBFChickenGirl I'm not finding a more current thread. Maybe I imagined one. This one is excellent for solid background, but old:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/4939417

Maybe we can get @cmom to pop in here and discuss with you, she breeds exhibition RIR.

Thanks for the link @Mosey2003. I should have clarified though. I already have a breeder, but I was wondering what people's experiences had been with them. Btw @cmom your RIR's are beautiful. I hope mine turn out to be half as good as yours.

 

[cmom]

Rule of thumb is you'll get a good quality (breeder) bird in ten hatched. You'll get a show quality in every hundred.

Obviously mileage varies as to the quality of birds and choices made in mating. But the numbers is why many old breeders suggest you start with one breed. See how it goes before jumping in both feet with multiple breeds. Trying to do too much wont do justice to each breed and you have to get some test runs in on your facilities to see just how many birds you can max out in it.

I'm at 40 to 50 hatched a year. That's about what I can do. Building a new coop this spring and plan on that growing closer to one hundred. Pulled on a second variety but same breed this past weekend. Being the same breed allows me to cross when the need to certain attributes arise in one variety. Doing such things means a generation or two moving it back to proper variety color. But you get the idea. I'm small and after four years with one variety pulled on another of same breed. Can do this only because I'm expanding facilities this spring.

I hatch out 200/300 hundred chicks each year. Of course around half of the chicks hatched will be males. I do not sell my chicks. I grow them out to pick out my future breeders. You can be a breeder or a propagator. I do my best at following the SOP. I do show my birds. As long as I can afford it I'll do it, so as long as I can afford to feed them while they are growing out, I will. I do have some birds in general population pens where I keep my spare males and females I'm not planning to use as breeders. It's best to start off if you are planning on breeding for show to start off with quality birds from another breeder. Many years ago I was breeding but I wasn't happy with the looks so I got in touch with another breeder I met at a show and made an arrangement to get a quad from him. I'm very happy with the birds. I used this quad to start my breeding program with.

 

[cmom]

If you intend to become a breeder as I have mentioned before, For me I tried some birds from a breeder but the backs of the birds were to narrow. At a show I met a fine fellow that showed me what a true pure Rhode Island Red should look like, (he always places very well with his birds at shows) I fell in love with the birds. I made arrangements to get some birds from him at the next show. I also talked to several top breeders and listened to what I should look for in a bird and some of these people were judges. If I want new blood, because I'm keeping my birds pure, I will get birds from the same breeder from whom I got my original birds. We usually make arrangements to meet at a show. Feed is one of the most important things. I do occasionally feed my birds layer feed, but through their growing period I feed them special feed that some of the top breeders feed theirs. I start my chicks with a high 26% protein medicated starter crumble. When they are around 2/3 months old I change them over to a 21% grower pellet, and during breeding season they get a 20% protein breeder feed so I will get very healthy chicks. There are always going to be an odd one that will probably have to be culled. I do have a special bird that I should have culled but missed so she was meant to be. My goal is to be a good breeder. I will have eggs available in March after I do my test hatch.

 

[Tbird84]

This is interesting as RIR is a breed I've wanted for many years. I've studied so many write ups on them from many breeders. They are a future goal for me as well. I am going to my first show as a spectator tomorrow. Hoping to learn lots!

 

[cmom]

Have fun at the show. If you see birds you are interested in, at the check-in table they should have a list of the exhibitors and you could seek out the breeder.

 

[cmom]

One of the top breeders and president of the Rhode Island Club of America is from Alabama. He will probably be at the show.