Texas

[TattooedKeeper3]

I have interesting color patterns on my 3 chicks. They are Barred Rock Rooster and RIR hen mix. One of the chicks is starting to look like my Amerucanas but I certainly didn't have the rooster in with them. Has anyone seen these kind of colors from this combination of parents?

The best picture I could find of the Barred Rock Rooster and the two RIR hens in their old nesting boxes. These are the parents.



Now here are the babies as they are almost fully feathered now.

This is the first chick to hatch.



This is one of my last to hatch.


She was my 3rd to hatch. Spicy Tutsie is her name.

 

[ronniewayne]

Thanks for all the positive and encouraging feedback. Tonight I'm designing the coop and tomorrow we will be at Lowes getting the wood and wire. Heck we may even have chicks by tomorrow night.

I think I want Rhode Island Reds ... is that a good breed for the hot Texas summers?

the production reds from the feedstore will do well in the Texas summer. i had a group and the layed like leghorns for the first 2 years then fell to almost zip.i still was very happy with them as they served the purpose i bought them for..i have replaced them with some heritage rhode island reds ..the real ones dark mohogany red hens with black tails and the roosters will make peoples jaw drop..these are large about 2 or 3 pounds bigger than my feed store ones start laying a couple months later but started out laying large eggs no pullet bullets for them..and i have yet to find out but they say these will continue to lay for at least 4 or 5 years...??? welcome to texas

 

[TattooedKeeper3]

the production reds from the feedstore will do well in the Texas summer. i had a group and the layed like leghorns for the first 2 years then fell to almost zip.i still was very happy with them as they served the purpose i bought them for..i have replaced them with some heritage rhode island reds ..the real ones dark mohogany red hens with black tails and the roosters will make peoples jaw drop..these are large about 2 or 3 pounds bigger than my feed store ones start laying a couple months later but started out laying large eggs no pullet bullets for them..and i have yet to find out but they say these will continue to lay for at least 4 or 5 years...??? welcome to texas

Do you have any pictures of your Heritage RIRs? After doing some reading I am not sure if the RIRs I got from Ideal Poultry are true RIRs.

To: rhoffart
My RIRs did very well through last summer. That was my first summer with chickens. I also had some Americuanas, Barred Rock, Jersey Giants, Buffingtons I think...they were a yellow orangeish color and very fluffy and big. They all fared well. I didn't lose one chicken to heat last summer just raccoons and possums. I would go out there and wet the ground in the shade where they liked to lay and sprinkle them with the hose as well. After a few days of that in 100 degree plus weather they started looking at me when I walked up like "Where is our shower?"

 

[Kilsharion]

Do you have any pictures of your Heritage RIRs? After doing some reading I am not sure if the RIRs I got from Ideal Poultry are true RIRs.

To: rhoffart
My RIRs did very well through last summer. That was my first summer with chickens. I also had some Americuanas, Barred Rock, Jersey Giants, Buffingtons I think...they were a yellow orangeish color and very fluffy and big. They all fared well. I didn't lose one chicken to heat last summer just raccoons and possums. I would go out there and wet the ground in the shade where they liked to lay and sprinkle them with the hose as well. After a few days of that in 100 degree plus weather they started looking at me when I walked up like "Where is our shower?"

Oh, it's pretty much a given if they are from Ideal they are not true anything. **grins** Point in case - my SLWs. In the photo below, there's on BA and two Ideal versions of SLWs. **grins** yeah...can anyone say "mutt"?





Ideal has been known to cross birds to up egg production. And, it's not unheard of for roosters to jump fences.

 

[TattooedKeeper3]

Oh, it's pretty much a given if they are from Ideal they are not true anything. **grins** Point in case - my SLWs. In the photo below, there's on BA and two Ideal versions of SLWs. **grins** yeah...can anyone say "mutt"?





Ideal has been known to cross birds to up egg production. And, it's not unheard of for roosters to jump fences.

That explains a lot. The only red chicken I have left from them is Reba. And it seems like Red is always in a mood. All the roosters ended up dinner because of their aggression. The majority of the chickens I had I gave to a friend who was trying to get her chicken business going again. Where do you find Heritage Rhode Island Reds? And I feel silly asking but what does BA and SLW stand for? Those are pretty chickens. I like their colors.

 

[chickletteSarge]

black australorp, blue andalusian, me! a bad a....wesomeness!!! BA
silver laced wyandotte SLW

 

[Kilsharion]

That explains a lot. The only red chicken I have left from them is Reba. And it seems like Red is always in a mood. All the roosters ended up dinner because of their aggression. The majority of the chickens I had I gave to a friend who was trying to get her chicken business going again. Where do you find Heritage Rhode Island Reds? And I feel silly asking but what does BA and SLW stand for? Those are pretty chickens. I like their colors.

BA = Black Australorp
SLW = Silver Laced Wyandotte

They are sweet, that's for sure....but, complete mutts.

 

[PSJ]

The roo is leaving today. Regardless. I just didn't realize that she was being protected by him. I'll give her a few days to see if she gets along with the chicks. If not then, I will soon have my favorite chicken up for grabs... Which makes me sad but I won't subject her to torment. She was my surprise chicken so many years ago. (She is three now) She was one of my original flock. The last one after this roo goes. But I can't stand him anymore, and they need him. So it works out. I just don't want to lose my sweet little Chickadee. Edited to add: That's my little Chickadee. Her back feathers are worn out from being a favorite. You can kind of figure out her size by the size of the chain link next to her.

where are you located? I would love to have her if she isn't already spoken for! I have a soft spot for an "old" hen. Lol

 

[bnjrob]

Do you have any pictures of your Heritage RIRs? After doing some reading I am not sure if the RIRs I got from Ideal Poultry are true RIRs.

Hatcheries don't have what I assume you are considering "true" breeds of chickens in reference to your Reds. Hatchery stock may have the same coloring but there are many other little subtleties in chickens when you learn about the SOP (Standard of Perfection) that go into making a chicken that is true to the original breed as set forth by the American Poultry Association . It can be difficult to breed to the SOP which is why hatcheries do not do this - because they would not make money if they were being picky about which chickens they were actually breeding and hatching from. This is an even more important distinction when you are talking about "heritage" chickens.

If you are interested in true Standard-bred Heritage chickens, you should check out the Heritage Large Fowl thread and the CSU thread. You will find some photos of true Standard-bred birds there.

 

[TattooedKeeper3]

BA = Black Australorp
SLW = Silver Laced Wyandotte

They are sweet, that's for sure....but, complete mutts.

I guess all my grown hens are mutts. They all came from Ideal Poultry. Reba my red can be sweet when she feels like it. That is not often but I still make sure I give her lovein's too. I don't ever want any of them to feel left out. They are so curious about the baby chicks. I don't know if they are sure what to make of the ducklings yet. They just run from them when the ducks go near them.

I get a chuckle out of it each time. These grown hens want to show dominance with the chicks but run from the ducks.