The Great Rhode Island Red - Production Red Debate!

[Bridebeliever]

Suffice to say this topic is driving me a little crazy!

I know there are several knowledgeable BYC'ers online right now so I'd like your thoughts. It seems every time a person comes on to ask innocently about their Rhode Island Red chicken they are kindly, or not, pat on the back..."No dear, that's not a Rhode Island Red, that's a Production Red." Come on! I'm starting to doubt RIR even exist anymore or they have to be just so perfect nothing is measuring up?! Maybe I'm taking it a little personal because I in fact have two Rhode Island Reds that I don't dare post pictures of for fear of hearing this statement!

Now, I do understand what everyone is saying about color...RIR should be a deep red mahogany color not a washed out bad dye job red. And I have see some with washed out leg colors, where a RIR should have nice yellow legs. But here's the deal, I have two Silverlaced Wyandotte's that are definitely NOT SOP...but no one is telling me they aren't SLW...they are, just not perfect! So what gives with everyone's RIR being called Production Reds. Please, please enlighten me so I can let this go...please and thank you!

 

[chickens r life]

Production- bred for producing, aren't 100% rir (have a little leghorn). These are very popular and easy to find; you can get them at all hatcheries.

True Road Island Red- bred for their looks, egg laying is poor and somewhat hard to find.

Generally when you buy from a hatchery, you are not getting the highest quality in terms of looks. Hatcheries normally breed for quantity.

 

[Bridebeliever]

Okay, I'm slowly beginning to come to terms with this as I went to the Breeds section of BYC to look at the Rhode Island Red. The color IS really deep. So if a hatchery sells Production Reds like Red Stars and the like but they also say they sell RIR and you (I) order a RIR how is it I don't have a RIR? Isn't that false advertising/selling?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

In a way it is false advertisement, as many hatchery birds have another breed in their ancestry to promote egg laying. Consumers want high production of eggs and most people don't care about the standard of perfection. People are getting what they want, more eggs and birds that resemble the breed. But the body type and size is so altered in hatchery RIR and Nw Hampshire they really are just a hatchery name and nothing like the breeds they are sold to be. This is true of most hatchery stock but not to the degree of RIR and New Hampshire. Upright tails and thinner bodies are not what all chickens should look like, it's a Mediterranean class trait like the Leghorn. The common trait in any hatchery "breed" is upright tail and smaller body.

The outright lie in their advertisement is the selling of Arucana/Ameraucana when they are simply a mixed breed Easter Egger. Birds with completely wrong coloration or no tufts and the liist goes on can not with any conscience be called Arucana. If a bird sort of looks like a breed it can I suppose be called it and said to be a bad representation but to not have key identifying features is wrong.

As to having different breed ancestry. Well, that's how the breeds were founded. If two different breeds are mated and selectively bred for generations then you can indeed make a bird of an entirely different breed than ancestry. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck then...you know the expression. It this same regard if a pure bred bird was so poorly mated and it's line allowed to mutate and generally alter it's outline and coloration there is a point one has to stop calling it that breed of bird.

All hatchery RIR and New Hamphire (not even sure why they try to distinguish between these anymore) are Production Reds. A high production thin bird with upright tail and having red base feathering.

 

[Bridebeliever]

Okay, I'm going to do it, I'm going to post some pictures of my precious 10 week old Rhode Island Reds at the risk of them being called just...sigh...Production Reds.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Are those Andalusions? Some nice lacing for a blue variety. Thin lace but at least they got some. Blue varieties are really lacking in lacing in the US. It seems people forgot they are suppose to have it and let it breed out.

Oh, and nice looking production red you got there!

 

[Bridebeliever]

Are those Andalusions? Some nice lacing for a blue variety. Thin lace but at least they got some. Blue varieties are really lacking in lacing in the US. It seems people forgot they are suppose to have it and let it breed out. 

Oh, and nice looking production red you got there!

Hahaha! At least you complimented my Andelusians! LOL Yes, I do think they got some nice lacing. I have two Blue and a Splash.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Your red isn't as "bad" as reds I had years ago. Great birds, don't get me wrong there. Mine had tails more like your Andalusions, where that tail type is warranted. You said earlier that you browsed the bred to standard section here and saw some true Rhode Island birds. Deep Mahogany, brick shape in profile with a long flat back. A stunning bird and quite different from hatchery. There is no berating when folks call them production reds, it's simply being honest. A swan raised by ducks is not an ugly duckling- it's just not a duck.

 

[Bridebeliever]

Yes, I think their color is pretty good, could be better. I love them all! I am looking forward to seeing all of my birds as adults. 10 weeks to go I suppose.

 

[junebuggena]

Okay, I'm going to do it, I'm going to post some pictures of my precious 10 week old Rhode Island Reds at the risk of them being called just...sigh...Production Reds.

I hate to say it, but that darker shade of red on the shoulders has me thinking cockerel.