The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[CountryFriedChicken]

Paul - I wonder that is why I am having a hard time finding a Marans breeder to work with. So many flaky people out there.

I like the looks of the rusty red chicks - a big difference from the RIR hatchery chicks I have here. I hope to improve this flock in a year or two with actual RIRs. It is a struggle to find a real heritage RIR in my area hence the hatchery birds - I will use those as layers.

 

[immyjay54]

Paul - I wonder that is why I am having a hard time finding a Marans breeder to work with. So many flaky people out there.

I like the looks of the rusty red chicks - a big difference from the RIR hatchery chicks I have here. I hope to improve this flock in a year or two with actual RIRs. It is a struggle to find a real heritage RIR in my area hence the hatchery birds - I will use those as layers.

I can tell you from experience that there is no comparison. In looks and disposition, the hatchery ones cannot compete. They do lay a little quicker and more often but if you get enough to keep you in eggs if that is what you are looking for, you will be more then happy by making the change to the real thing. I absolutely love them. I have 9 hens and 1 cockerel of a different line that started laying about 5 - 6 weeks ago and out of these 9, I get 5/6 eggs per day so I wouldn't consider that bad. lol

 

[Robert Blosl]

I got a phone call last night asking if you see black striped going down the back of the chicks backs if that is a good or bad thing. for m ye its been a good thing. He told me these chicks are from a trio I gave his son and the females came out of two of my top breeding pens from a male I call New York or New York Reds bird he sent me and a male that i call judge which a judge went nuts over last October.

So if you see this on your little day old chicks dont panic. Also, if you ever see a blueish colored chicks large fowl or bantam this is a lost gene from the 1930s I call this the mouse gene. It comes from a old line of Rose Comb Large fowl from Ernie Jones who sent a runt pullet to Bob Purves in Florida in the 1950s and she passed this into the bant am line that he had. I saw this one time about twenty years ago. So dont kill this chick this is a great color feeder for the future. study the beak color of the chick the further down the beak you see black the more or better color breeder he will be. You will see the difference in you hue or down color of your chicks on the true Heritage reds. When you see heathery chicks you will see rustic color and beaks with little horn color. If you cross a dark red on to a hatchery red you will be between and they should lay well but it would take twenty years to get them dark.

Its just what you really want in a chicken. I have a dog that is from a distance a German Shepard but his mother was a beagle. He is trying to be a German Shepard but just is not. I dont really care I still like him just like many of you who like your lighter colored reds.

Remember there will always be 10,000 production reds out there on peoples farms ,but only about 200 to 300 Heritage Rhode Island Reds. That is just the odds today to locate a good blood line. Pretty Chicks you all have posted. I have two chicks that i hatched from a pullet this year that are as small as my Leghorn chicks so maybe this year I will get two ozs below standard weight on my red bantams. That is not a bad thing considering they came from Large fowl Reds 25 years ago. Share these Reds with others and tell us who you are who have them so we can send people to you next year for eggs or chicks. bob

 

[NYREDS]

Bob,
I used to mark any chicks with that blue cast to their down & they usually turned out to be some of my best. That male I sent you was among them.
I agree about the black stripes as well. Always got the best marked wings on those chicks.

 

[Robert Blosl]

I wondered who could be the sire so it may your male you sent meNew York Reds . Between these chicks and the little sparrow size chicks next year that I hatched a few weeks ago it will be fun to see what shows up this fall for the next breeding season. For you who are just reading this message and dont under stand what I am talking about New York Reds won a major Grand Champion of the show last fall in New York and his male was posted on the front page of the Poultry Press. I saw this male and said WOW and then I read who owned it.

Then I asked my self is this bird my strain or his strain. New York Reds wrote me back in a email that he was half his and half Ken Bowles line a old Rhode Island Red bantam line from New York. So I wrote him back and told him when the day came that he no longer needed this male I would love to obtain him. Latter just befor the big poultry show in Indiana he had a change of heart and said he would be at the Plymouth Rock Club Desk at this show. Later a friend of mine picked him up and latter brought him home to me. I plan to breed him in two weeks to three of my females and hatch some late spring chicks.

To me he was one of the finest profile type males i have seen in the Poultry Press in years and his finish and color was something to be desired. To be the best bird of a major show the bird has to be very special or high scoring in points if judged under the old judging system which I use in my breeding program. The higher the scoring of a bird to his mates normally produces high scoring off spring. That is why I like small matings only the best and breed the best to the best the next year after. bob

 

[Robert Blosl]

When you are getting your Mohawk young males to about six months old look for a frame like this guy. He was around about 15 years ago. Hope you will find a few like him this fall. bob

 

[Sueg4332]

well could not stand it, couldn't find any Heritiage RIRs here so I ordered some eggs from Ebay!!! Happy hatching to me..
Eggs should be here the middle of the week....or so....
They Adrain Rademcher blood line from Minn. from D&S farms, Phenix, al.
the pictures looked really dark red , and nice body shape.
I am have a slow time catching up on the forum only at 120
Wish me luck

 

[NYREDS]

if they're really from Adrian's bloodline w/o any additions you'll have a good start. His are among the best in the country. However, I'm sceptical about EBAY eggs as I've seen reports of so many false claims from there.

 

[Robert Blosl]

It will be a good experiences for you anyway. when you raise them this will give you experience for better or for worse. If it does not work out like you want it wont be a total waist of time. You will learn alot about the type and colo from these bids. More large fowl reds will be available next year as this is a rebuilding year to produce breeders for the future. I met a lady yesterday at a show and she want some so bad. She is going to have to wait to july or septemeber for the young to grow up and then we can give her what she wants. Hope to see your pictures in months a head. bob

 

[Bullitt]

There is a debate going on within the thread titled top 5 breeds. A person claims that Barred Plymouth Rocks are equal or better at laying eggs than Rhode Island Reds. All the information I can find states that Rhode Island Reds are better with about 5 eggs a week on average in a year to the Barred Rock's 4 eggs a week on average in a year.

What do you think?