The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[cmom]

Quote: Your bird looks great. I had a male I got from Matt last year. There was a mix-up and the male I got was nice but not great. I took him anyway and put him with some very nice girls. He put out some very nice chicks and quite a few I thought were better than my champions chicks. Matt pre-sells all of the birds he takes to sell at the shows and we usually meet at a show where I pick up a male from him most every year. He didn't make it to one of the shows last year because of a family emergency but his father came with the birds. We didn't see each other until near the end of the show so I got the last male he brought so I took him. Surprisingly he fathered some very nice chicks.

 

[kaylee gee]

I. AM. FINALLY. GETTING. MY. HRIR!!!!!!!

Sorry not sorry for the caps and extreme excitement!

Getting them from Ruth Caron!!

 

[Asmorilda]

This is the very nature of the term "we get a start". It means simply that we got 6 or 8 or 10 birds as our "start".

The journey is long but rewarding. We don't buy the "end", we buy a "start". No different than anyone else, including me.

It's simply a numbers game the first year. Put 60 chicks on the ground and look for those 4-5 birds who have better expressions of the standard and move forward. Cull the rest. Sell, eat, etc.

I'm hatching every egg that my little bantam "start" lays this year and doing exactly the same thing. That's what this hobby is all about. Enjoy the journey. Perfection is the goal and is never attained. If it were easy to attain? We'd get bored quickly.

As retirement nears, we have nothing but time & we enjoy working with these birds. I put a band on the male we are going to keep. I'm just not sure about keeping either one of the others. Both hold their tails really high. I had hoped it was just something they did when they were on alert, which they do with me when I go in the run with them. They aren't used to my being there. They know my husband. I have been watching them for several minutes every day, several times a day & they consistently hold those tails high. Something that might be beautiful in another breed but just not what we want in these. One of them doesn't tuck its wings high either. The wings droop fairly low & has a lighter coloring on the tips of the wing feathers. If we do keep only one, we have the option of breeding our two pullets to an excellent male that our breeder has. His bird is very nice. Best wishes for your success building your bantam flock.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Thank you very much.

Having a partner, such as the breeder you work with, takes a lot of pressure off. When you're all alone and only save one K, there seems to be some sadistic law of the universe that the coyotes or a coon gets him.

When you have a partner, such a "risk" is lessened greatly.

Thank you for the kind words. I've got my first incubator hummng with the Red bantam's eggs. I intend to hatch every egg they lay until May Day.

On the tails? No, it isn't just alertness. We sort of tell ourselves that in hopes that is all it is, but of course, it never is just that.

Wishing you the very best on your start with the LF. These are terrific birds, of that there is no doubt. Very enjoyable breed. Unique so.

 

[Asmorilda]

I sell my culls. I take them to a couple of our local swaps monthly where I know many of the people who attend and I sell them especially the pullets. I grow them all out after I hatch and keep the best and sell the rest which helps to off-set the price of feeding them for several months. People are eager to buy the culls because "they are so pretty" but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. All of my breeding pens are now set up for this years hatch. I will be test hatching shortly. Fred is correct you hatch quite a few but only a very few will be breeders.

Also, congratulations to Matt for his Champion.

The birds that won were very nice birds and congratulations to everyone.
My Rose Comb Rhode Island White pullet got BB/RB too at both shows but I'm the only one who shows them.
My Rose Comb Rhode Island Red, a pullet and a cockerel both got Best Variety and Reserve Variety. I know I'm the only one who shows them too but am happy with what I got. I'll work on them and hopefully next season I will do better. When I first started showing I didn't even place but have been doing better as the years pass. This is only my third year with my Rose Comb Reds.

My APA SOP book is from 1921 so I ordered a new one. I'm sure nothing has changed much except there will be the breeds that have been admitted since.

Yes, indeed. Congratulations to Matt & to you, cmom. We are hoping to sell 4 males soon. Two RIRs, one EE & one Ameraucana. If it turns out that we have an over abundance of Crested Polish, those will go too. I think we only have one male in that flock but a couple are iffy. Those are still young so it is hard for me to tell. One that was sold to us for a cockerel turned out to be a pullet & I'm fine with that except Einstein is a weird name for a female. We have small flocks so yes, I have named most of them. Not professional, I know but its easier to say a name when talking to my husband about them than it is to try to describe which one I am talking about. Culls or not, the RIRs are pretty birds. I can understand the interest in them.

 

[Asmorilda]

Thank you very much.

Having a partner, such as the breeder you work with, takes a lot of pressure off. When you're all alone and only save one K, there seems to be some sadistic law of the universe that the coyotes or a coon gets him.

When you have a partner, such a "risk" is lessened greatly.

Thank you for the kind words. I've got my first incubator hummng with the Red bantam's eggs. I intend to hatch every egg they lay until May Day.

On the tails? No, it isn't just alertness. We sort of tell ourselves that in hopes that is all it is, but of course, it never is just that.

Wishing you the very best on your start with the LF. These are terrific birds, of that there is no doubt. Very enjoyable breed. Unique so.

Thank you.

Yes, I knew in my heart the high tail excuse was just that, & hopeful thinking. But, it is what it is so now we just have to deal with it.

 

[Asmorilda]

Your bird looks great. I had a male I got from Matt last year. There was a mix-up and the male I got was nice but not great. I took him anyway and put him with some very nice girls. He put out some very nice chicks and quite a few I thought were better than my champions chicks. Matt pre-sells all of the birds he takes to sell at the shows and we usually meet at a show where I pick up a male from him most every year. He didn't make it to one of the shows last year because of a family emergency but his father came with the birds. We didn't see each other until near the end of the show so I got the last male he brought so I took him. Surprisingly he fathered some very nice chicks.

Thank you.

I am just now understanding the main traits for the grown birds. I will have to do some reading about the traits to look for in the chicks. I refer back to this site often to read & re-read: http://jimspetsandpoultry.weebly.com The site was posted on this thread & it has been such a help.

 

[Fred's Hens]

The best way to learn the Reds, to train your "eye" is two things.

1. Read the Standard. Over and over and over until it is "part of you".

2. Look at GREAT Reds, birds far better than your own. Look at them over and over, up close and really look at them with eyes that are now trained, a bit, to see them. Where? At a top show. Stand in the aisles and just gawk and study and watch and soak it in. You can read books and articles and such until the cows come home and it will never compare to

When you get some Reds and raise them, you become used to seeing the good and the bad. But, after awhle, your eye stops dialing them in. To sharpen your eye, to apply what you've studied in the Standard, seeing birds much better than your own is something that will take your eye to a new level.

This is why we exhibit our birds and why we go to strong exhibitions. Even if our birds are dead last. We need a large field for the maximum benefit. 30 birds maybe. There is no substitute and never will be any substitute. When you walk an aisle for a few hours, studying birds cooped in by Matt, Steven, Don, Ruth, Lloyd, Dick, Skip and so many more than I can possibly name here now, you quickly SEE what this breed is all about.

Then, if you're patience and give the owners a chance for a quiet time? Maybe they'll pull out a few and put them in your hands for you to handle. THAT will be ultimately what needs to happen. Handling great birds? Yup, that's what it's all about. I could do it for hours on end.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
I have some female White Leghorns. I wanted a male for them and a friend had a white male but no females so he gave me his male named Ivory (the name he gave him). My husband didn't like the name Ivory so now he is Ivon. We name all of the males. When we refer to a breeding pen and coop it is by the name of the male in that coop/pen. We do have a few females with names.

Patty and my husband. Patty is an older Rose Comb Rhode Island White hen. When she is out, she will look for him.

 

[cmom]

Quote: I go to Jim's website too and Bob Blosl's, the thread starter's, website. http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/ They are my favorite and are in my Bookmarks.