The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[cmom]

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.

This was the first time we showed here. In the past it has been at the fairground auditorium. This year in the arena.

 

[daxigait]

As you can see in the last photo, I incubate in "small" batches (12-24 eggs). But, I hatch in a larger foam box. Why do I do this? For the reasons you're concerned about. With single matings and small pair matings, you might only get 10-12 eggs a week and you do want to set fresh eggs. By using two incubators, you can keep the asembly line going. The hatcher gets them on day 19. Plus, by not hatching in the incubator, it stays cleaner and likely has less chance of biological bacterias and so on. The Brinsea Octagon is fine, but honestly? The home made one matches it in effevtive hatch rates. Making incubators and hatchers is a fun hobby. A hatcher is a simple thing to build. Just need proper heat, moisture and air. It's not rocket sceince. Since the eggs aren't turned the last three days, you don't even need a turner. I make these for around $20 or less, just depends.

would you PM me what you need/use to build a hatcher? I found this in the dumpster at work. It is the size of a cooler and was made for shipping dry ice.

 

[daxigait]

Getting ready to do some test hatches too. Going to eat a couple too to see if they are fertile when I break the eggs open. All of my breeding pens have been set up for awhile except my Rose Comb Rhode Island Reds. They will be done today.

 

[cmom]

would you PM me what you need/use to build a hatcher? I found this in the dumpster at work. It is the size of a cooler and was made for shipping dry ice.

From the pictures it is hard to determine the dimensions. Fred does have a nice setup. I'm not sure what he used as a heat source. I used a couple of 15 watt bulbs and a couple ceramic light fixtures and an small AC fan I had. Total cost under $10.00. I know I'm not Fred. I incubate in a cabinet incubator and hatch in my styrofoam incubators. Good luck and have fun...

I use these to hatch in.

This was a styrofoam cooler that was given to me before I modified and changed it form a single bulb on the bottom of the home-made hatcher to two bulbs mounted on one side..







Originally I had a dimmer switch to somewhat control the temperature.

This is after I modified it and replaced a DC fan with an small AC fan I found and added a wafer thermostat. Now I only have one cord coming out of it

I put aluminum foil in the bottom for easy cleaning after a hatch.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
The eggs were fertile of the ones I have eaten over the past couple of days. My Rose Comb Red breeding pens are all set up now. Now all of my breeding pens are set up. Some of the girls were with a male but I switched the males around. I have one blind Rose Comb RIR. Surprisingly I had to move him into another coop with the project girls from last year and he seem to be doing well. I was concerned but he is finding his way in and out of the coop. He walks into stuff but he manages. He really did turn out to be a handsome boy. He was slower at developing than the others. Hubby wants me to get rid of him but he doesn't eat much and he is in a non breeding coop and pen. I'm just happy that my breeding pens are set-up and finished. I still have to replace some of the wire in the pens from chicken wire to welded wire. I'm old and it isn't easy anymore wrestling with rolls of wire.

 

[daxigait]

Thanks. I am only in my 40's but those rolls of hardware cloth are a pain.
That is my foot on it(men's 9 ladies 10.5). It is as long as my washer is wide so it good sized. I have been reading about builds of incubators on Sally Sunshine's thread, but while I will build a shed or coop easily I am intimidated by electrical stuff.

 

[Asmorilda]

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.

Very good advice, Fred. Thank you. Your zeal for this breed is definitely evident in your conversation & commitment.

 

[Asmorilda]

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.

My sister tells me not to name the females, only the males. She named her male bird but not her hens. I remember you talking about Patty. I love that! I have one Orpington that is like that with me. We had a small flock of bantam roosters that free ranged & that whole flock would run to me when I came outside. They would then follow me everywhere I went. Many times, they would sit outside my window & crow continually if I was inside. My husband was quite amused.

 

[Asmorilda]

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.

Thank you for Bob Blosl's website. I visited it & got lost in reading some of the information. I bookmarked it for later reading also.

 

[onarres]

Just got in, can't wait to look through.
I'll show it to my Hens so they know what kind of chicks to lay