The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[NYREDS]

I think it's a pointless arguement. Productivity varies from strain to strain. In another thread you cited information that proved Campines only lay 3 eggs per week but I have a strain of Campines that is much more productive than that.
The notion that we can somehow identify which breed is "best" is spurious at best. Subjectively people may have favorites but objectivity it's impossible to identify a "best" breed because people's needs, interests & preferences differ. There's no "best" breed for everyone.

 

[catdaddyfro]

I think it's a pointless arguement. Productivity varies from strain to strain. In another thread you cited information that proved Campines only lay 3 eggs per week but I have a strain of Campines that is much more productive than that.
The notion that we can somehow identify which breed is "best" is spurious at best. Subjectively people may have favorites but objectivity it's impossible to identify a "best" breed because people's needs, interests & preferences differ. There's no "best" breed for everyone.

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?

I was thinking along the same lines a NYREDS posted. I say there are way too many variables for a straight-up answer to which of the two breeds lay the most in an average year.

 

[immyjay54]

I think it's a pointless arguement. Productivity varies from strain to strain. In another thread you cited information that proved Campines only lay 3 eggs per week but I have a strain of Campines that is much more productive than that.
The notion that we can somehow identify which breed is "best" is spurious at best. Subjectively people may have favorites but objectivity it's impossible to identify a "best" breed because people's needs, interests & preferences differ. There's no "best" breed for everyone.

WOW, perfectly put NYREDS. Unless we were starting an egg production farm I say enjoy which ever one you prefer. If it is only eggs that we are looking for then we should go with red or black stars. lol I don't mean this in a smart way.

 

[Bullitt]

WOW, perfectly put NYREDS. Unless we were starting an egg production farm I say enjoy which ever one you prefer. If it is only eggs that we are looking for then we should go with red or black stars. lol I don't mean this in a smart way.

So we should get Red Sex-Links or Black Sex-Links if we want eggs? Thank you for making my point.

There are variations within breeds (or hybrids), but on average we can tell which is the best at laying eggs or whatever other trait we desire. That is why Leghorns are popular in commercial egg operations. That is why Holstein cows are used for milk production, etc.

By the way, the Rhode Island Red lays more eggs than the Black Sex-Link, on average.

And Campines lay 3 eggs a week on average. It's great that some Campines are better at laying eggs.

I never said one breed was better than another. I just pointed out that one breed was better at laying eggs than another. You may want your chickens for meat, as pets, for their color, or whatever.

 

[FOGELLY]

I am with NYREDS. It is hard to paint a whole breed with a broad brush.
I was drawn to Heritage Large Fowl and RIR in perticular , because of the birds on my grandparents farm back in the day.

Almost all of my friends warned me against it .
Quoting them "the Heritage RIR have been inbreed for show so long that they don't lay well at all"
One friend told me I would be lucky to get 100 eggs a year.

Right now I have a breeding pen with three 11 month old pullets that since January have averaged 18 eggs a week.
That is a 6 egg a week average. How long they will lay at this pace is yet to be seen, but I am pretty happy so far.
My other pen has five. Two old hens and three pullets. That pen averages 26 a week. That is a little under 4. The average in that pen is lower because of the two old hens who are over three years old.

 

[catdaddyfro]

So we should get Red Sex-Links or Black Sex-Links if we want eggs? Thank you for making my point.

There are variations within breeds (or hybrids), but on average we can tell which is the best at laying eggs or whatever other trait we desire. That is why Leghorns are popular in commercial egg operations. That is why Holstein cows are used for milk production, etc.

By the way, the Rhode Island Red lays more eggs than the Black Sex-Link, on average.

And Campines lay 3 eggs a week on average. It's great that some Campines are better at laying eggs.

I never said one breed was better than another. I just pointed out that one breed was better at laying eggs than another. You may want your chickens for meat, as pets, for their color, or whatever.

If you're talking about commercial egg-layers I'd be willing to say that Production red and BSL and GSL all are in the same boat as far as egg laying. The GSL's may do a little better job of it depending on the hybrid cross used. In general NO a RIR is not going to out lay a BSL. Besides on this thread here, RIR is usually referring to Heritage RIR's not industrial type Production reds. There's a world of difference betwixt the two.

Jeff

 

[Bullitt]

I knew someone would challenge me on that.

According to this hatchery, their Rhode Island Reds lay 250-300 eggs per year, and their Black Sex-Links lay 200 eggs a year. The Black Sex-Links do not lay as well as Red Sex-Links.

They sell Production Reds also, and they lay the same number of eggs as the Rhode Island Reds. The Rhode Island Reds also do as well as the Red Sex-Links. There are only a few hybrids that can lay more brown eggs than the Rhode Island Red.


http://www.cacklehatchery.com/rhodeislandrdpage.html

http://www.cacklehatchery.com/blacksexlinkpage.html

 

[Sueg4332]

we have a good rooster. To cross into pullets purchase at 4 h show sire by champion bird and hen was too. The kid was getting out of RIRs As we just want good red chickens for the ranch. It is a bonus if the eggs turn out like the picture The grand kid s can show at 4H,,,,,I'll try to get blood of other rooster I have. Had the 4Her pick the of 3 cockles he had. Luckily he picked the same bird I had in mind. With the little knowledge I have.....

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.

 

[ronott1]

Hi Bullit,

Yes, the Hatchery chickens are not Heritage Chickens. They have been crossed with other breeds--that is why they don't match SOP. If I crossed the Heritage RIR's with another breed to increase egg production, It would take me 20 years or so to get hem back to the Heritage SOP. The Hatcheries don't even try to get to SOP.

If I had to guess, I would say the difference in egg laying between Hatchery RIRs and BSL Hens has more to do with light levels in the Winter. So the BSL Hens lay lower in the winter without supplemental light. I think RIRs are one of the winter laying breeds, so they just keep plugging along at 4 to 6 eggs a week per hen for several years or so.

Hens are not machines stamped out in equal egg laying abilities. There is quite a variation between Hens. All those egg laying averages are misleading sometimes. Black Australops are often listed as the best layers, based on one hen back in the early 1900's that laid more than 300. Many are disappointed when theirs lay closer to 200 per year, which is a good rate actually.

I knew someone would challenge me on that.

According to this hatchery, their Rhode Island Reds lay 250-300 eggs per year, and their Black Sex-Links lay 200 eggs a year. The Black Sex-Links do not lay as well as Red Sex-Links.

They sell Production Reds also, and they lay the same number of eggs as the Rhode Island Reds. The Rhode Island Reds also do as well as the Red Sex-Links. There are only a few hybrids that can lay more brown eggs than the Rhode Island Red.


http://www.cacklehatchery.com/rhodeislandrdpage.html

http://www.cacklehatchery.com/blacksexlinkpage.html

 

[catdaddyfro]

I knew someone would challenge me on that.

According to this hatchery, their Rhode Island Reds lay 250-300 eggs per year, and their Black Sex-Links lay 200 eggs a year. The Black Sex-Links do not lay as well as Red Sex-Links.

They sell Production Reds also, and they lay the same number of eggs as the Rhode Island Reds. The Rhode Island Reds also do as well as the Red Sex-Links. There are only a few hybrids that can lay more brown eggs than the Rhode Island Red.


http://www.cacklehatchery.com/rhodeislandrdpage.html

http://www.cacklehatchery.com/blacksexlinkpage.html

So your using only Cackles versions of birds to compare notes to. I'd say if that's all they could muster(200 eggs annually) out of their cross to make BSL's they better find a different source of stock to breed from. IF you cross a production type RIR or New Hampshire breed(Male) from a a breeder flock of chickens that the hens lay in the neighborhood of 300 eggs annually onto Barred Rock(females) that lays around the same number of eggs per year and DON'T get a hybrid BSL that lays at least the same amount or that actually lays more eggs than the parent stock lays due to heterosis(hybrid vigor), then there's definitely something wrong with the picture. You might need to look somewhere else for better info and get away form the hatchery adds to begin with. As I said earlier the RIR's discussed on here(this thread) are Heritage type RIR's and never have came from any type hatchery, they are raised by poultry fanciers/breeders and not raised up by the tens of thousands annually. You can't raise pure-bred/quality birds from the way factory/hatcheries operate, no way, no how. Great egg-layers YES, pure to standard NOPE

Jeff