The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

In other words, look for great birds that will molt back to their adolescent plumage every time?

I didn't phrase it properly. I should have said cockerel or pullet instead of "adolescent"... and included year after year.

That's unlikely, Joey. But a year old bird isn't the REAL bird. The REAL bird appears the next year. That is why Cocks and Hens have a separate category at the shows.

Cushions can appear. Combs can flop. Feather can change color. Way too much stuff can happen, both for the good and for the bad. Tails can rise above the standard. All kinds of stuff. Good stuff too!!! I've seen so so youngsters BLOOM their second year.

Plus, I'll just tell you this. 90% of the folks I know believe that the chick is just flat better when it was bred out of a mature parent stock. What the science is for this? I'd have no idea, but it's just something to believe in or not.
Breeders have been known to have have matings that they know very well will produce C's and P's for the show but won't produce birds that will be keepers for the long run. Once again, breeders are very special birds. They have high value to me and are more important to me. I've sold more than a few birds straight out of the show coop, in December. Meanwhile, what it takes to make good birds remains safely at home. Hope that makes sense.

The Late Robert Blosl, Silverhill, Alabama​

For those who never had the pleasure of hearing Robert "Bob" Blosl talk Reds, this priceless old video Bob shot, I believe for Dennis Myers, back in the early 90's, some 25 years ago, is well worth a half hour of your time. It will enlighten those just getting started about history of the breed and those who pushed it's quality along during that time of the early 1990's. This will also help folks wrap their minds around hatching 60+ males and 60+ females, raising them, trying things in the breed pen, and work to perfect the breed. Whether Bob was really noted for being a top breeder I'll leave for others to judge. What can be said is that few folks did more to promote the breed than Bob. Here he is, in his own words. Enjoy.


youtu.be/Jl7mILR4z6g




Rest in Peace, Bob

Fred, at the 3:32 mark of this video Bob said, "Go back to the king over here. Nice cockerel... about 2 1/2 years old. He molted back, and uh, looks as good as he did when he was a cockerel". This is what I was referring to.

While I agree that there will be birds that will look worse than they did on champion row (or home pens) as pullets and cockerels after their first adult molt, I was simply trying to point out that those that molt back to their former glory (or even better) are the keepers.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Fred, at the 3:32 mark of this video Bob said, "Go back to the king over here. Nice cockerel... about 2 1/2 years old. He molted back, and uh, looks as good as he did when he was a cockerel". This is what I was referring to.

While I agree that there will be birds that will look worse than they did on champion row (or home pens) as pullets and cockerels after their first adult molt, I was simply trying to point out that those that molt back to their former glory (or even better) are the keepers.

Yes, Joey. It's a bit of hyperbole, but yes. 99.9% of birds looks so "different" as a 3 year old that no one would really mistake them for being a 8 month old bird. That said, there are those that look so slick and healthy at 3 and 4 years of age it just blows you away and out comes the hyperbole. LOL

Nancy has an old White hen of mine that is 7 years old. Bob really thought that virtue was part of his selection process as when he re-tells the story of going over to Miss Anna's and picking out his first females he chose an older hen that he was sure was a pullet. hahaha. Take the truth, laugh a little at the hyperbole. It's part of what makes tellin' good chicken stories, good.

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

All good stories need a touch of hyperbole...

I would have been tickled pink to have had the luxury of starting with 2 or 3 year old birds. There's not much doubt about what you have at that age. As a beginner with young stock, I'll have to rely on how these birds look after molting as my markers for quality. I can only hope the birds I select as breeders next year will look as good or better in 3+ years. It would be discouraging to hatch and raise a bunch of offspring, only to find their parents go to pot after a couple of years. That would make me sad...

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Mobile device double posted. Sorry...

 

[cmom]

All good stories need a touch of hyperbole...

I would have been tickled pink to have had the luxury of starting with 2 or 3 year old birds. There's not much doubt about what you have at that age. As a beginner with young stock, I'll have to rely on how these birds look after molting as my markers for quality. I can only hope the birds I select as breeders next year will look as good or better in 3+ years. It would be discouraging to hatch and raise a bunch of offspring, only to find their parents go to pot after a couple of years. That would make me sad...

Don't worry, their parents aren't going into a pot.

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Don't worry, their parents aren't going into a pot.

That's reassuring! Thank you!!!

 

[cmom]

I had my first hatch this season from Skipper (from Matt) and a hatch from Wallace. Their chicks are looking very good. I only have around 30 of each but I'll have to get some pictures of them. They are a little over 2 months old. My Brown Leghorns are turning out to be Dark Brown Leghorns.

 

[Chefman007]

Hello,.

I am lo

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

I had my first hatch this season from Skipper (from Matt) and a hatch from Wallace. Their chicks are looking very good. I only have around 30 of each but I'll have to get some pictures of them. My Brown Leghorns are turning out to be Dark Brown Leghorns.

Nice. Looking forward to seeing the pics!

Hello,. I am lo

Hello, lo... and

 

[cmom]

I have quite a bit of work to do on a couple of the coops from the storm "Hermine". The wind blew off one of the vent covers so for now I screwed a piece of plywood up to keep the rain out and the feed dry, and on another coop the wind blew some of the rolled roofing loose (which I already fixed) and on another coop it blew some of the rolled roofing off and onto the netting over a pen. That was fun trying to wrestle that off and out of the pen. Also the roofing took down a piece of fence I had to put back up. Then I noticed my electric wire didn't work so I went around the pens and on the back side some more fencing was down which was strange as it is rather new. I had replaced it not long ago and I don't know how it came down so I put it back up. The plan is to put metal roofs on the coops that don't have the metal roofs on and also metal siding on them. I have some of the metal but need to get more. I was kind of waiting until cooler weather to start those projects. I'm going to try to fix the roof that the rolled roofing came off of as I don't have the metal for it yet so I'll be off to get some materials today. I'll have to get measurements so I can order the rest of the metal. I just want to keep the coops dry inside and the one the rolled roofing came off of is leaking so I want to fix it asap. That was my day in off and on rain.