The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[Robert Blosl]

I have a question that I hope the Rhode Island Red enthusiasts here can answer.

Many of the hatchery strains of Rhode Island Reds have had the broodiness bred out of them. How broody are heritage Rhode Island Reds?

Thanks.

I had problems now and then in the heat of summer with a few that went broody. I did not breed from them again .If I pushed them hard as I did ten years ago for egg production that two hundered eggs per pullet year it was not common. This year I have my old white rock large fowl back and two hens went broody they have lost their high egg production like I had in the Reds and so it happens with them. Maybe in the mid west or up north it is less popular. Down here where it gets hot it can happen. I would not loose a lot of sleep over it right now. Try try to get a good strain of Brick shaped Reds and improve them for type only. Worry about broodiness and color in five years from now. You got plenty of time for that minor stuff. Or dilemma is to get you beginners to learn how to breed for type first and not the other stuff other wise we are never going to get this old breed back to the level it once was.

However, if you want non broodiness the ones that are advertised in the back of Mother Earth News don't have those traits. A lot of people like those kind of reds. They are more popular than the old Heritage Rhode Island Red that I promote. I am thinking of getting me some next year to sell on EBay. I will make a fortune. bob

Edit Note: I just got a message from a beginner who is good at finding information about breeds. She sent me some inforamation I have been working on production reds and how they got stated. Here is a stateent that she sent me from the web site. It also, shows a little information on broodness. This is the best message i ever got on what i am working on. The term I have never heard of befor is called Cherry Eggers. This is what is confushing these beginners who think they got Rhode Island Reds.
Rhode Island Red Chicken (Non-Industrial)

The Rhode Island Red is not only America's best known breed, but is perhaps the world's best known fowl. It is the most successful dual purpose bird, and remains an excellent farm chicken. Originally developed in Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the 1880's and 1890's, its ancestors include Malay (hence the deep color), Shanghai, Java, and Brown Leghorn chickens. Its distinctive color and good production qualities helped it to spread rapidly. The single combed variety was admitted to the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection in 1904 and the rose combed birds were accepted a year later in 1905.
The originators of the Rhode Island Red wanted to create a bird that could lay a good number of eggs yet dress out nicely as a table bird. These birds are very good layers of brown eggs, perhaps the best layers of all of the dual-purpose breeds. They can lay 200 – 300 eggs a year starting as early as six months of age. Since the 1940's, the Rhode Island Red has been selectively bred for more efficient egg production, becoming smaller, lighter colored, and less broody as a result. Of greatest conservation interest are the "old-type" Rhode Island Reds which are larger, darker, and more broody. These birds are becoming rare as the breed is “improved” to meet industry needs.
The hens of this breed weigh over 6 pounds and the roosters over 8 pounds. The Rhode Island Red is known for its hardiness and its ability to handle marginal conditions while still producing eggs. Some roosters may be aggressive at times. Most hens are peaceful and can become broody except within the strains that have been heavily selected for egg production

bob

 

[Robert Blosl]

I have a question that I hope the Rhode Island Red enthusiasts here can answer.

Many of the hatchery strains of Rhode Island Reds have had the broodiness bred out of them. How broody are heritage Rhode Island Reds?

Thanks.

I had problems now and then in the heat of summer with a few that went broody. I did not breed from them agian .If I pushed them hard as I did ten years ago for egg production that two hunder eggs per pullet year it was not common. This year I have my old white rock large fowl back and two hens went broody they have lost thier high egg production like I had in the Reds and so it happens with them. Maybe in the mid west or up north it is less popular. Down here where it gets hot it can happen. I would not loose a lot of sleep over it right now. Try try to get a good strain of Brick shaped Reds and improve them for type only. Worry about broodyness and color in five years from now. You got plenty of time for that minor stuff. Or delema is to get you beginners to learn how to breed for type first and not the other stuff other wise we are never going to get this old breed back to the level it once was.

Howver, if you want non broodness the ones that are advertised in the back of Mother Earth News dont have those traits. A lot of people like those kind of reds. They are more popular than the old Heritage Rhode Island Red that I promote. I am thinking of getting me some next year to sell on Ebay. I will make a fortune. bob

 

[Bullitt]

The term I have never heard of befor is called Cherry Eggers. This is what is confushing these beginners who think they got Rhode Island Reds.

Cackle Hatchery sells what they call Cherry Eggers. http://www.cacklehatchery.com/cherryeggerpage.html

I am sure Rhode Island Red makes up a large part of their genes.

"Cherry Egger Chickens are a combination of different breeds to produce an egg production chicken which lays big brown eggs and they are good winter layers. They are well known for their laying ability and hardiness."

That description sounds just like Rhode Island Reds. But Cherry Eggers look different than Rhode Island Reds. Cackle Hatchery also sells production reds, which are Rhode Island Reds that have been bred for egg production, I suppose.


I was asking about broodiness with Rhode Island Reds because I have read some conflicting information. Some reports said that Rhode Island Reds are not broody and some said they can be broody. I think the original Rhode Island Red was a little bit broody, which is a good quality in order to sustain the flock.

I think if a few hens in a flock go broody each year that would be perfect. This would allow the easy hatching of eggs.

With a little bit of broodiness, I believe the Rhode Island Red would be the best all-around chicken breed. They produce even with marginal feed, are hardy, heat and cold tolerant, lay eggs very well, generally lay well in winter, are good as a meat bird, and if they are somewhat broody, they can reproduce on their own.

The Australorp is close, but the Australorp has grey skin, whereas the Rhode Island Red's yellow skin is more popular for a meat bird. I have read that the Rhode Island Red would have been even more popular as a meat bird if it had white feathers. I suppose that is why the Rhode Island White was bred.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Check out Dr. Keith Bramwell's video at https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/656836/january-incubation-seminar-meetup-video

In one portion Dr. Bramwell talks about the lack of broodiness in commercial strains. In the commercial industry they only keep hens that lay. If a hen goes broody they remove her from the laying/breeding house. Thus they only hatch from hens that do not go broody. After a few years no hens go broody, or at least very few go broody. With hatcheries, they want as many chicks as possible. Unproductive hens (broody) are not an asset to a hatchery.

I have a question that I hope the Rhode Island Red enthusiasts here can answer.

Many of the hatchery strains of Rhode Island Reds have had the broodiness bred out of them. How broody are heritage Rhode Island Reds?

Thanks.

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[FOGELLY]

I have eight heritage RIR hens that are laying age. Two those went broody this spring. I did not allow them to set.
One of the broodies was a pullet that hatched last spring.

Ron

 

[Robert Blosl]

Here is a question my wife was talking about at lunch . How much should a person charge for eggs per dozen on the side of the road to make a profit or pay for the feed at $15. per fifty pound bag.

I did a study with my big reds twenty five years ago and they ate about eleven oz of feed per day feeding them twice a day.

Three dollars seem to be the standard charge for farm eggs.

I am going to order some cheery eggers and go into the egg business next year. Blosls Organic Farm. Any one think I can make a go of it? bob

 

[RedBugPoultry]

I have different lines of the heritage RIR but all are young accept the Kittle line that I hatched last year (June 23). Right now I have 3 broody. Trying my best to break them up but they are determined. lol I have 9 hens and 1 cock bird of this line and before these girls wanted to start going broody, I was getting 5-6 eggs per day from these 9 girls.
Jim

Just a quick question for people on hens that do not want to give up the broodiness--have you tried putting them in a pen with a spare rooster? As a child that was always a practice at our house, if a hen went broody and we did not desire it she went in a pen with our spare rooster. Within a few days to a week she would be singing and ready to start laying again. I still do this and have found that some breeds need to be in there longer than others but it does break them from broodiness pretty well and keeps the spare rooster happy. Of course if you do not have a rooster of the same breed you may have some crossed eggs for a while.

 

[Chris09]

Just a quick question for people on hens that do not want to give up the broodiness--have you tried putting them in a pen with a spare rooster? As a child that was always a practice at our house, if a hen went broody and we did not desire it she went in a pen with our spare rooster. Within a few days to a week she would be singing and ready to start laying again. I still do this and have found that some breeds need to be in there longer than others but it does break them from broodiness pretty well and keeps the spare rooster happy. Of course if you do not have a rooster of the same breed you may have some crossed eggs for a while.

Shooot that don't work here. I have a yard full of hens with 4 roosters running with them and breeding pens with 4 hens and a rooster to a pen, most all my hens are wanting to sit.


Chris

 

[catdaddyfro]

• Joined: 6/2010
• Posts: 977
• offline

I have different lines of the heritage RIR but all are young accept the Kittle line that I hatched last year (June 23). Right now I have 3 broody. Trying my best to break them up but they are determined. lol I have 9 hens and 1 cock bird of this line and before these girls wanted to start going broody, I was getting 5-6 eggs per day from these 9 girls.
Jim

Just a quick question for people on hens that do not want to give up the broodiness--have you tried putting them in a pen with a spare rooster? As a child that was always a practice at our house, if a hen went broody and we did not desire it she went in a pen with our spare rooster. Within a few days to a week she would be singing and ready to start laying again. I still do this and have found that some breeds need to be in there longer than others but it does break them from broodiness pretty well and keeps the spare rooster happy. Of course if you do not have a rooster of the same breed you may have some crossed eggs for a while.

Shooot that don't work here. I have a yard full of hens with 4 roosters running with them and breeding pens with 4 hens and a rooster to a pen, most all my hens are wanting to sit.


Chris

No I don't buy into that either I have way more than a normal amount of roosters in my layers pen and I have more broodies here than "Carter's got liver pills" LOL

Jeff

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Shooot that don't work here. I have a yard full of hens with 4 roosters running with them and breeding pens with 4 hens and a rooster to a pen, most all my hens are wanting to sit.


Chris

Hum, just curious if you have a nest in with the birds in the breeding pen. You can not have any place for them to set/nest in these break-up pens or they will still set on a nest. It has to be a pen with no nesting area. We raised game and RIR's when I was little and I have LF Cochins, Marans, and Doms right now and it works for them. But it was just a suggestion and I do not know how it works with the Heritage RIR's of today yet. Just throwing it out there....