The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[Mildwether]

Hi Chris! And Chicken lovers everywhere

So let me give you a brief introduction to how chickens became our newest family members!

My daughter was involved in an Advanced Placement Science Class that required them to take a day old chick for two weeks and get them to imprint on the students. Afterwhich they had a "Chicken Olympics" to see which ctudent had trained their chich the best. Of course Popcorn (poppy for shirt) was the goold medal winner and there was many tears from my daughter about having to giver her up at that point. The teacher said we were more than welome to take the bird home but they had to come in threes. Hence Chicken Little and Chicken Nugget joined the ranks. We lice in a rural community outside of Portland Oregon that allows us to have hens but no roos. At this point the girls are now 15 weeks old and part of our family.

Since we know nothing about RIR (that's wha we were told there were) I would like to send some pics to you can tell me if they look good and happy. They hae a coop for the nights nut free range the backyard during the day. I can proudly day I have less bugs then any of my neighbors! By the way, we are the first to have chickens in the entire nieghborhood, so everyone iswaiting for us to fail!



These Pics were taken when they were much younger. I need to get ou the camera and get some recent showing the black in their tails now!

 

[Mildwether]

Please excuse my typos! I'm embarrassed to admit I skipped spellchick (get it)

 

[Mildwether]

Little is the lighter one at front, Nugget has the most black in her tail in the black

So I got some pics of the girls now that they are older.

Poppy eying the backdoor!


all three thinking it's snack time!

So in all the expert opinions....do my girls looks happy ans healthy?

 

[Robert Blosl]

I went to check on some Heritage Rhode Island Reds tonight I was looking at the leg color of the birds they where so darn dark all I saw was horn and yellow legs. I was trying to find the red tinge running up the leg found it on the bantams. The bottom picture is a shot of a pullets leg notice the yellow and dark horn leg color. When you have Rhode Island Red Large Fowl this dark they will have only dark horn leg color with yellow pigment like this female. The strain from Florida has even a darker leg color almost chocolate colored. It was raining so hard and the chickens had a lighting bolt hit a tree about 75 feet from their pens earl yer. They where not in a mood for me to take pictures and it was raining at the time

. Any way here is some pictures I took.

In regards to the pictures of the rhode island reds above you can make the comparison. There are two types the old type and the modern type you get at the feed stores. They look content and should lay you a lot of eggs.

I was at Matt 1616 farm where I met Steve from Georgia. Had a great time and saw some great birds.

 

[steelefarming]

WOULD ANYONE HAVE CHICKS FOR SALE THIS TIME OF THE YEAR? LOOKING TO BUY SO THEY WOULD BE LAYING AROUND SPRING, THANKS.

 

[Robert Blosl]

No chance from us folks. But I bet you can get plenty of Commerical Rhode Island Red chicks or eggs from the hatcherys now. Our birds are not old enough to be in breeding pens or the old birds are going through a molt. I am sure if you post wanted Rhode Island Red eggs or chicks on the other threads you will find a buch who have them. My cherry eggers are not old enough yet but one day look out I will flood the market with Bobs Fish River Joe Ipswich Cherry Eggers. They will lay about 300 eggs a year I hope.

Thanks for asking. Will have plenty in the spring.

 

[immyjay54]

Below are a few shots of my Don Nelson Juveniles. These are 20 week old on the 24th and are from eggs hatched from dinahmoe. Just click photo to enlarge.









Next are group from NYREDS (also Don Nelson line) these are 11 weeks old.




Next are a couple of my Horstman RC pullets. They always seem to look mad. lol The first lady was enjoying the morning sun. ha,ha..

 

[catdaddyfro]

Below are a few shots of my Don Nelson Juveniles. These are 20 week old on the 24th and are from eggs hatched from dinahmoe. Just click photo to enlarge.









Next are group from NYREDS (also Don Nelson line) these are 11 weeks old.




Next are a couple of my Horstman RC pullets. They always seem to look mad. lol The first lady was enjoying the morning sun. ha,ha..

Nice! good job there Jim I laughed when I read the post on the looking mad part. this is surely the Red Malay game feature popping out in them they always have that Bad-@$$ look to them so do most Cornish which are also a dervative of Asian type game fowl.


My SC Horstman RIR's are coming along just fine too they are awesome so dark(almost purple at times) and maybe I'll get some pics. of them posted up on here one of these days. maybe?

Jeff

 

[immyjay54]

Yes Jeff, the Horstman RC's are extremely dark. I just have to laugh at the cockerels though. They look like young dinosaurs when they try to run. Sure do hope they get to looking like the parent stock soon. lol I have pictures of Dicks breeding stock on my site and these sure don't look like that yet. The only thing that I don't like about the heritage breeds so far is that it takes them so long to reach full maturity. I don't mind waiting for the egg laying but I would sure like to see the end result a little sooner. lol This sure is teaching me PATIENCE. Ha, ha.
Anyway, I hope that any/all that have raised any of the heritage RIR's this year is having a wonderful time with them. I sure am enjoying mine and will for years to come. Hoping to raise a whole bunch of them next year.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Yes Jeff, the Horstman RC's are extremely dark. I just have to laugh at the cockerels though. They look like young dinosaurs when they try to run. Sure do hope they get to looking like the parent stock soon. lol I have pictures of Dicks breeding stock on my site and these sure don't look like that yet. The only thing that I don't like about the heritage breeds so far is that it takes them so long to reach full maturity. I don't mind waiting for the egg laying but I would sure like to see the end result a little sooner. lol This sure is teaching me PATIENCE. Ha, ha.
Anyway, I hope that any/all that have raised any of the heritage RIR's this year is having a wonderful time with them. I sure am enjoying mine and will for years to come. Hoping to raise a whole bunch of them next year.

How do we see the pictures of the parents on your site? bob