The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[cmom]

Quote:

• Location: Silverhill, Alabama
• Joined: 3/2010
• Posts: 1,207
• 
• offline

There will be some Mohawks at the Lake City Show and I hope I can go as I have never been there. The Mohawks from the Illinois line and the half Florida and Illinois will be there and may have some extras for sale. This is my old line that I got from E W Reese who had them for about thirty years and he got them from Mrs. Donald Donaldson in Decatur Georgia who had them from 1912 to 1967. They are still pure and over 100 years old.

Thanks...

I will be at the Lake City Show. I will have a table with a BYC banner so come on by and say hi...

 

[catdaddyfro]

He has had them for about thirty years. He told me they came out of some stock out of Penn. I dont know if they are some of Mr. Wards old birds. They are classic New England Reds. One of the top three strains left in the country and ready for anyone who lives in the cold climates of the North. He does not breed them much anymore he has sold many to others and has someone near him who has these birds.

I see you mention stock out of Penn. this is where Mr. Horstman is located and I was wondering about his line of RIR and if they are included in the top three lines that seems to be the only good RIRs in the all the whole US of A. I remember sometime back you had mentioned they would be good for a beginner, could you elaborate on this, does it mean they are mediocre or just meaning they would be easy for a newbie to raise up to get their feet wet in breeding and showing a descent quality bird.

I have some of these(Horstman reds) growing up now and to me they look just as good as any of the BIG 3 listed on this site and they are doing fine down here in the deep deep southern humidity right beside the German NHs, & Good Shepard BRs from Missouri and Good Shepard BRs from ol' Alabam.

Jeff

 

[cmom]

Jeff, I like your avitar. It reminds me a little bit of Jeff Dunham character "Achmed"

 

[catdaddyfro]

Jeff, I like your avitar. It reminds me a little bit of Jeff Dunham character "Achmed"

Yeah I like the skit he does with Achmed, My avvy is Geoff Peterson the side-kick from the late night show with Craig Ferguson its so "stupid funny" but I usually miss most of it as i can't stay awake long enough to watch it all.

Jeff

 

[melroseladi]

Thanks...

I will be at the Lake City Show. I will have a table with a BYC banner so come on by and say hi...

I will be there and hopefully will be able to bring home some Mohawks.

 

[riftnreef]

Anyone going to Lucasville next month and bringing Reds to sell? In the market for 5-6 pullets and one cockerel. Shoot me a PM with price if ya've got em!

 

[Robert Blosl]

Quote: Dicks birds is a mystery to me. He has a friend named Tim Bowl es and some times Dick will say Tim take these home and work on them for a while then he will give them back to Dick and they are looking much better. Dicks chickens are above average in quality and good stock to start with. You can at least get eggs or chicks from him. The top breeders are very shy on selling eggs in the first place not many sell chicks. They work and dont have time to go to the post office. You will have to get a retired guy who has time to fool with chicks and remember it takes 25 day old chicks to ship so they can stay warm. Most breeders dont hatch that many chicks in one day. So if you want some old time breeds they are ok to get. Look most people are not going to show their chickens they just want them for eggs, meat and pets. Most of these folks wont even have the breed in ten years as they will move on to another breed. A lot of people dont own a standard and many who do get so hung up on stupid points like leg color or points they screw up the birds in two years and they are out of the breed.

So Dicks birds are good. I don't know any history of them but some of the birds I ship ed up to Ohio and that area had to get into some of those lines. They look good to me when I see them.

The Mohawks in Florida if you got your birds from Brian Simmons or a guy named Rip Stalvey they had the original Reese birds. I can not get anyone else from Florida to come clean and tell me where they got their birds from that also includes Georgia. There was a fellow named Danny Jones who died a few years ago who had a lot of good breeds and maybe someone got some of his stock. What I have seen from Georgia from the Bennett line and the Robert line I like. They look true breed and I would love to own them.

Sometimes they need to be worked on but all breeds need some help. The most important thing to do is just breed for type for five years. Try to learn how to raise them up with a good finish and dont worry about color of the wings , neck legs ect. Try to have seven to five points on their head with a good blade and you will be fine. If you make it to the five year mark you should be able to understand how to breed for color. Then spend the next five years trying to learn that system. In developing my Red Bantams I did not spend one hour worrying about color as I selected my birds each year on shape and weight and in 15 years I had them small like a bantam and the color was fine dark as can be. I am now working on the color issue on my 25th year.

There is a strain in Rhode Island by Don Nelson that is about 20 years old he said he got his birds out of Penn. I sold some young boys some killer Large Reds about 25 years ago from Maine. I just can not think someone did not buy some of their old birds and crossed them into their lines. The kids won throphys left and right win they showed their birds.

There is a strain in Texas name is Lloyd Flanagan. He has had them for over 30 years and are a good strain and a great strain for you who live in the south west region. He should be in the top five strains of large fowl in Reds in my view.

Next is a fellow named Ad radian Radamaker in Minnesota. He has a strain for over 30 years and has won big all that time. They are much bigger than a Mohawk maybe two to three pounds or more. I st oped raising large reds about 15 years ago because to chicken collectors said they could not win with my birds because they where to small. They could not beat the Radamaker birds was the problem. My birds where one to one and a half pounds over standard weight. So I said I cant have white rocks and red large fowl so I decided to keep the white rocks as I could raise 30 of them per year and keep the strain going. Very good stain he has sold thousands of chicks to people over the last 30 years. Funny thing there is no one I can tell you that has his birds for over ten years. So why is that. They that had to breed and maintain.>?????

There is a line in California by Dave Anderson who got them from Calif dont know who's birds he got when he moved out there but what few pictures I have seen they look very nice. He does not ship eggs or chicks so no one has ever shown his birds.

Here is the bug a bear in large fowl reds. Lets say you get a hen from Anderson and a male from Radamaker and cross them. Then lets say you get a hen from Nelson line and cross them on a Mohawk. What will you end up with??

A genetic Mess. That's what a lot of people do each year and that's why they are out of Reds in three years. Think about it Mr. Reese sold at least 1,000 chicks to people in 20 years only one person ever made it to the level as a master breeder and that was 30 years ago or so to a fellow named Dennis Meyers of Wooster Ohio. He won more throphys than you can shake a stick at. He sold at least 1,000 chicks to people in 20 years and not one person has his birds today that I know of that have not been crossed onto some ones elses birds. So out of 2,000 Mohawk E W Reese chicks not one person is still left with his line.

However, there are Moahwks today where did they come from.?? I got two hens and one pullet and three ckls from one of the hens almost 30 years ago. I put them into three family's and then I sold at least 700 chicks to people and only two people still have them.

Greg Chamness from Illinois and Brian Simmons from Florida. So the descends of Mr. Reeses old line that he got from Mrs. Donaldson came from me.

Think about this Mrs. Donal son sold I bet 5,000 chicks and god knows how many large adult birds to people in her life time of 50 years of breeding only Mr. Reese made it with her birds.

So that's the history of the current Rhode Island Reds that I know about in the past 30 years. Of course I could write for five hours on the history of all the Rhode Island Reds going back to 1912. I got al the Rhode Island Red Journals, Red Hens tails from then to 1944. I got all the Rhode Island Red Chronicles form 1944 to the present. I got all the poultry presses from 1944 to the present and read them. I interviewed after that 20 old time breeders of Reds be for they died in the past 30 years. So I may sound like I am full of crap but I did my home work be for I got into this breed.

Well my computer says stop. Its tired.

I got to come back in the evening with a fresh mind and write a article for the Rhode Island Red Club of England Year Book.

My topic is Why People Fail with Rhode Island Reds in the United States.

I bet the reasons they fail in England are the same reason. I will post the article on my web site in a day or two.

If you have Standard Rhode Island Reds today keep it simple. Hatch from two or three good females, cull hard dont worry about color and dont buy a bird unless you know for sure its pure from the line you want to raise them from. Have a nice day.

 

[NYREDS]

Like many people I don't plan to keep as many birds over the winter as I have in the past. Feed prices are killing me & will only be getting worse for awhile. It's not all bad though: it will make me cull closer than I often do & it will mean some good birds that in other years I'd have kept will be available for people who want a good start in Reds. I'll be bringing some birds to sell to upcoming NY shows at Cobleskill [9/30] & Syracuse [10/14].

 

[monnie662]

If you have a good male and two females you can raise some nice bird from them. Also, there is a lady in Georgia who has Dons birds and you could get some birds from her some day to cross in to them. I dont think you are going to show these bird and try to win best of breed so just sit back in your easy chair and enjoy this line. Its one of the top three lines in the USA.

You can always get some Mohawk latter as chicks or eggs and then com pair them. Just dont cross them unless you just want eating chickens and dont care about preservation of the gene pool. There is nothing wrong with crossing chickens but you have to have a purpose in doing it. This tread is not geared that way. We are trying to preserve breeds that are in trouble. We also have to use some common sense that some breeds are to far gone to save right now and many of us do not have the skills to bring them back up do to lack of experience. A person who cant run a incubator has no need taking on a multicolored breed that is has been breed down into production chicken ville. You need a breed that is easy to hatch, rear and then have in your pens. If this is to complicated or hard for the beginner they need to go back to feed store chickens and play with them till they get there skills up to par.

Being a good breeder is not easy and many can not do it. I think the secret is just getting a simple breed, and learn how to breed them well and then after five years you can always move on to another breed.

Here is a question how can I buy some seeds for next year. How many of you have these seeds and could you put some in a envelope and share them with us. Is there a thread on this site or another site that we can learn more about this? I was a Low es today and they had garden seed from Bur pees for sale. It may be much like getting baby chicks in the spring from the feed store.

What old seeds do well in the deep south where it is hot.

I am a beginner and a rookie at this but willing to learn.

Maybe there is a place I can go to and pay $1000. to learn how to have a Heirloom Garden like we have in chickens.

Well, Mr. Bob, I'm bass ackards on the chickens. I have two cockerels and one hen so will just take it easy with a pair I guess. But I enjoy them the heritage RIR I have are a hoot, they talk to me all the time.
On your old seeds questions and even southern plants I read Felder Rushings website, he is a master gardener in Jackson MS and he has traveled the world over and can tell you what plants and seeds grow best here in the South. And gives you references on where to buy this stuff. I purchased a heirloom tomato this past spring that was a purple Cherokee and it looked weird growing but it was wonderful eating. It was sweet so I'm going to look for plants come next spring. And last but not least look on Ebay, I buy seeds on there all the time for a little bit of nothing most of the time free shipping. I will talk to my master gardener friend in Memphis and see what I can find out for you and let you know.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
Ditto...