The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[winniem13]

I figured out what to call the "imposter" RIR: Road Island Reds. Just saw that as a listing on Craigslist. Lol

 

[grsday]

Bob, Just wanted to let you know that the birds that I got from Marty (who got them from Mr. Bennett) is finally laying. They started laying a few weeks ago, and we have eggs in the incubator. Hopefully we will have some Mohawk chicks soon. We plan on keeping most of the chicks from the hatch to add to our flock, and hope we can offer chicks by early summer. We have loved having these birds. They are some of the calmest I have ever owned. Not a mean bird in the bunch, they eat right out of my hand and follow me every where.

 

[sgribble]

Mr. Bennett's are not pure Mohawk.They are very good birds but not for sure what line they are.

 

[bayocum]

....
So here is a few pictures I have for this nice lady.

Bob,
These are great pictures...do you know what lines they are from? Thanks!

 

[Bill Matthews]

Thanks for reading my comments....I was being sincere when I posted that I do not have the experience and knowledge that you and a couple of the other guys posting have.......The only point that I was trying to make is that for most of us the LESS THAN PERFECT are suitable....These pictures are stunning and demonstrate why you and others are so passionate about your interest in color and confirmation....My point about the commercial hatcheries is based on my appreciation for what these few tough poultrymen did to prevent small flock and backyard chickens from disappearing entirely during the difficult mid 1960's through 2000's......If it had not been for guys like John and Charles McMurray and Clifford and Nancy Smith many small flock owners couldn't have even purchased a batch of farm chickens in 1985......Even though few of the hatchery birds can win ribbons, this does not mean that they are not purebred .....Actually, several years ago there was a heated debate about whether an over emphasis on dark coloring was responsible for the loss of egg production and fertility in the standard RIR"S.....I will not drone on and on about this; when I start to bore myself I know it's time to shut up.....Again, Mr.Blosl and "True NYC Addict", I was NOT being disrespectful to you guys, and I really appreciate the beautiful RIR pictures that you shared with us....Thanks for the hard work keeping these and other heritage breeds closer to the Standard than many others would..God Bless.

 

[JamesA]

Talked to Steve today and should be getting my trio in May as soon as they can be sexed. Either Mohawk or Roberts Line, I can not wait.

Steve(sgribble) has some awesome birds and great to deal with! You will love them.I was lucky enough to pick up 27 chicks from him this week.

 

[catdaddyfro]

Bob,
These are great pictures...do you know what lines they are from? Thanks!

Those are from four different lines or breeders:

RCs are from Aaron Hickson secretary of the RIR poultry club

Pullets are William Bennet (pinegrove) peas in a pod

The two SC Red males are Ron Fogel(FOGELLY)/Bates line reds

4th is a Mohawk male Bob had umpteen something years ago LOL, which matt1616 now has this old line along with a few others here and is growing/spreading fast

Jeff

 

[sgribble]

Steve(sgribble) has some awesome birds and great to deal with! You will love them.I was lucky enough to pick up 27 chicks from him this week.

Thank You very much James.

 

[hungry4eggs]

I can not wait

 

[NYREDS]

Thanks for reading my comments....I was being sincere when I posted that I do not have the experience and knowledge that you and a couple of the other guys posting have.......The only point that I was trying to make is that for most of us the LESS THAN PERFECT are suitable....These pictures are stunning and demonstrate why you and others are so passionate about your interest in color and confirmation....My point about the commercial hatcheries is based on my appreciation for what these few tough poultrymen did to prevent small flock and backyard chickens from disappearing entirely during the difficult mid 1960's through 2000's......If it had not been for guys like John and Charles McMurray and Clifford and Nancy Smith many small flock owners couldn't have even purchased a batch of farm chickens in 1985......Even though few of the hatchery birds can win ribbons, this does not mean that they are not purebred .....Actually, several years ago there was a heated debate about whether an over emphasis on dark coloring was responsible for the loss of egg production and fertility in the standard RIR"S.....I will not drone on and on about this; when I start to bore myself I know it's time to shut up.....Again, Mr.Blosl and "True NYC Addict", I was NOT being disrespectful to you guys, and I really appreciate the beautiful RIR pictures that you shared with us....Thanks for the hard work keeping these and other heritage breeds closer to the Standard than many others would..God Bless.

I have no problem with hatchery birds. They're what I started with & what many people start with. They also meet many people's poultry needs. If what you want is birds that will produce lots of eggs the commercial hybrids are ideal. If rapid meat bird growth is your goal the Cornish Rocks are unbeatable. If productivity isn't quite so important & you'd like a more colourful flock the hatchery assortments are lots of fun.
All that said, none of the birds you'll get from a hatchery will represent the standard characteristics of the breed. If breed preservation or exhibition is your area of interest hatchery birds are of no use [unless you really like to go to shows & always lose].
What birds are right for you depends totally on your goals but you really can't turn hatchery birds into well bred standard birds; the egenes just aren't there. Rhode Island Reds are a great example of this. Those pale red, short bodied hatchery reds can never be bred into dark red long bodied birds, no matter how long you work on it.