The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[Jake Levi]

this is very encouraging to read, and I also want to read about and eventually get stock or eggs from a productive flock.

My grandmother counted her eggs daily, wehn they dropped off she started physically checking hens, the non producers became chicken and dumplings. And she knew which hens produced her roosters, she did no incubating, her hens did.

She was also adamant on the combs, she often said 'if its not a rose comb its not a Rhode Island Red. ' I never saw a SC in her flock.

We need more folks like her breeding chickens.

 

[Fred's Hens]

The characteristics you select for in your breeding program are the characteristics your birds will display. This includes productivity. Show breeders have paid little or no attention to productivity in recent years & the result is lines of beautiful birds that don't lay well. I know of strains of show-winning OEGBs where the females lay 10-12 eggs per year. As far as I'mconcerned that's a crime. The first responsibility of a chicken should be to lay eggs.
In past generations there were many strains of show winning birds that produced well because the breeders selected for productivity as well as appearance. There's no reason we can't get back to that if we make it a goal. My Grandfather raised some really nice looking White Leghorns that laid very well. He trapnested & culled unproductive females. The hens he hatched from were all dependable producers. You'll notice I said hens. Why would you want to hatch from pullets who haven't shown what they can do? [you'll also get bigger chicks from hen's eggs]
I'm not surprised to hear the pullets from birds you hatched from my eggs are laying well. I select for productivity even in bantams but especially so in large fowl.

Great perspective. And one I share. I believe fidelity to the laying characteristics of the origins/intent of the breed are part of its "heritage" to be maintained.

 

[Fentress]

I sure don't won't this to seem like I am going against the folks that seem to know a whole lot more then I ever will about these HRIR's but when it comes to the egg production I can honestly say this. I can't say for any other line yet except the Nelson. I have 7 hens (3 from NYREDS and 4 from another BYC member dinahmoe) (the girls from dinahmoe were hatched 4/5/12 and the NYREDS girls were hatched 6/1 - 6/5/12). I did not gather todays eggs yet but for the first 27 days of April I've gotten 148 eggs. In my honest opinion, I think that is just pretty dern good. I've had hatchery stock that does not lay as good or any better then these girls. I can't say how they will do in the winter time yet because these just started laying late Jan early Feb. This was with no lights in their pen also. I've not went under 4 eggs per day from these and some days 7. IF all the heritage birds layed as well as these, I don't think anyone would complain. Again, I can't speak for winter laying yet. I am keeping a record of these girls and will be keeping track of my other lines as they start. I have an egg production page on my site and update it every week with how many eggs for that week.

Just went and gathered the eggs from the Nelson coop and got 7 today so that means 155 eggs in 28 days. Pretty good in my eyes.

That's a lay rate at least as good as what I am getting with hatchery birds and you probably have more consistent egg quality. My eggs come in all sizes! Since these are dual purpose birds lets talk meat. Wouldn't it be fun when we cull the spring cockerels to post the weight and the age, with a picture or two and any management related comments you might think relevant. I won't be able to post till later since my chicks won't arrive until late May, but I would appreciate the info.


Mark

 

[NestingHillsSC]

That's a lay rate at least as good as what I am getting with hatchery birds and you probably have more consistent egg quality. My eggs come in all sizes! Since these are dual purpose birds lets talk meat. Wouldn't it be fun when we cull the spring cockerels to post the weight and the age, with a picture or two and any management related comments you might think relevant. I won't be able to post till later since my chicks won't arrive until late May, but I would appreciate the info.


Mark

I hear of everybody culling there roos for meat. What do you all do with your culled hens?? Do you just sell them or do you eat them too?

 

[immyjay54]

I hear of everybody culling there roos for meat. What do you all do with your culled hens?? Do you just sell them or do you eat them too?

Banded, put in with the layer flock. If they turn out special, they are taken back out. When I get to many in my layer flock I either eat them or run an ad for older laying hens.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Banded, put in with the layer flock. If they turn out special, they are taken back out. When I get to many in my layer flock I either eat them or run an ad for older laying hens.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
what do you use to band them? I have tried the numbered rings on my adult hatchery birds, but they fall off.

 

[immyjay54]

what do you use to band them? I have tried the numbered rings on my adult hatchery birds, but they fall off.

I use the different colored spiral bands #11 usually on the hens and I also use the numbered bandettes. The only time I've ever lost one is if I band them to early. Then you may loose one. I have bands on some of my girls that have been on there for over two years and are still there. lol
Just noticed that yours are hatchery birds. You may need to go with a smaller band. I had a small hen that hers kept fall off. She only grew to about the 4 month size and never got any bigger. I ended up using a zip tie on her. She has since died over the winter.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
thanks

 

[immyjay54]

Okay folks. Question for some of the old timers. lol Many many years ago when I was just a kid, my parents always had RIR's. Not from hatchery but from other local farmers. Dad and mom always let the hens set and raise chicks to replenish the flock because we butchered both hens and roosters. When our chicks were first hatched they looked like little chipmunks (ground squirrels). They had really black stripes back both sides of their backs and on their heads. I haven't seen this for a long long time. Even in hatchery RIR's. In the last 2 years I have probably received over 250 eggs/chicks from other breeders. Never have I received a chick like the ones I mentioned nor have I ever hatched one from others eggs or my own eggs. All of a sudden, this past weekend I hatched chicks from my Don Nelson line (these are dinahmoe and NYREDS females and dinahmoe cock bird. These are all pure Don Nelson lines. I had 3 with the really dark lines described above and 1 with the lines just not as pronounced. The other chicks are all just like what we all see all the time from the RIR's. Could it be that I have a hen that lays the golden egg? Do any of you breeders that breed a lot of these birds ever come across this or do any of you have comments. I think I will band these chicks so I know which ones they are as they grow and see how they turn out. This really has me confused. I couldn't see the striping until they totally fluffed up.

Including pictures taken today. These were hatched Saturday.






The chcks in the top and left in this photo is what most of our RIR chicks look like.