The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[RedRidge]

We just have too many variety of predators to protect unless we have lgd's. It doesn't matter if it's covered or not, or totally enclosed. I gave up trying to protect my chickens with "fencing and structures and enclosures" years ago. Mink and snakes get through chicken wire, hawks will find any hole they can, fox can clean you out in one night, and of course the coyotes and panther can't be kept out of anything. And the common problem many around here are having this year, with young live calves and lambs, let alone chickens, is that the turkey vultures are coming in and eating them live.
My brooder is off the ground and made of hardware cloth and is where the dogs can get to it... that way the chicks and the chickens are all protected.
The only modification I've had to make is using a chicken door instead of a human door for the main coop. I have one maremma who loves eggs. She'll protect chicks with her life, but she loves to eat eggs, so I have to make sure she stays out of where the chickens lay. But she has access up to the front where the chicken door is to make sure nothing else gets in there either.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
From day one the chicks have lights. I think they get used to them so they go into the coop at night with no problems. I use 7 watt bulbs in the coops and it is enough light. I don't have trees where the coops are is in a pasture. I have planted trees in the pens but they aren't very big yet. We built the shade tables and they do get under them when it's hot out. We made new ones with metal tops. The old ones were made with plywood tops and after a few years, the tops even thought they were primed and painted still started to rot so now all of the shade tables have metal tops.

 

[Robert Blosl]

I have learn red this is a Don Nelson Line bird from eggs he got from a friend who got some from this line. Nice brick shape. I will try to locate a picture o f one of Dons bird he sent me about ten years ago. He is a killer and this bird has his traits. Congratulations on this male so far. Now its down to conditioning him correctly and then showing him. bob

 

[RedRidge]

I have learn red this is a Don Nelson Line bird from eggs he got from a friend who got some from this line. Nice brick shape. I will try to locate a picture o f one of Dons bird he sent me about ten years ago. He is a killer and this bird has his traits. Congratulations on this male so far. Now its down to conditioning him correctly and then showing him. bob

So Bob... will you elaborate on "conditioning correctly"?

 

[NestingHillsSC]

From day one the chicks have lights. I think they get used to them so they go into the coop at night with no problems. I use 7 watt bulbs in the coops and it is enough light. I don't have trees where the coops are is in a pasture. I have planted trees in the pens but they aren't very big yet. We built the shade tables and they do get under them when it's hot out. We made new ones with metal tops. The old ones were made with plywood tops and after a few years, the tops even thought they were primed and painted still started to rot so now all of the shade tables have metal tops.

I maybe wrong, but one of my PRreds died this year of internal laying. While I was reading up on it I found that having lights on all the time will cause this a lot. I never have light, from day one. But she still got it. They did a test on production egg farms who keep the chickens in a lot of light all year so they lay all the time and found a lot come down with that. More so than backyard owners who don't use lights. I guess what I'm say, might not be the best for them all the time.

 

[ChickMagnet207]

How many of you have Don Nelson line?

This is a male that he used about ten or so years ago. bob

Here you go bob

 

[Robert Blosl]

Thank you I just got home buying groceries with my wife and checking the board. I wrote a article for the English Rhode Island Red club on color and sent this picture for their year book. He is a great male maybe one of the top ten males in ten years to be shown and photographed. His line and this male has this birds blood running through his veins.

Now you got something to compare with and also all of you with Dons line can see this male. Its a good line and glad so many of you have it. bob

 

[cmom]

Quote:
My lights are only 7 watt night lights. In the many years I've had chickens, I have never had a problem with internal laying.

 

[Fred's Hens]

No you got something to compare with and also all of you with Dons line can see this male. Its a good line and glad so many of you have it. bob

Here's two little Nelson line chicks. LOL

 

[Robert Blosl]

Here is a picture that I sent to the Rhode Island Red Club of England of a good male owned by Dennis Meyers about ten years ago.

I do not have any pictures in my computer of Dennis Meyers old birds these days but this is a good example for you newbie's who are wondering what a good wing should look like. Remember this is one of the best ever taken in the Mid West but its only a guide don't kill a good Red because they are lacking good black in the wings. You can in time imrpve this trait. I wanted this picture to illustrate the dark rich wing color of the red which is just as important .

Look forward to seeing more pictures of your nice reds this year. Does any one have any Radamaker or Bennett line reds this year?