The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[Jharper]

yes as Red Bantams fit in to the old breeds or H type birds. They started in the 1930s by a fellow named Perrin Johnson from New York. He crossed old English games and cochins bantams to get the bantam gene into them to shrink them down to a bantam. That's why today we see many red bantams with cushions or elevated top lines not like our large fowl as the bantam folks are putting to much pressure on width of feather. The standard calls for a medium width of feather on a large fowl does not say a nice wide feather on a bantam. There for we have a new style of red bantam today which started twenty years ago in North Carolina its top line looks like a Rock or sometimes like a Wyandotte. They have good dark color and the current judges pick these over brick shape flat back bantams. So if you buy a strain you may be disappointed in what you get as they are not the old fashion brick shape flat top line bantams of twenty or thirty years ago. There are only a hand full of these old fashion bantams left. However, it appears from the pictures of all the large fowl birds posted on this thead the large fowl reds have got their old fashion flat top lines and their oblong brick shape bodies. So at least we are good in that department. E bay is not a good spot to buy Reds. These people are not on the hole fanciers or followers of the standard maybe one or two but most have feed store stuff. You can buy chicks from hatcheries that are bantams. Think about what they look like after they are ten months old however.

That explains a lot. I hope to find some good ones at the buy thing Saturday.

 

[bruceh]

I got some great complements yesterday on Ron's birds. A guy wanted to buy a few of my Heritage Delawares. As we talked on the phone he said that he had his grandfathers HRIR's. I asked if they were the dark old fashion ones. He said yes. So he came out and as we were looking at the HDellies he asked if he could see my Reds. I was like sure. So we walked back and the first one he seen was one of the hens. He was like, WOW, what a nice dark bird that is. So I got all the birds out of the house so he could see them. He was in awe over them. He said his isn't close to that color. He couldn't believe they were just over 4 months old for there size. He also noticed the yellow legs on half of them and the horn color strips. He thought that was just awesome looking.

Then he seen Sir Walter! LOL. He was in love. LOL I think he asked me at least 5x if he could buy him. Ever time I was like, NO!!! I probably could have gotten a lot for him, but he is going to be my breeder this coming year. He said his son goes to local shows and wins sometimes. He said there's wouldn't stand a chance if I brought mine. I told him like Ron tells me, just wait for another 4 months when they really start to mature. They will even look better. He said he would agree. He asked if he could come back in a few months just to look at them. I said sure.

He said he's been in chickens his whole life and knows a lot of people in chickens. He said that in this part of the state there's nobody that has birds as good as mine. For the size and color and just overall appearance. That was probably the best complement. I just had to smile over that one.

I had to text Ron yesterday about it. Because as far as I am concerned, these are Ron's birds. I am just raising them. When I breed and hatch my first batch, then those chicks become mine. So when I texted you Ron, all these complements go to you!

Just had to share this!

you should feel proud.

 

[immyjay54]

Thanks Jim. Your birds look like they are taken care of very well.

Dan

Thanks Dan, I really do appreciate your comment. I got a call last night from someone I consider a very dear friend via PM's and phone calls telling me the same thing and I could hardly put my hat on this morning to go out and feed. ha,ha,ha. I will probably never meet the many folks that I have met through emails, PM's and phone calls since I started with these reds but I sure do feel it a privilege to know such a nice bunch of people. We may not always agree on everything but as the old saying goes, we can agree to disagree. lol
Have a wonderful day
Jim

 

[AletaG]

Ditto on self suffiency, we still have venison in the freezer, that and chicken are our main meats. Home raised all we can do.
I am rehoming my Delawares this week and that will free up a pen, so I will be looking for some RC HRIRs shortly. What HRIR breeders are there here in MI? Or northern Ohio/Indiana. I will drive to pick up some, I hope for some Underwood breeding. I am open to lines. I would like either 4-5 mature, or 8-10 chicks or started birds. I'm in no hurry, I have waited a long time for these.

Man, do I wish I weren't in Wa state sometimes... I'm looking about for a good line of Delawares for NEXT season... Zanna seems very happy with KathIMO (I think that's right...?) re-created line... Any other recommendations out there? I fell in love with the part of the description that said early feathering and meat development, when my brain sees something that is in agreement with my eyes, that's it friends. Suggestions? PM is ok, too.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

you should feel proud.

Very!!

 

[Jake Levi]

Man, do I wish I weren't in Wa state sometimes... I'm looking about for a good line of Delawares for NEXT season... Zanna seems very happy with KathIMO (I think that's right...?) re-created line... Any other recommendations out there? I fell in love with the part of the description that said early feathering and meat development, when my brain sees something that is in agreement with my eyes, that's it friends. Suggestions? PM is ok, too.

There is an active thread here on Breeds for the Delawares. Kathyinmo does have from all apperences the best recreated Dels, right now she is not mailing much from home problems, but there are a number of folks on the thread that have her line, perhaps you could get some eggs from them? I am sure Kathy will be active again before long, she ships chicks and eggs. Mine are from her older line, excellent layers. I just am tight on space this year.

Right now I am looking for some RC HRIR breeders in driving distance for me, would even go to Ohio or Indiana, northern parts anyhow. Plenty of time to find them, no hurry.

 

[debs_flock]

Well, not the best photos of him. The show cage was a bit cramped for a big boy like this. But here is my (molty) cockerel that just went Ch. American at the CA State Fair.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Quote: IF I HAD TO WAIT TWO YEARS TO GET SOME FROM KATHY I WOULD WAIT WITH HAPPYNESS. YOU WILL BE LIGHT YEARS AHEAD GETTING HER STRAIN AS THEY ALLREADY LOOK LIKE THE OLD DELAWARES FROM THE PAST. SHE MADE THEM THE CORRECT WAY. IF SHE CAN SHARE SOME WITH YOU WILL BE HAPPY BUT ALSO ASK HER TO HELP YOU ON HOW TO BREED THEM. THIS IS NOT A EASY COLOR PATTERN.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Quote: When you go looking beware there are two types of Red Bantams like two types of Red large fowl.

There are the old fashion brick shape red bantams with flat backs oblong body's or brick shape like our current large fowl you have seen hundreds of time on this thread.

There is a new style of red bantam that Mr. E W Reese named about 23 years ago called RED ROCKS These females have lifts in their backs and tails like a Rock and some like a Wyandot to the degree of a New Hampshire Bantam female. This is caused by cochin genes coming to the surface by these breeders or quite possibly I am thinking Mr. Reese hit the nail on the head back then and they had been crossed with a black or partridge rock bantam one strain to make the birds darker. Its a long story I am working on but I think I have figured out what happen and why we are in the mess today.

I will post a picture of the standard female and a Red Rock to illustrate for you what to look for and not look for. If you see a bunch of these elevated red bantams I would not buy them they are culls like a production red is to a Standard Breed Rhode Island Red.

Hope this helps you and if you want some old fashion flat back brick shape bantams there are about five breeders left in the USA maybe more that has them. Its a sad day for red bantams just look at the pictures of them in the poultry press every month. bob

 

[Jharper]

When you go looking beware there are two types of Red Bantams like two types of Red large fowl.

There are the old fashion brick shape red bantams with flat backs oblong body's or brick shape like our current large fowl you have seen hundreds of time on this thread.

There is a new style of red bantam that Mr. E W Reese named about 23 years ago called RED ROCKS These females have lifts in their backs and tails like a Rock and some like a Wyandot to the degree of a New Hampshire Bantam female. This is caused by cochin genes coming to the surface by these breeders or quite possibly I am thinking Mr. Reese hit the nail on the head back then and they had been crossed with a black or partridge rock bantam one strain to make the birds darker. Its a long story I am working on but I think I have figured out what happen and why we are in the mess today.

I will post a picture of the standard female and a Red Rock to illustrate for you what to look for and not look for. If you see a bunch of these elevated red bantams I would not buy them they are culls like a production red is to a Standard Breed Rhode Island Red.

Hope this helps you and if you want some old fashion flat back brick shape bantams there are about five breeders left in the USA maybe more that has them. Its a sad day for red bantams just look at the pictures of them in the poultry press every month. bob

So which kind of bantam reds should I be looking for?