The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[Fred's Hens]

Look, the Mickey D's analogy is proper. The service is predictable, the volume is there, the price is low, convenience of having the product on every corner, open all the time, thus readily available, etc. That's the market. TSC/hatchery chicks? Pretty much the same model. Nothing wrong with it.

Breeder stock of bred to Standard birds? Limited supply, patience can be tested in finding what you want, only available as available, etc.

But…… Sooooooooooooo worth it!

 

[Aamanda]

Look, the Mickey D's analogy is proper. The service is predictable, the volume is there, the price is low, convenience of having the product on every corner, open all the time, thus readily available, etc. That's the market. TSC/hatchery chicks? Pretty much the same model. Nothing wrong with it.

Breeder stock of bred to Standard birds? Limited supply, patience can be tested in finding what you want, only available as available, etc.

But…… Sooooooooooooo worth it!

LOL Very true...Still love my lill "fast food" chickens lol. But cant wait for Grammas cooking either! However it does make you appreciate it more.

 

[sahmhomesteader]

AMEN!! I wish I had found this site before I got my RIR's. I ended up thinking I was getting Grandma's home cooking and bit into McDonald's!! Nasty surprise!! LOL but I have learned a lot and will be getting the right chicks in February.

So RIRs are really docile? Even the roosters? Lol so if TSC's are like McDonald's then do their RIRs lay more than the true breed? If I got a flock of RIRs what could I "expect"?

 

[RedRidge]

Quote:
I have production/hatchery reds for years.... the roos are NASTY!
I now have HRIR... Rose Comb Underwood line... I cannot believe how sweet and docile they all are. The 7 month old cockerels are crowing, penned next to the pullets and some hens, and they all act like gentleman... to each other and to me.

 

[sahmhomesteader]

I have production/hatchery reds for years.... the roos are NASTY!
I now have HRIR... Rose Comb Underwood line... I cannot believe how sweet and docile they all are.  The 7 month old cockerels are crowing, penned next to the pullets and some hens, and they all act like gentleman... to each other and to me.

What is the underwood line?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Many of the breeds have lost much of their original characteristics when mass produced at the hatcheries. In most cases, the unique type begins to fade. That long, wide bodied, protruding keel look of the Red? Nah. That almost gets bred completely out in the mass production setting of the hatchery. The temperament changes as well. Pen breeding with 100 males in a pen of 800-1000 females produces an environment where the aggressive male is rewarded with the most matings and progeny. Over 40 years, the aggressive temperament dominates the gene pool.

There is no "selection" of individual birds for mating in a mass production context.

The production qualities take precedence over everything. Hatcheries are businesses striving for profitability. Higher and higher production takes precedence over everything. The size of the fowl shrinks by a pound or two from the Standard. Tails gets pinched. The tail angle of a production bird is often sky high as no one is selecting for the Standards of the breed. Bodies get skinnier and leg sets narrow. Protruding keels, an RIR breed feature, disappear. The deep mahogany color fades to a reddish-orange bird that is feathered nothing like a true Red. A strain of good Reds, bred with an eye to egg production, will produce upward of 200 eggs per year.

Long time Red old timers know very well that egg laying contests in the last century produced cheating. Brown Leghorn blood was blended into the Reds to pump up the laying. Those Leghorn features are still seen today in the DNA of the production reds. Fairly easy to see, frankly. This is why the production reds are capable of 300 eggs per year.

So, decades later, you have today's situation. The hatchery production red is an entirely different animal than the Reds shown on this thread. The same history story was also repeated with all the old American Class breeds as well. If you want true bred to the Standard Rhode Island Reds, you won't find them at hatcheries or feed stores. They don't have them.

 

[sahmhomesteader]

Many of the breeds have lost much of their original characteristics when mass produced at the hatcheries.  In most cases, the unique type begins to fade.  That long, wide bodied, protruding keel look of the Red?   Nah.  That almost gets bred completely out in the mass production setting of the hatchery.  The temperament changes as well.  Pen breeding with 100 males in a pen of 800-1000 females produces an environment where the aggressive male is rewarded with the most matings and progeny.  Over 40 years, the aggressive temperament dominates the gene pool.

There is no "selection" of individual birds for mating in a mass production context.

The production qualities take precedence over everything.  Hatcheries are businesses striving for profitability.  Higher and higher production takes precedence over everything.  The size of the fowl shrinks by a pound or two from the Standard.  Tails gets pinched.  The tail angle of a production bird is often sky high as no one is selecting for the Standards of the breed.  Bodies get skinnier and leg sets narrow.  Protruding keels, an RIR breed feature, disappear.  The deep mahogany color fades to a reddish-orange bird that is feathered nothing like a true Red.    A strain of good Reds, bred with an eye to egg production, will produce upward of 200 eggs per year.

Long time Red old timers know very well that egg laying contests in the last century produced cheating.  Brown Leghorn blood was blended into the Reds to pump up the laying.  Those Leghorn features are still seen today in the DNA of the production reds.  Fairly easy to see, frankly.  This is why the production reds are capable of 300 eggs per year.

So, decades later, you have today's situation.  The hatchery production red is an entirely different animal than the Reds shown on this thread.  The same history story was also repeated with all the old American Class breeds as well.  If you want true bred to the Standard Rhode Island Reds, you won't find them at hatcheries or feed stores. They don't have them.

Some of this I have learned as I have been researching and some was new to me reading today. Thank you!

 

[immyjay54]

What is the underwood line?

go to my site and click the page titled Underwood birds and you can read the bio by Gary Underwood. That will tell you most that you want to know.
http://jimspetsandpoultry.weebly.com

 

[MnMPoultry]

Sorry to just barge in here!

Trying to find trios or quads of SC and RC. I live a bit south of Indianapolis and would venture on a little road trip to pick-up. I was in off and on contact with Bob about getting these when I had things ready and, well, now I am! I was waiting until I had a few things straightened out before I I rounded up a few of my heritage breeds that I will devote to for the next few decades!

 

[monnie662]

Put his tail down completely straight and his back will look longer like other birds. lol Once they get the lift in the tail it makes their backs look shorter. It's kind of hard sometime's to go by a picture but he look pretty well proportioned to me. ???????? One thing, his back look like it has decent with from hackle to tail.

Thanks Jim. This rooster stands out from the rest even when he is standing straight maybe he is more "perfect" than the others and being a novice I thought he was imperfect, so I'm sitting and looking every day like yall say do and reading and lurking.