The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

Pulled out my #1 bird again today to get another look at him after another month of growth. Puts him at eight months. He is one heavy dude! His back measures plus nine inches from base of hackle to base of tail. Everything about him is x large. He is relaxed in the cage and doesn't get overly excited anymore when I open the cage door and smooth his feathers over his back and tail. Compared to my #3 pick, he still looks like the best male. The big guy is still #1 pick. He is smooth across the back. I feel no hump or cushion. #3 is lighter. Down ward sloping back. I'm still really happy with this boy. Big, dark red, broad, and square.
They are both beautiful. I hope you are keeping both!
 
Pulled out my #1 bird again today to get another look at him after another month of growth. Puts him at eight months. He is one heavy dude! His back measures plus nine inches from base of hackle to base of tail. Everything about him is x large. He is relaxed in the cage and doesn't get overly excited anymore when I open the cage door and smooth his feathers over his back and tail. Compared to my #3 pick, he still looks like the best male. You say you do not feel hump but if I'm not mistaken, look to the right of the last wire on the door to the second wire past that and see if that is not a roach?? I'm talking about the bird on the left. I personally like the bird on the right better. He has a little downward slope (the rainy day look) but other then that I like him better.


The big guy is still #1 pick. He is smooth across the back. I feel no hump or cushion. #3 is lighter. Down ward sloping back.
On picture below, the comb is not following the shape of head/neck and I still think that I see the hump between the 3rd and 4th wire???

It doesn't seem as noticeable but it seem that I still see bit of bump on back. I just butchered a 7 month old today that looked almost the same in the back. This was a problem I had in birds I raised last year so I was extremely critical with my young ones this year. I may be wrong with your boy and if I am I'm sorry. Just saying what I see. I wanted to keep my boy so bad but I will not take a chance with passing that on. The one I kept is not quite as large but he is nice in every other way.



I'm still really happy with this boy. Big, dark red, broad, and square.
 
Oh my, here comes a book sort of like my very much missed dear friend Bob. I hope no one on this thread ever thinks that I'm trying to fill his shoes because I don't think any of us could ever do that. As for the different breeds, first off I think most on this thread has either gotten birds from Matt, Ron or Gary. Many times Bob has told us where his birds went to when he got rid of his original Mohawks. Brian Simmons. Greg Chamness and Andre St. Romaine. Matt got birds from Brian and Greg and crossed some and got his half and half's as some call them. They are still the Reese birds. Their was some talk that the St Romaine birds were crossed with a RC before going to Ricky Bates who was the person that had the birds that Ron now has. Through much reading up on this, I honestly believe that Ricky got his birds before the cross was made. Besides this, the cross was with a RC and to my knowledge there has never been a RC pop up so I do not believe that these birds were crossed with any other line. I believe that all the birds from any of these families are 100% the old Reese (Mohawk as Bob called them) lines. I had these birds from Greg, they were very very slow to mature, mine were a little flighty for quite a while. I still have 1 cock bird and 3 hens and they are calmed down now but not the same quality bird that I received from Matt. The birds from Matt are really nice, good body structure, beautiful color, nice wide backs in most of the cockerels, wonderful dispositions, good leg color as for laying, I can't say, they haven't reached that age yet. Before going any further I will again say that in my own personal opinion, whatever others call them, these are all the Old Reese line of the RIR's.. To get a true debate on this, you would have to get Brian Simmons, Greg Chamness and someone from the St Romaine family. lol And a mediator. Now to the Nelson, The Nelson line of reds are quicker to mature, most reach POL about 6 months (depending on time of year), these birds are truly like puppies, I can sit in the doorway of the coop and these hens will get right up on my leg. lol They hens are really nice size, long bodies nice feather quality just a good all around bird. The Underwood's. I am really pleased with my Underwood birds. I have three different groups of these. I have a SC family and a RC family from eggs acquired from Jim Heinz through Trish Dusil directly through Gary. I've heard so many say that the RC's are a smaller structure bird then the SC. Mine are just the opposite. It seems that my RC's are a little larger. These have really nice structure, nice disposition, decent layers (mine started just 2 days after 6 months old), color is great, nice brick shape on both male and female. My other family is directly from Gary. I'll just say very nice birds. I'm very pleased with them. I've had 3 other lines of the RIR's but really wasn't satisfied with them for different reasons. Some needed more work then I wanted to put the time into, some I just did not like the looks of the finished bird. Ending up I will say that I don't think you will find a mean roo in any of these old lines, (if you bring them up right), There are differences in leg color on some, tail set on some, laying ability, quicker maturity and with this, they are almost all different. The main thing that I will say to the folks that haven't been into this long, DO NOT CROSS THE LINES, If you are an old timer at this and knows what to look for then you do what you want and work to get a certain fault out. You know what it takes. The new folks will just cause a big problem and end up getting disgusted and give up. lol Gosh, I hope I haven't bored you all to death. ha,ha Jim
Didn't bore me at all! And I am a newbie. Most important I understood/gleaned is the comb following head, no of comb peaks, wide blocky shape (no rear narrowing), tail not pinched but held flatter, back flat and wide, keel about even or more than beak when standing AND DO NOT CROSS THE LINES FROM DIFFERENT BREEDERS!
Agreed, I am talking about the number of points on these RIR not obvious defects like side sprigs and ect. I don't think I have seen any of these types of defects in these lines. Someone starting out with a small number birds as a base, should not worry about a cockerel with good type that has a comb with 7 or 4 points. This can be done farther down the road. Ron
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! :)
Pulled out my #1 bird again today to get another look at him after another month of growth. Puts him at eight months. He is one heavy dude! His back measures plus nine inches from base of hackle to base of tail. Everything about him is x large. He is relaxed in the cage and doesn't get overly excited anymore when I open the cage door and smooth his feathers over his back and tail. Compared to my #3 pick, he still looks like the best male. The big guy is still #1 pick. He is smooth across the back. I feel no hump or cushion. #3 is lighter. Down ward sloping back. I'm still really happy with this boy. Big, dark red, broad, and square.
I am beginner and he is beautiful but don't I see a rise in his back in the center? OOppps I see someone else addressed that. So I guess I did good in seeing that!! Yay for the learner!
 
Am so looking forward to the Heritage birds from Fred in June!!!

Hey Fred how far are you going to grow them out before I acquire them from you? Hatching in June or earlier?

The laying hens seem to be doing well. Anxious to get my feet wet in learning the breeding to help these HRIR gain status again.

Am learning so much from this thread. Thanks all who are keeping it going in Bobs memory. Those who have said they don't want to "take his place".... my question for you.... If you were a good student of his isn't that what he would EXPECT you to do? Take over and pass on what he taught? The hardcore facts of good breeding/management for preservation? ;) I say take the torch he passed you, and keep it burning brightly!
 
Jimmyjay, your critiques, and articles are valuable lessons, thank you! Yes, After your explanation, I can see the difference between the top lines.

Lual
Oh my goodness, I'm glad that someone saw that. I thought that my eyes were really getting bad. I even took a piece of paper and held it up to my monitor. lol Thanks. I sure don't try to be smart but when someone asks I try my best to give the correct answer.
Jim
 
Jimmyjay, your critiques, and articles are valuable lessons, thank you! Yes, After your explanation, I can see the difference between the top lines.


Lual

Oh my goodness, I'm glad that someone saw that. I thought that my eyes were really getting bad. I even took a piece of paper and held it up to my monitor. lol   Thanks.    I sure don't try to be smart but when someone asks I try my best to give the correct answer. 
Jim 

I agree with your evaluation Jimmy. I have my best 3 Rhobebar cockerels in pens for observation over the last 2 weeks and my second favorite reminds of this cockerel above. I like everything about him but he has a slight cushion. He is superior in structure in every other way to my third choice, who doesn't have near the brick shape and narrows more through the back. Bluh
The Rhodebars need such improvement that I believe I am going to have to take the lesser of two evils and use the bird with the cushion for my second breeder. I have 2 groups of hens they will be breeding. .. One is a group of Rhodebars, one is a group of HRIR to create F1s for breed improvement.
I keep waffling as to which cockerel to put with what group. My HRIR are quite obviously much nicer. .. I see pros and cons to both combinations. Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations?
 
Ron's line roosters act like timid puppies, my king rooster just started crowing loudly this week at 7 months of age. Ron is clear and concise and will work with you to help you get chicks or eggs. That said I have not worked with the other breeders I'm sure they are great too.
Timid puppies isn't the word. LOL. I had to take my 2 cockerel's out of the rooster area because they were getting killed and won't come out of the house. I got another one shipped from Ron and he see's me coming and runs!! HAHAHA Tried putting the new cockerel with the older one Walter and he humps the younger boy.
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Need to start getting the breeder houses built. Just having a hard time trying to figure what I'm going to build for those. Have to build like 4 this year. So trying to go as cheap as possible. Not sure how big, do they need roosts, 1 nesting box or 2??
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Gotta go look for the red's. Gee, wonder what the birds from Alabama thinks about this stuff. lol Hey Matt and Steven, I'd bet that your boys would totally wear themselves out in this stuff. lol I mean your human boys.


 
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