The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[immyjay54]

Wish I could take photos like that! Of course the birds if not good negate any photo skills.

Something for me to aim for with mine the next few years.

Thanks for the compliment I think. lol Seriously, thanks.
Most of my birds are so tame that it isn't to hard to get a good picture. I will tell you this bluebirdnanny, I have many many reds and I can tell you that most of the lines do not have legs that look like these. A few of my Nelson girls and the boy have nice horn down the legs and some of the Underwood's but all my Reese birds except one boy have super color and horn on the legs. I just came in from my evening feed and was standing out there looking at these Reese and one of the hens legs actually look brownish orange with almost black horn from where the feathers stop on the leg all the way to the toenails. As I've said so many times to folks that I talk to, each of these different lines have their own traits and this is one that I always point out with the Reese/Mohawk.

Jim

 

[bluebirdnanny]

Yes that WAS a compliment and a vote of trust for your expertise level.

Well I am gathering eggs to hatch from these two Nelsons:

Next year should be fun choosing the keepers for the breeding program. Thinking I will see if I can come up with stuff to build one or two pens along this line (was someone on heres photo I kept for a pattern):

Of course I will post pictures for You, Matt and Fred to help me choose from. Or to tell me yes a good choice or no because of.... etc.

I'm excited to get the chicks that came from my Kittle hens eggs from Fred in a few weeks. If one turns out to be a male I can work on that line too! If not...well I will have eating eggs there while I develop/preserve my Nelsons! And so my journey as an apprentice breeder begins!!!

 

[immyjay54]

I remember seeing those pictures of the pens but there is no way that I could have them that way. Gosh, two of my Underwood boys froze their combs this past winter in almost solid coops. lol The wind blow right down off the mountain here and If I had an open pen like that they would be frozen on the roosts. I'm not kidding either.

Your hen looks pretty nice but the picture of the roo is not something that I would even begin to say anything. I know the line very well so I know he is probably decent. The picture makes his head look like it should be on a bantam. I know he is nicer then the picture shows him. Don't take this wrong, I don't mean it that way. He does have nice yellow legs. Good luck with whatever you do.
Jim

Oh, as for the Kittles, you should get lots of eggs from them. They are super layers.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Jimmy, I hatched that male, as you know, and raised him. He's not perfect, but he's a really great bird. Taking photos that set a male like that in a good light and shows off his stuff? Important, for sure.

I've got his brother here and he is a sight!!!

Here's Nanny's male when he was younger. You can see his deep, deep feathering.

 

[immyjay54]

Jimmy, I hatched that male, as you know, and raised him. He's not perfect, but he's a really great bird. Taking photos that set a male like that in a good light and shows off his stuff? Important, for sure.

I've got his brother here and he is a sight!!!

Here's Nanny's male when he was younger. You can see his deep, deep feathering.

Definitely better picture. I wasn't trying to talk down the bird. Just that I knew he had to look better then the picture. I was almost 100% sure that he came from you and I know I had three from last year and the worst fault that any had was 2 had a little, real little roach. I ate them anyway. I kept the one that didn't have any roach at all and wow, he is super nice right now. A really nice wide/long back and as straight as a level.
Thanks for sharing these photos anyway. I love looking at pictures.
Pictures are a real chore to get decent. Very few are what we want them to be. lol

I just put 10 of the Nelson eggs in lock down tonight from your birds brother. These chicks should be pretty nice.

 

[immyjay54]

Hey Fred and Nanny,
I had to do some searching but found it. This first picture is your birds brother that I used this year when he was 7 months old, the last picture was taken a couple of days ago.
The second picture was taken inside the building with a flash.

 

[RedRidge]

Yes that WAS a compliment and a vote of trust for your expertise level.

Well I am gathering eggs to hatch from these two Nelsons:

Next year should be fun choosing the keepers for the breeding program. Thinking I will see if I can come up with stuff to build one or two pens along this line (was someone on heres photo I kept for a pattern):

Of course I will post pictures for You, Matt and Fred to help me choose from. Or to tell me yes a good choice or no because of.... etc.

I'm excited to get the chicks that came from my Kittle hens eggs from Fred in a few weeks. If one turns out to be a male I can work on that line too! If not...well I will have eating eggs there while I develop/preserve my Nelsons! And so my journey as an apprentice breeder begins!!!

Yep that's my pen. It has a plastic gutter on the back now and gravity nipple waterers. Some breeding season is over her I am currently using it for grow out... Although it's gettinga little cozy - i have about 50 of the Underwoods I hatched in it.

 

[RedRidge]

Jim,
I didn't have any frostbite problems this year - even with the bitter temps getting below zero.
I use a heavy clear vinyl in the winter attached with Velcro. I loosen the bottom on most days and roll it up. Then roll it down again at night.
This provides great air circulation and yet really holds enough warmth in at night.
On the rare occasion it didn't get above 20, I'd simply raise only the top flaps... it all depends on the temperature and amount of sun on a given day.
All vinyl is off for the summer now of course.
Here's a pic I took mid-winter when I was breeding. Hatched a few hundred eggs from these pens Jan thru March.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

Wow! Redridge, I hadn't thought of using it in winter too. Just as summer grow up pens so chicks can have free range experience while still too young to mix with others and as predator control to begin with or to separate non RIR from main coop while I am gathering hatching eggs. I built an open air Woods style coop as my main coop.

Our temps got WAY below zero this year for extended periods. I fear I'd have frozen combs if I used it year round.

The photo of him wasn't in good lighting. He looks much lighter in the photo than he is. He is darker than she is. And I don't have a high quality camera and the operator is even worse!

There IS dark on the front of his legs. Can't see it in the photo. Not as pronounced as your photos though.

 

[Fred's Hens]

The weather has turned. Time to move these rascals out to a grow out pen. I like to separate the cockerels at this age as they tend to hog feed from the pullets. To the bachelor pad they go.