The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[cmom]

Quote: I'm in the same boat. I have had a lot of birds go broody but no open pens for them to brood in.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I'm thinking seriously about trying to find and buy some broodies just to help me hatch trying to decide which breed to try for.

Silkies are great broodies but don't always do well with hawks. Sumatras are wonderful broodies and are good foragers. I went with blue sumatra hens. I was able to buy a quad with the rooster included from a breeder. Wonderful idea of buying adult birds when starting with a new breed. It saves almost a year of growing out time.

If I decide I want a second line of RIR, I'll be buying mature birds. It is well worth the extra money and road trip.

 

[immyjay54]

Can't go wrong with a Silkie hen they are great broodies ( incubators )

The only thing I thought about with the Silkie's as brooders is how many LF eggs can the cover? I figured that they could only cover 5 - 6 eggs where the LF can cover 12 - 15. I had 13 under this mid size Oliver Egger. One egg got broken but others were fine throughout the 21 days.

 

[Irishhenman]

Can anyone recommend a way to get Rhode Island Red hens legs more orange after they have layed for most of a season. I am showing one of my hens in July and her legs are gone a lot paler than what they were in December. I am giving her some dried marigold petals in her feed and water but. I want to do something more for her. Any ideas?

Also, I haven't seen much talk of wing feather colouring. The British standard calls for the primary feathers to be black on the outside and red on the outside, the secondaries are black on the inside and red on the outside and the wing coverts are completely black. Most breeders are having trouble with black peppering on the side that should be red. Is this a problem in a America or is it even in your standard?

Thanks

 

[immyjay54]

I'm in the same boat. I have had a lot of birds go broody but no open pens for them to brood in.

I know it doesn't look like much now but this is what I'm making for broody hens. This I started for grow out pen fur chicks then thought it would be super for broody girls. They will be 2' x 6' x 2' high. Where the piece is fastened on the front end, that will be solid on sides, top and bottom. That will be the nest part. the rest will be wire and if it is cold I'll just screw plywood over the wire till it warms up. I'm planning on making 5 - 6 of these hooking two together. I will either put them on legs or fasten them to my coops that I now have. Put the hens in when they start going broody and don't have to worry about the other hens bothering them.

 

[gander007]

Quote:

Silkies do come in two sizes and it is surprising how many egg's a chicken can cover
when she want's to the thing I have always noticed is Silkies like to or brood way easer then any other chicken I have acquired yet ....

 

[RedRidge]

 
I'm thinking seriously about trying to find and buy some broodies just to help me hatch trying to decide which breed to try for.

I can guarantee you that the SC Underwood hens definitely do go broody. 6 out of 10 of mine wanted to set. Geez, they are driving me crazy. I like broodiness in the birds but not that many and not all at once. lol  It's really okay, I have plenty to get eating eggs from. None of the RC's have went broody just the SC's. ??????  Lots of the other breeds seem to go broody but these are the only of my lines that have wanted to be momma's. lol 

Same experience here. It's my SC Underwoods that go broody. And they are great mothers too. My RC Underwood have not gone broody.

 

[Angie16hearts]

That is no joke about those production red roosters. I'll not have another one on the place drowned the first one and the shotgun got the second one that was  a cross breed, children do not need to be around those roosters

Good to know! I have a mutt rooster right now. He knows his place. At least so far....

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Can anyone recommend a way to get Rhode Island Red hens legs more orange after they have layed for most of a season. I am showing one of my hens in July and her legs are gone a lot paler than what they were in December. I am giving her some dried marigold petals in her feed and water but. I want to do something more for her. Any ideas?

Also, I haven't seen much talk of wing feather colouring. The British standard calls for the primary feathers to be black on the outside and red on the outside, the secondaries are black on the inside and red on the outside and the wing coverts are completely black. Most breeders are having trouble with black peppering on the side that should be red. Is this a problem in a America or is it even in your standard?

Thanks

I was told to feed more yellow and orange foods including carrots and corn. Personally I have not started showing yet. But I might be tempted to just add red and orange icing coloring to their normal food. That would maintain the protein and mineral balance of their regular diet. Now if their legs were turning white because they were not getting a good diet, I might change up their food.

Quote: I like it.

 

[immyjay54]

I was told to feed more yellow and orange foods including carrots and corn. Personally I have not started showing yet. But I might be tempted to just add red and orange icing coloring to their normal food. That would maintain the protein and mineral balance of their regular diet. Now if their legs were turning white because they were not getting a good diet, I might change up their food.

I like it.

What my thoughts are: If I have say six of them then I could put a couple of groups of young in each one as grow out pens. I even thought of making a few 3 x 6 for cock bird pens when breeding season is done. I have a few boys that stay together well without fighting and a 3 x 6 would be plenty big enough for 2 adult boys. Oh my, it seems we never get done with these birds. I would never advise anyone to get more then one line of reds at a time. lol It sure is a lot of work. I wouldn't mind if we didn't go below freezing during winter time. I just hate breaking all that ice every day. Geez, it seems like I do an awful lot of complaining. ha,ha.