The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[cmom]

Quote: In this pen I just took out 6 more and sold them. As long as there are no females they will be ok. I have another pen with several males and females. I just opened up another pen that I will move those males into so I can separate the males and females and later this month I will take several of the males to a show for sale.

ETA: The males I don't sell will have to be put into another pen. I learned from experience that once you take males away you can't put them back into the same pen as they will fight.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

I miss my reds.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Got to update some photos. I have 3 pullets and 3 K's out of this year's hatches that I am very, very pleased with. They'll form the basis of spring breeding. Most everything else is either gone or in the egg laying pen.

 

[RoseMarie1]

I got to get some pix of mine and put on here. I bought 10 chicks and sure hope I have more pullets than cockerels. lol

I'm thinking I have several pullets if their combs do like the productions do. I have noticed the cockerels combs go back farther on their heads than the pullets do on the production ones. IF the heritage ones are like that to, I think I have several pullets.

 

[Rancher3535]

Yeeeup.

Folks often ask, "How is it that so-called exhibition lines, of whatever breed, often have far less laying than scraggly ol' backyard stock?"

Here's part of the answer. It's all what you breed toward and push for. After 10 generations of mostly ignoring laying and pushing for those girls that "look like she just curled her hair and put on makeup each morning" (to quote RedRidge) you get what you've selected for.

Had some folks stop by for some young K's the other day. As I loosed a couple of big ol' Red cockerels from their pen, these folks stood with jaws dropped as I fed them sweet corn off the cob. I could stroke them, handle them, and show them off to the visitors. They'd never seen anything like it. All they'd ever seen was flighty and nasty hatchery stock young males.

It's all what you breed for. The hatcheries tend to reward the aggressive males with more females in the flock breeding pen, whereas here? These males were selected by Don Nelson, Bill Post, Wilford Kittle, Rickey Bates, etc, etc for handling and temperament. They're more like puppies than anything else, really.

True bred, Standard bred Reds are joy and a half to own and work with. I am really enjoying them.

Hope I can make some sense of some of this. My opinion only...Part of the problem is when people breed exhibition lines they...1. do not hatch enough chicks (25-50 chicks does not really get you the best of what you can get), 2. keep to tight of a gene pool with in their flock (only use one male on their females instead of 3-5), 3. keep only the best birds that work in the show ring thinking they will produce good quality exhibition birds. 4. they keep very poor records and information on the line. (keeping track of egg production, pelvic spread when in production, keel to pelvic to keep the best of the layers. A good show bird does not always make a good breeder.

On of the old old time judges (Homer Endersby most of you would not know who he is because he passed away a long long time ago) told me once...you have to keep a few of the ugly to produce some of the best. Some of our not so good show birds often produce the best show birds in the line.

Just my two cents worth.

 

[RedRidge]

Rancher3535
I can't say that I agree with any of your 4 points. As a matter of fact I believe great care is taken by most breeders I know to avoid any of those 4.
We hatch hundreds and put hundreds in the freezer, using 3-4 cocks, on the best of our early layers with records (both laying and lines) that many would consider anal excessive.
If it isn't good in the laying pen I don't want it for an exhibition bird. If it isn't good for an exhibition bird, I don't want it in my laying pen.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Rancher3535
I can't say that I agree with any of your 4 points. As a matter of fact I believe great care is taken by most breeders I know to avoid any of those 4.
We hatch hundreds and put hundreds in the freezer, using 3-4 cocks, on the best of our early layers with records (both laying and lines) that many would consider anal excessive.
If it isn't good in the laying pen I don't want it for an exhibition bird. If it isn't good for an exhibition bird, I don't want it in my laying pen.

Any that u dont want in your laying pen just give them to me!!!

 

[RoseMarie1]

Hope I can make some sense of some of this. My opinion only...Part of the problem is when people breed exhibition lines they...1. do not hatch enough chicks (25-50 chicks does not really get you the best of what you can get), 2. keep to tight of a gene pool with in their flock (only use one male on their females instead of 3-5), 3. keep only the best birds that work in the show ring thinking they will produce good quality exhibition birds. 4. they keep very poor records and information on the line. (keeping track of egg production, pelvic spread when in production, keel to pelvic to keep the best of the layers. A good show bird does not always make a good breeder.

On of the old old time judges (Homer Endersby most of you would not know who he is because he passed away a long long time ago) told me once...you have to keep a few of the ugly to produce some of the best. Some of our not so good show birds often produce the best show birds in the line.

Just my two cents worth.

Oh that's SOOOOO GOOD to know!

 

[RoseMarie1]

A couple pix of my chicks. I sure am hoping I have as many pullets as I think I do. ;-)
They're really getting dark now.










The one closest to the bottom I think is a pullet.
and this one I think is a pullet. ????


They are all different ages. His hens wasn't laying so well in the heat so there are from 1 week at the time, to one months in this batch.

 

[cmom]

A couple pix of my chicks. I sure am hoping I have as many pullets as I think I do. ;-)
They're really getting dark now.










The one closest to the bottom I think is a pullet.
and this one I think is a pullet. ????


They are all different ages. His hens wasn't laying so well in the heat so there are from 1 week at the time, to one months in this batch.

They look to be at about the right ages to start seeing who is a she and who is a he.