The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[RoseMarie1]

Would someone be so kind to tell me what you think about my pullets and cockerels? Please be kind, I am new at this. I really love this breed! I am working on their pen trying to get it fixed up. It's getting close to time for the pullets to start laying I think.

 

[WalkingWolf1]

Here are a couple of pics (sorry, lo-qual phone pic) of a young cockerel I got in a small batch of hatchlings from ronniewayne here on BYC. He will be 1yo on 1/2/15. We kept him and two pullets. I've hatched out a few and my boss is raising those. Nice x-lrg eggs and consistent layers. We have enjoyed watching them develop and I'm looking forward to him filling out as he matures in his second year.

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[cmom]

Quote:
Many people set up their breeding pens different. I am working with more than one breed so the 2 pen breeding works for me. I agree with Matt that it is nice to have a breeding partner that has the same line. I am trying to do that with all of my breeds by working with partners that have the same lines. I just moved my RIR male last week that had gotten Champion American recently at a show with some older females. I hope to get more Champions. I have kept the best and have either sold the culls or they are in my general population pens. The females I sell, I sell to people that aren't interested in showing they just want pretty egg layers, the males that want to breed not necessarily to show but they could get a show bird in a hatch. I had one I thought was destined to be a show boy but a predator killed him along with 13 others. One morning well over a year ago, I went out to my grow out pen and found 14 dead juveniles. I still to this day don't know what killed them. Some were missing their heads but there were quite a few dead but not mutilated.

 

[cmom]

Happy Holidays everyone... ​

 

[RoseMarie1]

Here are a couple of pics (sorry, lo-qual phone pic) of a young cockerel I got in a small batch of hatchlings from ronniewayne here on BYC. He will be 1yo on 1/2/15. We kept him and two pullets. I've hatched out a few and my boss is raising those. Nice x-lrg eggs and consistent layers. We have enjoyed watching them develop and I'm looking forward to him filling out as he matures in his second year.

.

They are very pretty!

 

[RoseMarie1]

Many people set up their breeding pens different. I am working with more than one breed so the 2 pen breeding works for me. I agree with Matt that it is nice to have a breeding partner that has the same line. I am trying to do that with all of my breeds by working with partners that have the same lines. I just moved my RIR male last week that had gotten Champion American recently at a show with some older females. I hope to get more Champions. I have kept the best and have either sold the culls or they are in my general population pens. The females I sell, I sell to people that aren't interested in showing they just want pretty egg layers, the males that want to breed not necessarily to show but they could get a show bird in a hatch. I had one I thought was destined to be a show boy but a predator killed him along with 13 others. One morning well over a year ago, I went out to my grow out pen and found 14 dead juveniles. I still to this day don't know what killed them. Some were missing their heads but there were quite a few dead but not mutilated.

That is so sad! That happened to me with some ducks. Makes ya sick to ya stomach to walk out and find them. I hate that for you!

 

[Rancher3535]

Knock on wood...I have been hit twice by predators of some kind since I move out here 25 years ago. First time 2 year after I moved in I had moved my big buff opringtons out into the orchard area out of the breeding pen. All 9 of them gone and spreadout all over the 1/2 acre. Second time was 3 years ago...walked out to the growing pen and found 27 of them spread out all over the pen. Both times it I feel was a mom, either raccoon or skunk, teaching her young how to kill. Makes you sick when you do everything you can to protect them.

 

[cmom]

Knock on wood...I have been hit twice by predators of some kind since I move out here 25 years ago. First time 2 year after I moved in I had moved my big buff opringtons out into the orchard area out of the breeding pen. All 9 of them gone and spreadout all over the 1/2 acre. Second time was 3 years ago...walked out to the growing pen and found 27 of them spread out all over the pen. Both times it I feel was a mom, either raccoon or skunk, teaching her young how to kill. Makes you sick when you do everything you can to protect them.

It's been quite a few years ago. We were raising Ring Neck Pheasants and something had killed a large number of them. They were spread out too. We did put traps out and a couple of nights later we caught a bobcat in the traps. A couple of years ago something had gotten into my grow out pen and killed several of my youngsters. Never caught whatever it was but can only guess. I just realized I repeated myself.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
There was one special youngster that I thought had promise and I sent pictures to Bob to ask what he thought and he thought the chick had a lot of promise and named him Hollywood. He was one that was killed with the other 13. My heart was heavy for awhile. I was really looking forward to raising him up to show.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Knock on wood...I have been hit twice by predators of some kind since I move out here 25 years ago. First time 2 year after I moved in I had moved my big buff opringtons out into the orchard area out of the breeding pen. All 9 of them gone and spreadout all over the 1/2 acre. Second time was 3 years ago...walked out to the growing pen and found 27 of them spread out all over the pen. Both times it I feel was a mom, either raccoon or skunk, teaching her young how to kill. Makes you sick when you do everything you can to protect them.

yes it does make you sick. Last night we were working on my juvies pen until it got dusk and something just told me to go check the grown chickens and their door was OPEN! Liked to have died. Hubby was helping me and he'd left and went inside the house and had forgotten he hadn't shut it once they went inside from free ranging. I ran inside and told him he needed to get the flashlight and make SURE nothing had gotten inside before he shut the door. Thank goodness nothing was inside with them and he shut it. Man if I hadn't went and checked oh my gosh I don't even want to think about that.