The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[bluebirdnanny]

Matt I have what I think is a cockerel... my question.... it appears as the feathers are coming in the right primary ones are longer than the left. Will that even out or is it already a cull out from breeding?

I have never had the unbalanced growth like that before.

 

[radams]

I have read this thread from the beginning and have had times of joy and times of utter despair while following the members(past and present) of this thread/forum and the dedicated breeders that contribute their time and efforts into maintaining the standard for the Rhode Island Red. I have been reading and researching different breeds for over 2 years now and always come back to the Standard RIR. I know that members will say to just get started and learn along the way, but I am currently retired military and still working overseas so I cant provide the time necessary to devote to a flock. I do want to have all the information I can when I do begin.
My goal is to have a flock that will breed true, provide a decent amount of eggs/meat (dual purpose), good foragers and broodiness is a plus. Size and weight is part of the SOP but some of the qualities I look for are not. I want to start with a breeding trio/quad and go from there as Bob described(http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/id67.html) with the separate breeding pens. I could keep rambling on but I want to get on to my question for the expert breeders here.

What line would be best considered for a Standard RIR dual purpose bird? Not to offend anyone, but Im not looking for show quality, but one that meets the SOP and still performs as a good dual purpose bird?
I am thankful for this forum and all of the members that provide the information to all of us and for not getting too frustrated with our lack of knowledge and sometimes silly questions.

 

[cmom]

I can't answer which line would be the best for you but there are a lot of breeders on this thread that I'm sure can give you great information. Many of the people on this thread do show their birds. I do have my breeding pens set up and of course when hatching, I always get many more males than I need. There is no problem selling the females. Males are a different story. First I pick out the birds that appeal to me and my interpretation of the SOP for showing. Usually at the shows, I try to sell the males and females in pairs. The males I don't sell do go into the freezer. Once in awhile I do barter with the feed store up the road from me for feed.

 

[radams]

I can't answer which line would be the best for you but there are a lot of breeders on this thread that I'm sure can give you great information. Many of the people on this thread do show their birds. I do have my breeding pens set up and of course when hatching, I always get many more males than I need. There is no problem selling the females. Males are a different story. First I pick out the birds that appeal to me and my interpretation of the SOP for showing. Usually at the shows, I try to sell the males and females in pairs. The males I don't sell do go into the freezer. Once in awhile I do barter with the feed store up the road from me for feed.

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully will hear from others as well. I dont think I really need to have show quality birds, just birds that represent the SOP well. Im thinking that even cull birds form the fall flock would work out nicely...correct me if Im wrong. I have 15 acres in northern Arkansas on Bull Shoals Lake but I would be willing to travel to acquire good quality birds to start with. I know that Ron Fogel has good birds near me but havent seen him post on here in a long time. I also dont want to bother anyone with a phone call at home when Im not ready to put my plan into action. I believe that long, detailed and precise planing will make things go much smoother when I get started. I do want to start with good quality and not have the headache like many do by trying to start with low quality and breed up. I dont have anywhere near the expertise or experience that many of you have. I would love to have a feed store near you! I have seen some pics of your birds and all I can say is...amazing.

 

[immyjay54]

I have read this thread from the beginning and have had times of joy and times of utter despair while following the members(past and present) of this thread/forum and the dedicated breeders that contribute their time and efforts into maintaining the standard for the Rhode Island Red. I have been reading and researching different breeds for over 2 years now and always come back to the Standard RIR. I know that members will say to just get started and learn along the way, but I am currently retired military and still working overseas so I cant provide the time necessary to devote to a flock. I do want to have all the information I can when I do begin.
My goal is to have a flock that will breed true, provide a decent amount of eggs/meat (dual purpose), good foragers and broodiness is a plus. Size and weight is part of the SOP but some of the qualities I look for are not. I want to start with a breeding trio/quad and go from there as Bob described(http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/id67.html) with the separate breeding pens. I could keep rambling on but I want to get on to my question for the expert breeders here.

What line would be best considered for a Standard RIR dual purpose bird? Not to offend anyone, but Im not looking for show quality, but one that meets the SOP and still performs as a good dual purpose bird?
I am thankful for this forum and all of the members that provide the information to all of us and for not getting too frustrated with our lack of knowledge and sometimes silly questions.

Hi there,
First I want to say thanks for your time in the military. There were 5 boys in my family and all of us served. Thanks.
Now to chicken talk. If you go to my site, URL at bottom of my posts, there is two pages that may interest you. The egg production 2013 and the RIR Experience page. There is a lot of information on my site that may be of help to you in your decisions.
Like you, I do not show but wanted the birds that do conform to the SOP. These are some very nice birds and I truly do think that you would be satisfied with what you get. There are lots of pictures of the different lines that I have worked with that may help in your decision. It doesn't cost anymore to feed a good looking bird then it does a not so good looking one. lol
Hope this helps.
Jim

 

[Matt1616]

Matt I have what I think is a cockerel... my question.... it appears as the feathers are coming in the right primary ones are longer than the left. Will that even out or is it already a cull out from breeding?

I have never had the unbalanced growth like that before.

bluebirdnanny, how old is this cockerel? How long are we talking here? Is it 1/4 inch or 2 inches? Do you have others that don't look like this?


Matt

 

[YULickenthat]

I love reading this thread, it is so full of valuable information!! I finally bit the bullet and put in an order with a breeder for Heritage Rhode Island Reds. I have been obsessing over who to order from for a while now and honestly wasn't having much luck. The purity of the breed is important to me, so I am glad to see a few more people who might offer nice lines.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
My husband and I were both also in the military, he was in the Air Force and me in Army, retired now. I bought my first birds several years ago at a poultry show in Lake City, Florida from a fellow, Brian Simmons who told me the birds were from the Reese line. Back then I didn't have the idea to show poultry either. I just liked the birds. A few years ago I decided to show some of them just to try it. I also bought more birds from Matt1616 at another Lake City poultry show. I have been breeding them every since and keeping my best and selling the rest. This past January I bought another cockerel from Matt. He is turning into a fine fellow. Now I do enjoy showing. You just never know. I just hatched some chicks from him and they are very nice chicks. Before I got my birds I did a lot of research.

 

[karenj32]

I purchased hatching eggs at a local poultry show this spring from a SCRIR breeder in Wilmington, NC. Chicks hatched well, and now are getting their feathers in. (sorry for the bad picture) I had no reason to doubt that they wouldn't be the quality of bird I was hoping for, but I sure felt relieved to see those dark feathers sprout. I know color isn't everything, but they have also been very healthy, active and sweet so far. Can't wait to embark on this adventure, I have 30 vigorous chicks ready to head out to the grow out coop. Only time will tell......

 

[bluebirdnanny]

bluebirdnanny, how old is this cockerel?  How long are we talking here?  Is it 1/4 inch or 2 inches?  Do you have others that don't look like this?


Matt

Not good photos but maybe you can see here.... he (Pretty sure) is only a few days over 2 weeks

Three more with the 0-3 day olds...