The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[melroseladi]

I for one, as a beginner, am very grateful for those that do sell and ship eggs. It gave me the opportunity to not only get a line that I really wanted but it gave me the opportunity to raise them from the start, from incubating to hatching to brooding. Some of us really enjoy doing that even though we do understand the risk of shipped eggs. I do not expect that any chicks I hatched will be top winners in the top shows but it does give me a solid genetic line to begin working with, and that is what I was looking for.

Penny

 

[delisha]

I for one, as a beginner, am very grateful for those that do sell and ship eggs. It gave me the opportunity to not only get a line that I really wanted but it gave me the opportunity to raise them from the start, from incubating to hatching to brooding. Some of us really enjoy doing that even though we do understand the risk of shipped eggs. I do not expect that any chicks I hatched will be top winners in the top shows but it does give me a solid genetic line to begin working with, and that is what I was looking for.

Penny

Well said Penny.
.I disagree with one thing..I do expect a top winner. I believe I have all males..I need more eggs.

 

[melroseladi]

delisha, my thinking is that I will have the genetics in my birds and with good management and good breeding practices I may get a good quality show bird BUT my main goal is to just keep the line pure and not do nilly willy breeding to keep the birds as close to the Standard as I can.

I set 11 more eggs Sunday night, can't wait for them to hatch.

Penny

 

[Mumsy]

Not everyone who sells eggs is a crook.
I only keep and breed "My best birds" Hatched over 100 last year.
You can't tell which chicks at hatch will be SQ anymore than which egg will produce SQ chicks. But breeding only the best gives you more chances to produce the best.


Right now I have 2 two year old hens, 1 four year old hen and 5 eleven month old pullets.

Today they layed 6 eggs. In one month I can hatch more than all the chicks I need for the year.

5 eggs average x 7 days= 35 x 4= 140


I don't think everyone who purchases eggs is a cheap skate.
Yes we do have a lot of money and time in these birds, but we don't do it for the money. I hope to pay for my feed to keep me going.


I sell and ship both chicks and eggs. Eggs much simpler. Most people now days know the risk of shipped hatching eggs. I also would not sell chicks or eggs from less than my best quality because it is MY NAME that will be associated with them. If I can help a few people get started that good with me.

BTW if you read the old poultry ads from early 1900's all of the big time breeders sold hatching eggs as well as chicks.

We should be helping others get started by what ever means (if we really are trying to preserve the HRIR)



Thats just me, others may feel different and that's ok.

Ron

As a beginner wanting to start out, it is the honest appraisal from breeders like you that helped me make the plunge. I have a three year, five year, and ten year plan with the chicks and eggs I'm waiting for. Once they are in my possession, it is up to me to incubate, hatch, and raise them. I do expect to have some top quality winners in there. Someday. If I read and took to heart the negativity, I wouldn't be taking the plunge. Thank you Ron and all other HRIR breeders helping to preserve them by sharing them. Positively and truly. Thank you.

 

[immyjay54]

Well said Penny.
.I disagree with one thing..I do expect a top winner. I believe I have all males..I need more eggs.

Hey now,
I think when we get eggs or chicks from a BREEDER that they should know what they are selling us and that 90% of them should be knock um dead top show/breeder quality birds when they grow out. Gee whiz, I thought we all felt this way. Ha, ha, ha. Guess I better go back to the drawing board. lol
Jim

 

[monnie662]

Not everyone who sells eggs is a crook.
I only keep and breed "My best birds" Hatched over 100 last year.
You can't tell which chicks at hatch will be SQ anymore than which egg will produce SQ chicks. But breeding only the best gives you more chances to produce the best.


Right now I have 2 two year old hens, 1 four year old hen and 5 eleven month old pullets.

Today they layed 6 eggs. In one month I can hatch more than all the chicks I need for the year.

5 eggs average x 7 days= 35 x 4= 140


I don't think everyone who purchases eggs is a cheap skate.
Yes we do have a lot of money and time in these birds, but we don't do it for the money. I hope to pay for my feed to keep me going.


I sell and ship both chicks and eggs. Eggs much simpler. Most people now days know the risk of shipped hatching eggs. I also would not sell chicks or eggs from less than my best quality because it is MY NAME that will be associated with them. If I can help a few people get started that good with me.

BTW if you read the old poultry ads from early 1900's all of the big time breeders sold hatching eggs as well as chicks.

We should be helping others get started by what ever means (if we really are trying to preserve the HRIR)



Thats just me, others may feel different and that's ok.

Ron

I whole heartedly agree. The line I have, no one has chicks for sale only eggs. And if pullets come up for sale too far to drive to get them and some people do not care to ship so if you want a certain line you have to take your chances with shipped eggs and hopefully the breeder packages the eggs so they get here unbroken. My thoughts too.

 

[Chris Herzog]

I usually keep up with my reading on this thread, but lately have gotten behind. So, I thought I would catch up tonight. I keep reading where every one wants Heritage RIR eggs. Let me reason with you a little while. First off I purchased the best available breeding stock. $75.00 a bird. Then an incubator $700 -$800. The best breeder feed at $17.00 per 50lbs. ( which only last a few days, with the amount birds one needs to produce enough show stock.) Then their were the pens I purchased, $1000.00 and the breeder pens $500.00, and the isolation pens, $150.00 The brooder pen $100.00- $400.00, the wire for the top of the pens $100.00 and the wood to build the Roof covering for the pens-$300.00, and the tin panels for the roof $630.00. and 4x4 posts I've forgotten how much they were.
Why would I ever think of selling eggs to someone that just wants to save a few dollars? I charge $7.00 a chick, I've sold every chick hatched so far this January, plus a trio. I might have made enough money to pay for their food for a few months. If I were to sell eggs, how much would I have to get for them to pay for their parents food? Remember on a good brood hatch only about 75-80% reach full hatch, and then you can look to lose a few more later. And if you buy shipped eggs do you really think you will have a better average? Do you really think you will be getting the sellers best eggs or just some eggs from off his "less then perfect birds?"
The only reason to own an incubator is to have the experience of observing chicks born, or to brood your own breeding stock, They are not made to save a person money.
I tell you in all honesty I brood for my own use, then I brood for a few people that I think are sincere in their desire to raise real Heritage RIR's, I only sell chicks that come from my best birds (usually less then 6% of all the chicks I've raised). Finally what eggs I don't eat from all of my birds including my best birds, I give to the neighbors they really enjoy fresh eggs in the morning. The eggs you will get on the internet at a discount price, I consider them in value at just a little bit lower than the birds being sold at flee markets by the local, "I'll get rid of these sick birds one way or the other",Con Artist. At least you know if the con artist's birds will be alive when you get them.
My advice to you--buy live chicks from a reputable brooder pay $7 to $9 dollars apiece. Then if you are still interested in 6 to 8 months, raise your own. When you do, let me know how many eggs you want to sell to people who just want to save a buck or two. If you want some of my HRIR birds that for some reason just didn't make the grade of "MY BEST BIRDS" I will sell them to you at a discount they will have the genetics / DNA but don't expect to win with them. I'll be keeping those for myself do you blame me?

Wow, now that was an interesting read…..

I guess in a way I must be part of the minority. I too have spent a ton of money on coops, breeding pens, conditioning pens and brooder boxes. I have also spent a bunch of money on getting birds that I wanted as well as getting a few decent incubators to use. I’ve not added up your figures nor my own but I guess I’ve spent a little over 9 thousand in the last couple of years getting to the point that I am at now.

So let me see here…. I sell my chicks for $6.00 each and my culls from 5.00 on up to 25.00 each. As far as I’m concerned any bird that I’m not going to keep, is a cull to me. I don’t think that I have ever sold any eggs to anyone but I know that I have given quite a few away to people both for eating and for hatching. Heck I sold a couple of birds to a lady a few months ago so that she and her daughter could show and compete against me and my little girl last year in Baton Rouge, La. at a State Fair. One of her birds got first place in its class at that show and we came in second to them with our bird. I was just as happy for them as I would have been had we won first place. Since then that lady and I have become good friends and she has bought several birds from me and I have given her several started chicks that are from the same breeders that my chicks for this year are coming from. I also ran into another lady and her daughter at Tractor Supply a couple weeks ago and saw cages with birds in the back of her truck so I asked her what’s with the chickens in the truck. She told me that they were headed home from a 4H show in Covington, La. so I asked how did they do at the show? The little girl said not so good. Long story short, after looking at their hatchery Barred Rock pullet I had them come over to my house and look at my birds. I gave them a couple of birds to bring home with them and to show at their next show on one condition, that they let me help them get the birds ready a few weeks before they go to the next show.

Like you I sell enough chicks to help pay for some of the feed I buy but mostly to help out some of the people in my area that want nice looking H chickens and not the hatchery crap you get from the feed stores. Most of these people can’t afford to spend what you or I have spent on our hobby but I don’t hold it against them nor do I think that they are cheap because they want eggs and not my 6.00 chicks or 25.00 grown chickens, most of the time I’ll give them some chicks if I have some to spare. I’ve even given eggs to a couple different schools and to people learning to incubate chicken eggs then loaned them a incubator to hatch them in.

Oh yea…Here is a pic of a 25.00 cull I sold just a week or so ago…. This bird may not win Champion Lg Fowl at a big show but he is far from trash. I would have paid twice what I sold him for when I was looking to get started in Reds last year….




Like I said I must be part of the Minority.

Hey Ron, great reply!!!

Chris

 

[Pozees]

Fascinating discussion. Every chicken keeper at every level has an investment. Even if the goal is to recover the investment and pay for food and maybe even pocket a little profit, it seems to serve no purpose for any one keeper to make a determination what is right for any other keeper to do with his or her eggs, chicks, and chickens. I understand that one may not want to sell hatching eggs, but am grateful for those who will.

 

[Robert Blosl]

When I got up this moaning I went to my lap top to read your messages on this site. This thread made me feel real good as it was only two years or so ago we where trying to convert back yard chicken folks to change from feed store production reds to the very rare and endangered Rhode Island Red Standard Breed Large Fowl. My hope was maybe in two years we could get one or two people to get some and work with them and then have the ability to share some of their eggs and chicks with the new folks as time goes on. I think it would be safe to say we tripled our amount of suppliers and proof of this is in the past threads today. I have so pleased to see so many who are now raising these rare dark red chickens called Rhode Island Reds and are even showing them and wining big with them.

There are many ways to get started and it is perfectly illustrated in the threads on how much it cost to get started. $6. to $8. for a started ten day old chick plus box and shipping is a steal in contrast to a fellow who ordered a pair of White Plymouth Rocks from me. He bought a box and had it ship ed to me for the two birds. Total cost is $75. then at least $75. to ship the box and the two White Rock Large fowl to him. He has all ready invested $150 in boxes and shipping. Lets say he had to pay $50. or even $75. for each bird. When the pair gets to his post office he could have ea sly invested $250. to $300. in just two real good birds. Baby chicks by real good breeders sell for about $8 each for day olds and a mini um order of 25 chicks so they can keep warm is the normal pa tern over the years. One reason so many ask for eggs on this site its the only method they know of. Heck if they have $50 tied up in two dozen eggs and hatch four chicks they are happy. There are some folks on this site who are masters of ship pig eggs and there is nothing wrong with getting a dozen or two from such people if that is the only way they can get a start. I would love to get two dozen Silver Pencil led Plymouth Rock eggs out of Canada into the USA might cost $100 to pull it off if I could.

So its so easy goggle Single Nest Box from Horizon Box Company in Georgia. George can ship you a box or two or ten. I just ordered ten boxes for my year of shipping chicks. I put ten ten day old chicks in a box, fill out the label, go to my post office and ship them out overnight express and in 24 to 30 hours a new Back Yard Poultry Hobie st has a start of my reds or rocks.

Now for you who have the old Mohawk line from Paul, or Greg Chanmess you need to think about getting some half and half Mohawk chicks five would be enough ten would be better and cross them onto your line some day in the future. Matt 1616 has such a cross as he crossed some Mohawks from Florida onto his three females he got from Greg Chamness two years ago. I have two pullets and two males left and last night I took a male to a pen with the two pullets and pulled one of his saddle feathers out and held it up to the air. I st oped looked and said Thank you Jesus. It was jet black as the Mohawks from Illinois did not have this jet black or dark horn quill color as the Florida Strain had. So the cross gave us fresh blood for vigor, good color from the Florida line the great type from the Illinois line and most of all there is the dark quill color on the cross. It was a cross I had in my head for six year and now it has been done.

The last cross that this line from Georgia had was in 1954 when Mrs Donaldson crossed the last male she ever got from Harold Tompkins into her line. No one has SINNED and crossed anything other than E W Reese birds into this line so just think about that for the future it does not have to be done this year but something to think about in the future.

For you who have the other good lines, do not cross nothing into this line. If you find one line that does best for you keep this line and get rid of the others and stick with it and improve it. You can always buddy up with someone else down the road and exchange eggs or chicks or one bird in five years for fresh blood if you need it.

Chris I am out in the shop making a Cypress two piece pen and going to try to put a AUBURN Foot Ball decal on it. Something I never done be for but practice makes perfect.

Since Thanks Giving I have made nearly 50 custom turned ink pens. I have worked each and every day to perfect this art. It is very much like raising R I Reds. It takes about three years to get the hang of what you are doing. Once you get to this level it only gets better so have faith of a mustard seed and you can tell mountains to move. It works in anything you try to learn how to do.

Thanks for the great messages I hope you LURKERS out there who want to make the change do so. There are lots of nice honest breeders on this thread ready to help you. bob

 

[steelefarming]

I tried getting some chicks from some of breeders on this forum last and most didn't have any for sale at that time. I'm looking and hoping that I can find some for sale this year. If anyone thinks they will have a few to sell please pm the information and I will get back with you. Thank you.