The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[SallyinIndiana]

I am line breeding which means that my HRIRs are all descendants of the same line which was originally the Reese line. Robert Blosl bought the Reese line around 30 years ago. He now calls them Mohawk. Read Robert Blosl's posts and you will learn what a good HRIR is. He started this thread.

Thanks, I have been reading many of his posts. It takes me a while to fully grasp some of his posts as I'm still very new to the raising chickens world. I can tell that Robert is very good with details. I like that. I am learning more each day by slowly reading his and others posts and I'm gradually gaining a better understanding of this wonderful breed. Still there is a world of information for me to learn about them. Truth be told I love it and am fascinated by all of it.

 

[cmom]

A good way to get familiar with the different lines, in my opinion, is to go to a poultry show within a distance you would be willing to travel. The shows have a list of who is showing. I located the owner of a grand champion and bought some birds that happened to be the same line as mine. Most of the shows are now over until in the fall. That is how I started. I went to some shows and looked at the birds and saw how they placed. I haven't gotten grand champion yet with my birds but have gotten best of breed, best variety, reserve breed and reserve variety. Some of my birds are from show placing parent stock. It takes several years of selective breeding to get the best quality of birds. Good luck and have fun...

 

[Robert Blosl]

http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/4/48/600x399px-LL-487e54fa_DSC_0265.jpeg

http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/c/c3/600x399px-LL-c367213f_DSC_0259.jpeg

If you go to a swap and see birds that look light in color then these are production type birds. These look like they have some old Rhode Island Red blood crossed into them.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Rhode+Island+Red+Chickens&FORM=RESTAB
I was trying to find the story I wrote or history of the Mohawk Rhode Island Reds and typed the subject and found the above pictures.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=mohawk+rhode+island+reds&qpvt=mohawk+rhode+island+reds&FORM=IGRE
Then if you type in Rhode Island Reds into Bing you will get hundreds of pictures of production reds which dominate the population of the breed in the USA. There may be 50,000 production reds in the USA however the real Original Rhode Island Reds the dark ones maybe 500 right now. There has been a push by us on this message board and this site to increase this and there will maybe 20 new people who will be razing the old fashion Standard Breed Rhode Island Red a year from now. More people who are second generation ROOKIE breeders will be able to share their stock by eggs or chicks or live extra birds next year. There are just not enough of old time Red Breeders left to supply the demand or we don't fool with eggs or chicks. We focus on hatching for ourselves and culling the bad birds out then if we have some birds with minor faults we sell maybe twenty or so adult birds at Poultry Shows or ship to the new peoples home. This is very costly for the beginner. It is so much easier and less expensive to get ten stated chick for maybe $8. each shipped to your home.
Just remember that Standard Breed Old fashion large fowl poultry are not breed by us to lay tons of eggs like the feed store chickens. Some of these are used in Commercial Poultry Egg houses and sold to the folks at stores. After a year or so the females insides are about shot. They then end up in the meat department at the Food Stores. Standard breed birds live longer as they are breed to produce eggs and meat and beauty. That's how the old timers wanted breeds of livestock to be. A Rhode Island Red is very much like a Shorthorn Cow. She gives some milk, good meat and is very hardy on the farm. She is not in the same class as a Holstein or Guernsey in giving pounds of milk per day. Yet there are a few people who still have these rare cattle and they are much like us guys who have the Original Rhode Island Reds. Also, many have other rare old time breeds. We are the new breed of Americans called Preservationist. We are trying to keep a little of the past or some of us are modern day Homesteader's. Nothing wrong with that and its good for the soul. I got to write a few ideas down for a guy on why people should consider Standard Rhode Island Reds over feed store kind and you have given me some good ideas.
Take your time learn what you want. Get you a nice incubator some day and enjoy hatching your own chicks. Silkies are good and crossing them onto other bantams make good sitters as well. Maybe someone who has a good incubator could hatch them for you. Better to get a box in the mail with ten nice ten day old chicks in them and start from there in my view. Its cheaper in the long run.

Now below is the story how I discovered the Mohawk line of Rhode Island Reds.
http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/id64.html

 

[Fentress]

Robert,

Do you have an opinion on the Sand Hill Line? I will be happy to post pictures in due course, I am sure they are not show quality, but I hope that they are the type of quality chicken that you are talking about. This only my second year. It seems that there are fundamental flaws with Hatchery stock in general, or maybe with just some breeds like the RIR, that have been bred with such a heavy emphasis on production.

Mark

 

[OffGridMAMA]

Thank you for the great information Robert some of us newbies aspire to someday call ourselves preservationists too.

 

[BantyChickenLuv]

Robert,
You mention ordering 2 week old chicks for $8 each. Do you know anyone who will have bantam RIR's available next fall/early winter? I was going to get some from Duane Urch but there's no way I can order 25 chicks. I don't know what I would do with them all. If you could point me in the right direction, I would be very greatful. Thanks.

 

[Robert Blosl]

In Regards to Sand Hill Reds have no clue. I only know what breeders have that have been breeding for the past five to ten years and a few of you who got good stock from the breeders who are doing a very nice job sharing your eggs and chicks with other beginners. In my view this is a great way to get started especially those who want to be Preservationist and just have nice Reds on your Hobby Farm. You dont have to be a big standard of perfection person either. I think sometimes I pushed to hard on that issue and we need to just take it easy and enjoy what we are doing. Many can not see spending a lot of money for this book under these times and somewhere I think on my web site I have the description of what type and color should be. All you need is a picture of the female and male and you are set.

In regards to Red Bantams I know a guy who has some Mohawk Red bantams and has started chicks and eggs available this spring and next winter and the next spring. Chicks are about $8. each and about ten days to two weeks of age.

Send me a personnel message and I can tell you who this guy is.

Have plans with a friend of mine to get some Rose Comb Rhode Island Red large fowl and take the best cockerel and cross it onto a killer Mohawk hen and start a new line of Rose Combs Mohawks. This will happen next year. Sure would love to see a nice pullet in about three to four years with a neat Rose Comb and a killer body when Champion American at a major show. It could happen just got to try.

 

[Fentress]

Bob,

Thank you for your response. I am definitley one of those who want to "...just take it easy and enjoy what what they are doing." At the same time, after nearing completion of my first year, I just now am learing what a true "Heritage" breed is about and I am wondering if the concerns I have with my current stock are a result of a sub-standard commercial hatchery product. In general, I was pleased with my flock this year (New Hamp., Barred Rock & Speckled Sussex) they were good layers and healthy, but as meat birds they were very scrawney, notwithstanding my past conditioning with the Cornish Cross, it is hard for me to believe, that my great grandmothers chickens were this skinney. I would gladly sacrifice some egg production for a better carcass. Also, all of my roosters were overly aggressive, they were either good with the chickens, but people aggressive or vice versa. Could my concerns be addressed with a better breed of chicken or was this just the luck of the draw?

Thanks,

mark

 

[r4eboxer]

Happy Dance

, I'm getting 10 chicks in April, I had RIR as a kid in the early 70's, those little chickens are what made me fall in love with poultry. I can't wait to have some real quality Reds. It may even cause me to start showing them. Thank you FOGLE!!!!!!! (i don't want to leave the page to make sure that is spelled right, sorry if not haha)

 

[FOGELLY]

Happy Dance

, I'm getting 10 chicks in April, I had RIR as a kid in the early 70's, those little chickens are what made me fall in love with poultry. I can't wait to have some real quality Reds. It may even cause me to start showing them. Thank you FOGLE!!!!!!! (i don't want to leave the page to make sure that is spelled right, sorry if not haha)

Yes, you get a "Spelled my name right" AWARD!

Ron Fogle