The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[immyjay54]

I just changed the water on my Half and Half's that I hatched about the middle of February. I got four I think. They are dark in feather need to take a few pictures. I shared the parents with a junior when I went to the Newnan Show hope they got a bunch of nice birds. They are from Matt as well. bob

I'm sure pleased with these Bob. They are really nice. I sure did have one wonderful talk with Matt. He is one very nice person.
Jim

 

[cmom]

I have some birds from Matt also. Recently hatched my first chicks from them. They are looking good. I will take some pictures tomorrow.
My avitar is one of the chicks

 

[immyjay54]

I have some birds from Matt also. Recently hatched my first chicks from them. They are looking good. I will take some pictures tomorrow.
My avitar is one of the chicks

Cute

 

[immyjay54]

Cute

Did anyone on here get chicks from Paul Gingerich last year and if so could you tell me how they are doing in the egg production. Number of hens and how many eggs per week that you get.
Thank you. These are the Mohawk's from Greg Chamness line. I'd like to know if it is the chickens or something that I am maybe not doing with them. All my chickens are doing just great except these and the 3 Horstman RC hens. Not really worth feeding. When I say terrible I mean terrible. I've not gotten a dozen egg in a month from these 6 hens. They are all a year old this month. Geez. They are fed exactly the same as my Nelson birds and my mixed layer flock.
Jim

 

[cmom]

I have some birds from Matt also. Recently hatched my first chicks from them. They are looking good. I will take some pictures tomorrow.
My avitar is one of the chicks

Even as they get older I notice most have very deep chests already and are more noticeable than the other breeds of chicks I have. They already have the brick shape.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Quote: That is interesting on this. I have no idea. I saw a male that Chris had at our show in March. They where leaner in dept that the ones from Illiniois.

If they are ten to 12 months old they should be in peak layng and pumping out eggs well. I raised five half and half ckls and pullets for Matt last fall and when the females that I had started laying as pullets they layed a nice big egg and often. I took two females back to Matt for breeders and kept the others then sold them in Feb to a beginner junior. I hatched four chicks and they feathers very fast and look good.

The interesting thing about this cross was to introduce new fresh blood. I felt that the pure Mohawks especially the ones from Florida where getting inbreed. They needed to be crossed then take these half and halfs and mate them back to Gregs line then start a intelligent line breeding program and also have many buddies in different spread out locations at least 500 miles apart that will keep their lines pure then swap eggs, chicks or a adult bird every five to eight years for fresh blood. Keeping this 100 year old line pure but having birds mixed in to keep up the vitality with out blowing the gene pool all to pieces.

The Florida birds had darker quill color almost black like I had when I had them. The ones from Illinois had a lighter hue dark but not blood red or black which is the darkest you can get them. Both strains had even width of backs so we did not loose that trait. That is the Illinois and the Florida line. It looked like the Florida line might have had larger females, maybe a little thicker. They all had good type, good head points and wing and tail color.

There was one female that Matt got from Greg as he got two old hens and a pullet. She had a injured knee or the knee on one leg caved in like a knock knee. However, she had the best Tee Pee tail I have seen on a Red Female in years. She I am sure produced the Champion Male that won everywhere and had the pronounced tail. I think a mating of her back to this male will produce world class females with great tails that will drive a good judge nuts.

What needs to be done in the next one to two years is any one who has Gregs line needs to cross one of these half and half's onto their line for fresh blood. Then take these chicks and cross this bird back to Gregs line. I still think that if you select your females and males for fast feathering traits over the next five years you can get a strain with very high egg production and great feather quality.

If you have females in a breeding pen and their back feathers are all torn off by the male breeding them for three months you may have lost your feather quality. Females that lay lots of eggs do not do this or at least mine did not in fact you could take them out in three months and show them. Their backs where still intact. However, the first birds I got did not do this. It took me five years to get the females to this level for fast feathering selection. You do not have to do this but if you do the Mohawk gene comes to the surface. This is the only way I ever saw it and it was simply a accident as I was only trying to improve the feather quality on the pullets when I did this.

Hope this helps you who have this line. I would do this extra effort on any line of large fowl. However, when you improve feather quality you loose size of over all bird. So when you show you may have a tighter looking Rock but will be beat by a larger white rock as that is the trend today.

 

[winniem13]

Taken today. 8 weeks old, SC RIR. Pullets?????
Thanks, Winnie (I won't post again for a while, I promise)......

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Taken today. 8 weeks old, SC RIR. Pullets?????
Thanks, Winnie (I won't post again for a while, I promise)......

Nice!

 

[immyjay54]

That is interesting on this. I have no idea. I saw a male that Chris had at our show in March. They where leaner in dept that the ones from Illiniois.

If they are ten to 12 months old they should be in peak layng and pumping out eggs well. I raised five half and half ckls and pullets for Matt last fall and when the females that I had started laying as pullets they layed a nice big egg and often. I took two females back to Matt for breeders and kept the others then sold them in Feb to a beginner junior. I hatched four chicks and they feathers very fast and look good.

The interesting thing about this cross was to introduce new fresh blood. I felt that the pure Mohawks especially the ones from Florida where getting inbreed. They needed to be crossed then take these half and halfs and mate them back to Gregs line then start a intelligent line breeding program and also have many buddies in different spread out locations at least 500 miles apart that will keep their lines pure then swap eggs, chicks or a adult bird every five to eight years for fresh blood. Keeping this 100 year old line pure but having birds mixed in to keep up the vitality with out blowing the gene pool all to pieces.

The Florida birds had darker quill color almost black like I had when I had them. The ones from Illinois had a lighter hue dark but not blood red or black which is the darkest you can get them. Both strains had even width of backs so we did not loose that trait. That is the Illinois and the Florida line. It looked like the Florida line might have had larger females, maybe a little thicker. They all had good type, good head points and wing and tail color.

There was one female that Matt got from Greg as he got two old hens and a pullet. She had a injured knee or the knee on one leg caved in like a knock knee. However, she had the best Tee Pee tail I have seen on a Red Female in years. She I am sure produced the Champion Male that won everywhere and had the pronounced tail. I think a mating of her back to this male will produce world class females with great tails that will drive a good judge nuts.

What needs to be done in the next one to two years is any one who has Gregs line needs to cross one of these half and half's onto their line for fresh blood. Then take these chicks and cross this bird back to Gregs line. I still think that if you select your females and males for fast feathering traits over the next five years you can get a strain with very high egg production and great feather quality.

If you have females in a breeding pen and their back feathers are all torn off by the male breeding them for three months you may have lost your feather quality. Females that lay lots of eggs do not do this or at least mine did not in fact you could take them out in three months and show them. Their backs where still intact. However, the first birds I got did not do this. It took me five years to get the females to this level for fast feathering selection. You do not have to do this but if you do the Mohawk gene comes to the surface. This is the only way I ever saw it and it was simply a accident as I was only trying to improve the feather quality on the pullets when I did this.

Hope this helps you who have this line. I would do this extra effort on any line of large fowl. However, when you improve feather quality you loose size of over all bird. So when you show you may have a tighter looking Rock but will be beat by a larger white rock as that is the trend today.

I definitely have this problem with my 3 hens. They look like they've been plucked. I will try what you said since I have both families. That will be next year though.
Thanks

 

[immyjay54]

I just could not pass up on posting this picture. Can't judge type of body etc but I just love this shot of his broad head. He is a 9 1/2 week old Underwood SC Cockerel

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