The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[barncat74]

what do you all do to get ur birds ready for show? besides putting them into a conditioning pen? we are going to be showing our birds the 1st week of january for sure, maybe before. and we have built some great conditioning pens. thanks

 

[barncat74]

these underwood birds are so docile. they love to be around people and have NEVER flocked anyone here. My husband laughs every morning when i open the hen house to let the girls free range during the day and for the 1st 30 mins i have 20+ hens following my every move! and honestly have never pecked us when being handled. these birds are wonderful. i even put my 6 month olds in with my 4 month olds and after a few pecks saying who was boss everyone was quiet again.would recommend Gary Underwood RIR Bantams to anyone

 

[lualshannon]

You have a great start here from a excellent strain. They are from Arkansas they may have some efforts adjusting to your climate but you have to understand this is normal.. After 3 generations they should be adjusted to California climate then think about this to five years from now.
u could send ron five or ten started chicks from you strain back to him and he can have a new shot of fresh blood for vigor if he wanted it for his line. He has the only original Ricky Bates line which he got from his son. Thanks for the pictures keep up the good work. bob

Thank you very much, Mr. Blosi! your comments are very important to me.
All three birds are siblings, and am planning to do the inbreeding program which you posted the diagram of on your HLF thread. They are now over 5 mos. old, and hopefully will be ready to breed next spring.
Kindest regards.


Thank you, Ron! They grew up, didn't they : ) I can't tell you how sweet they are. When you are in the area, please let me know; would love you to see them in person. Couple of days ago, the boy was trying to crow, and he sounded like a badly tuned French Horn. First couple of times, I didn't know what that sound was....Ohhh, I have the greatest joy when the boys are learning to crow...just too cute and adorable...
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

The reputation that these birds have gotten over the years were not the birds that you have. If you want to find the bad reputation, get yourself some hatchery RIR or the Production Red and you will see the ornery side of them They can get down right mean. I've had them over past years and they were as good as a watch dog. So many including myself have these HRIR of different lines and I have yet to get a mean one. I can't speak for everyone but I haven't heard much if any on here say about them being mean.
Jim

Thank you for your comment! I am experiencing the gentle and kind nature of HRIR, and enjoying these lovely birds. Actually, I am keeping my young cockerel separate from my Orpington roosters. I made the mistake of putting them together, and was not a nice experience seeing him bullied. So, my HRIRs are in a run of their own.

 

[cmom]

what do you all do to get ur birds ready for show? besides putting them into a conditioning pen? we are going to be showing our birds the 1st week of january for sure, maybe before. and we have built some great conditioning pens. thanks

a few day before the show the birds all get bathed. I use 3 tubs. One to wash them with baby shampoo, one with about 1/2 cup vinegar in the water to help rinse the shampoo out of the feathers, and one with clear water to rinse the vinegar out of the feathers In the 3rd tub I sometimes put a a tablespoon of hair conditioner in the water. I lower them slowly and gently in the water in each of the tubs. When I take them out of a tub I hold them above the water and let the water drip off of them for a few seconds before putting them in the next tub. When I take them out of the last rinse I wrap them in a towel by rolling them up like a burrito with the head sticking out of one end and the feet sticking out the other end. Now I clean the face, comb and wattles as well as the feet and trim the beak and the toenails with a good emery board if they need it. I use a toothbrush to clean the toenails. Wrapping them in the towel also helps in drying them without damaging their feathers. Now I put them in a cage until time to go to the show. I don't put anything in the bottom of the cage and have large enough wire that all poop will fall through the wire and not get on the birds. If I do this a day before the show I will also blow dry the feathers on low heat but if I bathe them a few days before a show they will be dry before show time. This is just how I do it. Good luck and have fun...

 

[Robert Blosl]

Edit: This is a sin to post this white rock on this thread I started three years ago. But I called him Gladiator
he was not mean great leg color and white as snow but when he fought he did not stop till he killed his opponent. Hope you never get a male with this much hybrid inbreed vigor in him. I talk about vigor. I pushed it to the limit on this guy. Who is to know we learn from our mistakes. Mr. Weaver this male is running though your strain.

So you out there beware of my mistakes hope you have a great hatching season.


Tip of the Day:

Got a email from my partner with Mottle Javas in Texas and he's got some four males that are bulling some of the younger males. One point I told him was its time to separate the males from each other as they start to mature and crow they will want to fight. I lost the best White Rock male I ever raised to his kid brother he killed him and so I could never use him as a breeder.

It put me so behind in my breeding program I lost three years on the type I was working on. The brother a good male had to use him but never got the lift in the top line I wanted that the other male had.

Lesson to you if you only have one or two good males protect them not only from skunks, possums, raccoons ect. Make sure they are in a cage that the wire is small . Raccoons can stick their feet through a one inch mess and pull you male bird to the edge and they are dead. Just want you to know my mistakes I have made. Every year we hear of someone who got a trio shipped to them or they bought and the male died. Then you are dead in the water. Always have a good back up if you have a accident.

Heck I have gone to the breeding pen and my top male has his legs up in the air for no reason this happen to a great Red Breeder who lives near me last year lost his two year old cock bird. Then a good young male dropped dead his third back up. Thank goodness I had a male here to bring to him I fostered raised for him.

Just be prepaid for the worse. It does happen in these chickens and to us breeders who we think we got it all figured out. like me bob

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I'm keeping 3 roosters just to have a back up to my back up. I only have 3 HRIR hens so to breed I really only need 1 of the males.

 

[terry100]

Would he be good to buy

 

[AletaG]

Would he be good to buy

Unfortunately, it's a thumbnail... No matter what I do, I see a 1" square picture... I can tell it's either an RIR or Buckeye cockerel... More info? Who are you getting it from, where did they get theirs from? Bigger pic? Side view at rest would be awesome!

 

[Robert Blosl]

You are in Ireland so we don't know those breeders.

If he looks like any of our good pictures we have go for him. You can always get a another male or stain some other day. I would think in Ireland you would have standard breed RI REds like we promote over here in the USA.

 

[immyjay54]

Would he be good to buy

Do you know Darren Finnerty? He is in Ireland and he has chatted with me about the Rhode Island Reds. He shows a lot and does pretty well over there. If you want contact information I'll get it to you.
Jim