The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[immyjay54]

I am so happy that my early birthday present came from my husband. I can't wait to use it. We won't start gathering eggs for a few more weeks. I just separated the breeding pen from the egg layers for eating and sales. I also want to test fertility before we do anything else.
We are raising the Underwood RC's in our breeding pen and can't wait to see the offspring. We also have a blue splash marans roo in with the egg layers and have a buff chantecler. The couple of chicks from that combo made a hefty offspring and matured pretty quickly. I hope to see some of those eggs and raise them to butcher. The breast was pretty large and looks to be a good meat bird. Time will tell if the buffs are still laying. They are going on three years old and if I don't see a egg from them soon, they are gone. There is also some SC RIR egg layers, (or those that did not make the cut for the breeding pen) in with the marans roo. I think that may make a good meat bird also. We plan to rotate days that they free range, so they don't interact with each other. Here is a pic of the maran/chantecler combo. She just started to act interested in laying. I hope she lays a pretty olive egg.

I wish you the best of luck with your Brinsea. I have this only I didn't get the auto turner etc with mine and even though I have to turn it by hand I have had wonderful results with it. I have had it for a couple or 3 years. The only thing is I use a GQF styrofoam one for hatching because there isn't a lot of head room in the Brinsea. If you follow this link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/579490/the-brinsea-octagon-20-eco-thread-hatches-etc-pics/350 I have pictures etc of how I set mine up. Go to post 357 and then follow the pages. There is a lot on there about the Brinsea eco 20. Not saying you can't do it but just in case you have any questions, there is lots there to help you.
Jim

 

[RedRidge]

Interesting about the setting and hatching Jimmie- i do just the opposite.
I have a Styrofoam I set eggs in to incubate and a Brinsea 20 Octagon I use for hatching. I find it much easier to keep a constant and high enough humidity at hatching in the Brinsea than in the GQF. The GQF also holds twice as many eggs so i can rotate smaller batches to hatch each week in the Brinsea.
When I had just the Styrofoam, which I used for years, I had to play all kinds of games with little cups of water and sponges to keep my humidity eight after lock down. I have been toying with buying the humidity pump for the Brinsea. .. Just haven't decided if it's worth it yet.

 

[immyjay54]

Yes. There's other differences too. My point is mainly "slow" is not what people think it is for the most part. Also, the New Hampshire was developed in the early 1900's, it's 2014. We have better nutrition, understand more about genetics and how they work, and other minor technical advances that make poultry keeping easier then back then, why should our birds take LONGER to mature? This same argument could be made about breeding birds bigger too (some breeds like the Jersey Giant and Brahma were actually made smaller to help production and keep them profitable), but since the Standard has certain weights even though we can now have bigger birds be just as healthy and productive it'd be a bad idea to do so. I digress, but the whole point is people tend to take things to extremes, they hear slow growth so they're happy to have eggs at 10 months? and wait until almost a year to eat the extra cockerels? It doesn't make sense.

It does depend on your definition of mature though. In my breeds (yes I admit it, I'm still looking for Reds don't have them yet) the males take almost a full year to get their tails, so much so that even back in my heyday I have only ever shown two Langshan cockerels due to this. However, they are at a good weight to butcher before then. The pullets are laying before then. So what's mature? When they start producing food and could potentially reproduce? Or when they put that final feather and polish on?

Good morning BGMatt and all;
I was just sitting here reading over the posts again this morning and I want to say this to some of the folks that are a little new to the Old time, Heritage, Pure or whatever we are calling these reds. IF and that is a big if you are getting into chickens strictly for egg production for family consumption you may be fine BUT if you are planning on selling eggs to folks to help cut the feed bill cost, I personally suggest that you keep a little flock of hatchery or mixed breeds to keep up with the demand.
Many times I have said on here that I am the youngest of 12 children and that I am 65 years old. My dad was born in 1897 and mom in 1905 so my thoughts, ideas etc go way back. I have 3 different lines, 2 varieties of one line of these pure RIR's and I sell eggs to customers to help with feed bills. I had to by eggs this winter because these birds just do not lay enough to supply the demand.
They are beautiful birds but something has sure happened over the years in the eggs department. I sure don't want to cause any bad mouthing on here but this is the truth.
If you are using them just for your own family, you may be fine but as I said, if you are planning on selling any eggs, good luck. Right now I have approx 85 hens ranging in age from 20 months down to 10 months and my top days for the past 2 months is 10 eggs in a day. Most days it is around 4 - 6.
I'm not trying to discourage anyone from getting these beautiful birds but I don't want your all to invest a lot of time and money and end up with a big disappointment either.
Now on the other hand, if you are wanting to show birds then these are some of the most beautiful specimens that you will get your hands on.
Good luck, God bless and wishing the best for you all in the New Year.
Jim

 

[immyjay54]

Interesting about the setting and hatching Jimmie- i do just the opposite.
I have a Styrofoam I set eggs in to incubate and a Brinsea 20 Octagon I use for hatching. I find it much easier to keep a constant and high enough humidity at hatching in the Brinsea than in the GQF. The GQF also holds twice as many eggs so i can rotate smaller batches to hatch each week in the Brinsea.
When I had just the Styrofoam, which I used for years, I had to play all kinds of games with little cups of water and sponges to keep my humidity eight after lock down. I have been toying with buying the humidity pump for the Brinsea. .. Just haven't decided if it's worth it yet.

LOL I have 2 of the Styrofoam ones and the one that I use for hatching has always worked perfectly for me. I do have a Genesis 1588 also that I use for incubating and then put them in the other one for hatching also. lol We can't all be the same, what a boring world it would be.
Have fun in what you do.

 

[RedRidge]

Yep... The world would be a boring place if we all weren't unique. ;-)
Love hearing about what does and does not work well for others... knowledge is a good thing

 

[budsbirds]

Good morning BGMatt and all;
I was just sitting here reading over the posts again this morning and I want to say this to some of the folks that are a little new to the Old time, Heritage, Pure or whatever we are calling these reds. IF and that is a big if you are getting into chickens strictly for egg production for family consumption you may be fine BUT if you are planning on selling eggs to folks to help cut the feed bill cost, I personally suggest that you keep a little flock of hatchery or mixed breeds to keep up with the demand.
Many times I have said on here that I am the youngest of 12 children and that I am 65 years old. My dad was born in 1897 and mom in 1905 so my thoughts, ideas etc go way back. I have 3 different lines, 2 varieties of one line of these pure RIR's and I sell eggs to customers to help with feed bills. I had to by eggs this winter because these birds just do not lay enough to supply the demand.
They are beautiful birds but something has sure happened over the years in the eggs department. I sure don't want to cause any bad mouthing on here but this is the truth.
If you are using them just for your own family, you may be fine but as I said, if you are planning on selling any eggs, good luck. Right now I have approx 85 hens ranging in age from 20 months down to 10 months and my top days for the past 2 months is 10 eggs in a day. Most days it is around 4 - 6.
I'm not trying to discourage anyone from getting these beautiful birds but I don't want your all to invest a lot of time and money and end up with a big disappointment either.
Now on the other hand, if you are wanting to show birds then these are some of the most beautiful specimens that you will get your hands on.
Good luck, God bless and wishing the best for you all in the New Year.
Jim

I usually just lurk here as well, but you really only get 4-6 eggs from 85 hens? I have six heritage RIR hens (actually three are pullets), underwood lines, and I average 4 eggs per day. I have six RIR bantams and almost always get 5 eggs per day from them. I do have them on lights from 4-8 am.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I'm sure the lights are helping with the egg production.

Great news I have a little heritage RIR chick hatching today. So far it is looking tired but it is a lot of work to get out of the egg when the humidity just won't stay up due to electric heating and negative 30 windshields.

 

[har]

I'm sure the lights are helping with the egg production.


Great news I have a little heritage RIR chick hatching today.  So far it is looking tired but it is a lot of work to get out of the egg when the humidity just won't stay up due to electric heating and negative 30 windshields.

Here's hoping he makes it!

Scott

 

[immyjay54]

I usually just lurk here as well, but you really only get 4-6 eggs from 85 hens? I have six heritage RIR hens (actually three are pullets), underwood lines, and I average 4 eggs per day. I have six RIR bantams and almost always get 5 eggs per day from them. I do have them on lights from 4-8 am.

Just so I'm not misleading anyone. I don't mean all the time. I just mean since it has gotten really cold. When the weather is nice, I get lots. lol
Jim

 

[Matt1616]

Rhode Island Reds are only suppose to lay 200-250 eggs per year. I hear people say all the time that show people are breeding the production qualities out of these pure bred birds but most of these breeds didn't lay 300+ eggs a year to start with. If you want production order from Murray McMurray but if you want pure bred Rhode Island Reds don't expect them to lay eggs like Leghorns because they never have.

Matt