The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[bluebirdnanny]

If you're gonna breed Reds and exhibit them, be prepared for the long haul. Bob Blosl, the origial starter of this thread, used to ask all the time on these pages. Will you stick around with these birds? Bob always said that folks come and they go, with the average person lasting less than 3 years and they get out. This female was shown at the RIR National meet last December in Knoxville. There was a huge field entered, over 117 Reds, if memory serves in both LF and Bantam. She placed well. Better than dozens and dozens of other Reds, while a cockerel by Matt took 1st, as he should have. I show this female not because she's perfect, because she is not, no bird is. The goal of "perfection" is just that. A goal one always has but never achieves. This bird took me over 5 years to breed. She's in the breeding pen now and bit by bit, tiny step by tiny step, we look to make a wee bit of progress with these birds each year. You hatch a ton of chicks, clean tons of bedding and poop. You carry the feed bucket and haul water in blazing heat and waist deep snow. Yup. It's work.

Fred is my mentor and helped me get started. He knows what he is talking about. My eye has improved greatly with his help and getting the SOP book. My funds are limited but it was well worth it. I love these Reds. Yeah it is work but very rewarding. Lights are flickering... time to draw water and get off. Enjoy your flock.

 

[onarres]

You are correct, not many breeders will sell eggs. I, as well as many others, don't have the luxury of affording started heritage RIR, and that's why I am so thankful that people like cmom make eggs available to the public. Anyone buying shipped eggs should be keenly aware of the risk(s) involved. At the most, the breeder can only guarantee fertility (to a certain extent), but they can't guarantee viability. Once the eggs leave the breeder's hands, the variables are far too great and far too many for any other type of guarantee. It'll always be a gamble when you rely on the USPS to safely deliver your eggs. I set 30 of cmom's eggs this evening, and it's all on me now. While none of the eggs were broken and the package looked fairly decent, I know the eggs took a bit of jarring along the way. The (mostly small) saddles and wobbly air cells make it quite evident. Is it cmom's fault? Not in the slightest (excellent packaging by the way). Did I know the risk involved when I ordered the eggs? Most definitely. In my opinion, the gamble is worth the risk. If I have a good hatch, I will have far more than twice as many birds as I would have if I had spent the same money on started birds... if I could have even gotten them. Sadly, there are many people who ignore the risk(s), and then want to blame anyone but themselves if it goes sour. I didn't need to read the disclaimer that came with my eggs... I know the score. Anyone else who plans to order shipped eggs needs to do the same... and more than that... they need to know their equipment, how to use it, and how to handle shipped eggs that arrive in less than ideal condition. That's my view on the subject... to be taken with a pound of salt.

I can attest to this. My package came with obvious damage. But before I ordered eggs I did my research on all the potential issue associated with shipped eggs and I knew the risk. I think the biggest thing with peoples disappointments is not educating themselves and having the wrong expectations. These people tend to make mistakes beyond the point of egg accrual and find some other reason for hatch failures other than not properly preparing or educating themselves.

With websites like this and thousands of publications, all the info is there at anyone's fingertips to help them succeed. You reap what you sow or hatch what you lay???
I had 20 eggs to work with, not a big order. I was hoping for at least 5, I had 14 hatch. I can credit that number to some luck, and tons of research prior to setting those eggs.

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

If you're gonna breed Reds and exhibit them, be prepared for the long haul. Bob Blosl, the origial starter of this thread, used to ask all the time on these pages. Will you stick around with these birds? Bob always said that folks come and they go, with the average person lasting less than 3 years and they get out.

This female was shown at the RIR National meet last December in Knoxville. There was a huge field entered, over 117 Reds, if memory serves in both LF and Bantam. She placed well. Better than dozens and dozens of other Reds, while a cockerel by Matt took 1st, as he should have.

I show this female not because she's perfect, because she is not, no bird is. The goal of "perfection" is just that. A goal one always has but never achieves. This bird took me over 5 years to breed. She's in the breeding pen now and bit by bit, tiny step by tiny step, we look to make a wee bit of progress with these birds each year. You hatch a ton of chicks, clean tons of bedding and poop. You carry the feed bucket and haul water in blazing heat and waist deep snow. Yup. It's work.

While I realize showing is the litmus for quality, my goal is not for show. It is to keep the heritage RIR alive and well. I've read most every article written by Bob, at least those that I can find, and I believe he said two years and done... if my memory serves me right. I don't plan on breeding the perfect bird. If it were easy, everyone would be champion breeders. I will strive to have great birds, and keep the HRIR bloodline going. That is my current goal. If I find a golden nugget or two in the mix, I may become tempted to show. I only wish there were APA shows closer to my area because I would love to see champion birds up close and personal.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Are those birds boxed up to be sent to me???

I shot that photo upon returning from the Ulrich farm. They're a start. That's what I got, a bantam start. They're from Matt, but they're not Matt's bantam breeders, they're largely his culls, his left overs. They are preceless to me, because they are what I desired for my grandson, who is my show partner. I am extremely grateful to Matt and Joe Ulrich for their generousity and kindnesses.

You don't get "ready to show" birds. You get a start. Then? It's up to you. You work, you care for them, you make the breeding choices and you do chores, chores and more chores.

And, maybe, just maybe, you'll breed something worth taking to a show and have judged to see how you're doing. Just be aware, you'll be going up against 10 or 12 top breeders who exhibit (the vast majority of which never, ever post on here on this site, BTW) and they'll kick your butt. Don't be surpised that a bird you thought was so gorgeous at home finishes with a "check" on the coop card, the equivalent of "yup, the bird is alive".

If you're serious about Reds, own the Standard and study it until you have it memorized, join the RIRCA, pay your dues (it's almost embarrassingly cheap), join the social network group the club runs and there you'll meet a bunch of these folks. Then, when you coop in your birds at Knoxville, NE Poultry Congress, the Ohio National, Lucasville or some of the other top shows, introduce yourself to these folks. You'll find they are by and large some of the nicest, most generous folks in the world.

 

[mrheinz77]

This is the source I found for Underwood's line, Rollie Hutchinson. He says his Underwood birds got 2nd place at Nationals and Champ Amer cockerel in Iowa. They seem like good birds. Several people on this thread have mentioned getting birds from him. Mrheinz77 also mentioned showing his Underwood birds, and apparently they did very well. 
http://www.rhodeislandreds.net
http://www.poultryshowcentral.com/il-rhode-island-reds.html
Thank you for the link to that site. I had been there before but never read anything about Matt's line, only Underwood. He compares the two lines in one place, and says he likes Matts a bit more. Its a hard decision, because they both seem like great lines with great show winners. Im no expert in RIR by any means, and have never kept either of those lines, so it is hard to decide which ones to get, lol. I won't be going to any super big shows, so the bird wouldn't need to be THAT competitive, but I would like to maximize my chances of winning, lol. 

I was selling and showing Underwood Rhode Island Reds. Due to life issues, I needed to cut way back on my poultry and I have since moved for a new job. I still have two of my Underwood hens but lost my cock a year ago. I am searching for a cockerel and maybe a few pulleys/hens. I love my Underwoods. I did show mine and was very successful with them.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
I do include a Hatching Egg Disclaimer with my eggs. I love and want to see people preserve the breed and if it's by sending eggs, I hope I have helped someone get a start. Several Breeders such as Jim among other and myself will no longer ship chicks. Too risky for the same reasons Fred stated. http://www.hilltop-farm.info/eggs

There are no guarantees on hatching eggs. Please buy only if you are willing to risk that they may not hatch.
THIS IS DUE TO THE MANY FACTORS. THESE FACTORS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
-EXTREME TEMPERATURE CHANGES.
-ROUGH HANDLING OF THE PACKAGE DURING SHIPPING.
-X-RAYING THE PACKAGE BY THE POSTAL SERVICE.
-THE DISTANCE THE EGGS HAVE TO TRAVEL.
-THE INCUBATION PROCESS.
Although hatching eggs are assumed fertile, be aware that NO hatching eggs are guaranteed to hatch. There is a reasonable expectation for your eggs to arrive intact; not broken or cracked, and that they are actually fertile or at least EXTREMELY likely to be fertile. There is no way for breeders to test each egg for fertility prior to shipping, most fertile egg sellers take time to incubate & hatch from their own supply regularly to verify fertility. It is safe to assume that if their eggs are hatching, that all or most of the eggs will be fertile. When the eggs are gathered and mailed to you, the eggs may have contaminants on them. You should wash your hands before and after handling the eggs. DO NOT WASH THE EGGS. You further accept there may be delays in mailing or processing. These are issues that can be beyond control and are an inherent risk of mailed hatching eggs. No matter how well any eggs are packed, you will probably never have a 100% hatch.
Understand that YOU, the buyer, bear ALL the responsibility for your purchase of hatching eggs!!!

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

I do include a Hatching Egg Disclaimer with my eggs. I love and want to see people preserve the breed and if it's by sending eggs, I hope I have helped someone get a start. Several Breeders such as Jim among other and myself will no longer ship chicks. Too risky for the same reasons Fred stated. http://www.hilltop-farm.info/eggs

There are no guarantees on hatching eggs. Please buy only if you are willing to risk that they may not hatch.
THIS IS DUE TO THE MANY FACTORS. THESE FACTORS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
-EXTREME TEMPERATURE CHANGES.
-ROUGH HANDLING OF THE PACKAGE DURING SHIPPING.
-X-RAYING THE PACKAGE BY THE POSTAL SERVICE.
-THE DISTANCE THE EGGS HAVE TO TRAVEL.
-THE INCUBATION PROCESS.
Although hatching eggs are assumed fertile, be aware that NO hatching eggs are guaranteed to hatch. There is a reasonable expectation for your eggs to arrive intact; not broken or cracked, and that they are actually fertile or at least EXTREMELY likely to be fertile. There is no way for breeders to test each egg for fertility prior to shipping, most fertile egg sellers take time to incubate & hatch from their own supply regularly to verify fertility. It is safe to assume that if their eggs are hatching, that all or most of the eggs will be fertile. When the eggs are gathered and mailed to you, the eggs may have contaminants on them. You should wash your hands before and after handling the eggs. DO NOT WASH THE EGGS. You further accept there may be delays in mailing or processing. These are issues that can be beyond control and are an inherent risk of mailed hatching eggs. No matter how well any eggs are packed, you will probably never have a 100% hatch.
Understand that YOU, the buyer, bear ALL the responsibility for your purchase of hatching eggs!!!

You never mentioned that no matter how well any eggs are packed, you will probably never have a 100% hatch....

Just kidding! In all seriousness, you're not guaranteed 1/2% with any eggs... even your own hand-picked fresh out of the nest. People need to be realistic and know what they're getting into. Fred said some days are diamonds, some days are stone. I say some days are chicken, some days are feathers! But I'm still going to shoot for 100%...

 

[Feathyr]

I've been lurking around the thread for the past several months, but either had nothing to say or didn't want to interrupt the conversations.

My LF SC Underwood reds are still alive and kicking, including three of the ones from @Rancher3535 (Thank you again, they grew up to be beautiful birds - ) While I don't entirely have control over Mareks and don't ever expect to, adding oregano oil to the water really cut back on my losses. I'd like to start hatching the next generation of Reds over the spring.

I'll take some new pictures tomorrow; it's too dark now lol.

 

[cmom]

You never mentioned that no matter how well any eggs are packed, you will probably never have a 100% hatch....

Just kidding! In all seriousness, you're not guaranteed 1/2% with any eggs... even your own hand-picked fresh out of the nest. People need to be realistic and know what they're getting into. Fred said some days are diamonds, some days are stone. I say some days are chicken, some days are feathers! But I'm still going to shoot for 100%...

I always shoot for 100% but realistic know that it probably isn't going to happen. I have had 100% but only with a handful of eggs. The more eggs I incubate the less of a chance, but never give up.

I still have a few eggs in the hatchers, but very happy with my hatch so far. Most have hatched.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

I was gone for the Holiday and with the weather we are having I am way behind. I'm picking and sorting right now. Damaged one of my pens moving it in the fall so it only has those headed to freezer. I over wintered an insurance cockerel and haven't sold/discarded him yet. Too cold or I'd have him outside penned and the best in his pen. Still it will get done. Right now giving him the egg layers as I sort them.

Waiting on weather to break here.