The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[desertmarcy]

Hi all, I've not been on BYC for a while. Been feeling pretty frustrated with chickens this year and have done no hatching and think I will just take the year off and just work on turkeys. I decided to get out of my Rhode Island Reds, that decision so many make after experience says you are trying to work with too many breeds. So I put them all up for sale on various Facebook groups, local CraigsList, word of mouth. Lots of inquiries, mostly just people wanting to know 'how much' and only one person made an appointment to get a trio: then saw my Barred Rocks and decided she'd rather have those....sigh. Most people are not willing to pay the shipping on adult birds. I guess I'll give it a couple of weeks and then just into the freezer with them all. What a shame. There just isn't much interest in the 'real deal' RIR in my area.

 

[hellbender]

Hi all, I've not been on BYC for a while. Been feeling pretty frustrated with chickens this year and have done no hatching and think I will just take the year off and just work on turkeys. I decided to get out of my Rhode Island Reds, that decision so many make after experience says you are trying to work with too many breeds. So I put them all up for sale on various Facebook groups, local CraigsList, word of mouth. Lots of inquiries, mostly just people wanting to know 'how much' and only one person made an appointment to get a trio: then saw my Barred Rocks and decided she'd rather have those....sigh. Most people are not willing to pay the shipping on adult birds. I guess I'll give it a couple of weeks and then just into the freezer with them all. What a shame. There just isn't much interest in the 'real deal' RIR in my area.

Shipping chickens is expensive. I just spent $169 bucks to have 3 young adult birds shipped (USPS) from South Georgia and that didn't include cost of birds and shipping container. They did come next-day-air.

I wouldn't/couldn't do that very often.

 

[waddles99]

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.

It all depends on how my reds do at the show this May, but I would say there is a good chance I am going to sell them off and get some Underwood birds from Hutchinson. I hope to have them in May so i can put them in the pullet class this October and see how they do.

 

[desertmarcy]

Shipping chickens is expensive. I just spent $169 bucks to have 3 young adult birds shipped (USPS) from South Georgia and that didn't include cost of birds and shipping container. They did come next-day-air.

I wouldn't/couldn't do that very often.

Yes, for adult large fowl birds, it sure is and the post office requires Priority Express shipping for them. When I tell people they'd be looking at $100 or more per bird to ship, they back right off. But most people don't realize this. I've had people from across the country ask me about shipping plain old laying hens!

 

[RhodeRunner]

Hi all, I've not been on BYC for a while. Been feeling pretty frustrated with chickens this year and have done no hatching and think I will just take the year off and just work on turkeys. I decided to get out of my Rhode Island Reds, that decision so many make after experience says you are trying to work with too many breeds. So I put them all up for sale on various Facebook groups, local CraigsList, word of mouth. Lots of inquiries, mostly just people wanting to know 'how much' and only one person made an appointment to get a trio: then saw my Barred Rocks and decided she'd rather have those....sigh. Most people are not willing to pay the shipping on adult birds. I guess I'll give it a couple of weeks and then just into the freezer with them all. What a shame. There just isn't much interest in the 'real deal' RIR in my area.

Sorry to hear that, we adore the Rhode Island Reds that we got from you! We haven't had many locals wanting to buy ours (most want them way cheaper then I'm willing to sell them for), but they sure do taste good! Are you getting out of the Barred Rocks too? With the wedding and moving this summer, I was hoping to get some Rocks from you next year?

Shipping adults isn't just pricy, it's risky too. I did it three times, and one of the boxes had sick birds. Even though I quarantined them and ended up killing them shorty after, I still had to put down a good fourth of my birds. I haven't purchased anything but chicks since.

 

[desertmarcy]

Sorry to hear that, we adore the Rhode Island Reds that we got from you! We haven't had many locals wanting to buy ours (most want them way cheaper then I'm willing to sell them for), but they sure do taste good! Are you getting out of the Barred Rocks too? With the wedding and moving this summer, I was hoping to get some Rocks from you next year?

Shipping adults isn't just pricy, it's risky too. I did it three times, and one of the boxes had sick birds. Even though I quarantined them and ended up killing them shorty after, I still had to put down a good fourth of my birds. I haven't purchased anything but chicks since.

Even with chicks, they could be Mycoplasma carriers. I'm holding onto my Barred Rocks, they are a favorite of mine plus I'm making good headway with them. One of my cockerels won Super Show Champion at the Safford, AZ show in Jan and the same bird won Champion American at the Apache County show up in northern Arizona.

I won't sell birds cheap either if I feel they are worth more. Rather put them in the freezer than sell them cheap. But that's me being stubborn.

 

[waddles99]

I won't sell birds cheap either if I feel they are worth more. Rather put them in the freezer than sell them cheap. But that's me being stubborn.

Funny, I said the same exact thing you did a couple days ago! Thats not stubborn at all, no point in letting someone rip you off by taking a great bird at a bargain price. Might as well make a nice dinner out of it, haha.

 

[desertmarcy]

Funny, I said the same exact thing you did a couple days ago! Thats not stubborn at all, no point in letting someone rip you off by taking a great bird at a bargain price. Might as well make a nice dinner out of it, haha.

Great minds think alike

 

[RhodeRunner]

Even with chicks, they could be Mycoplasma carriers. I'm holding onto my Barred Rocks, they are a favorite of mine plus I'm making good headway with them. One of my cockerels won Super Show Champion at the Safford, AZ show in Jan and the same bird won Champion American at the Apache County show up in northern Arizona.

I won't sell birds cheap either if I feel they are worth more. Rather put them in the freezer than sell them cheap. But that's me being stubborn.

True, I've had to put down sick chicks from several breeders too. But, I've had better success with quarantining chicks in brooders vs. having birds in separate pens outside. Maybe, things would be better if I quarantined in an enclosed area instead?

Glad that you are keeping the Barred Rocks and that they are showing well!

It's great to know that there are other breeders that eat them, before letting people rip them off. I consider lowball offers to be offensive and hate the term "reasonable price" lol

 

[gander007]

Hi all, I've not been on BYC for a while. Been feeling pretty frustrated with chickens this year and have done no hatching and think I will just take the year off and just work on turkeys. I decided to get out of my Rhode Island Reds, that decision so many make after experience says you are trying to work with too many breeds. So I put them all up for sale on various Facebook groups, local CraigsList, word of mouth. Lots of inquiries, mostly just people wanting to know 'how much' and only one person made an appointment to get a trio: then saw my Barred Rocks and decided she'd rather have those....sigh. Most people are not willing to pay the shipping on adult birds. I guess I'll give it a couple of weeks and then just into the freezer with them all. What a shame. There just isn't much interest in the 'real deal' RIR in my area.

I haven't seen you on BYC for a wile @desertmarcy , I haven't ever seen your RIR's but I did buy 4 Spangled Russian Orloff's from you some years ago and even with the shipping being very pricy I found the quality of the RO's was and is very much worth what I got from you, ya you are a very good breeder with them RO's so the RIR's must be of some great quality and if someone baulks at your prices then may be they should just go down to the feed store and get the chickens they can really afford a quality chicken a person will pay for one way or another as I am sure they are not cheap for you ether ..



One of my RO chicks that I hatched for the Easter-Hatch-along

Here is the same chick at it's coming out party

gander007