The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[pamperedamber]

I just bought some chicks from our local feed store. She gets her chicks from a local farmer. She had this little one listed as a Rhode Island Red 2-3 weeks.
Is she right or is it something else?

 

[cmom]

I just bought some chicks from our local feed store. She gets her chicks from a local farmer. She had this little one listed as a Rhode Island Red 2-3 weeks.
Is she right or is it something else?

That looks to be its age. It looks like a Production Rhode Island Red.

 

[pamperedamber]

That looks to be its age. It looks like a Production Rhode Island Red.

Thank you for the help.
It a Production RIR a different breed? Sorry new to chickens and the many different breeds.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thank you for the help.
It a Production RIR a different breed? Sorry new to chickens and the many different breeds.

Technically not but they may as well be. The hatcheries tend to breed for egg production with little to no regard to body type, personality, color, etc. And production reds, new Hampshire red, rhode island red, etc. Are all basically the same breed. Whereas ones bred to standard are vastly different from each other. Production reds are much lighter, stand more upright etc. The heritage ones have a brick body type and are deep mahogany red. They also tend to be friendlier and mature a lot slower but lay a lot longer. There are a lot more differences but I don't breed them or own them (yet. Eventually I'd love to) so others will have to chime in on that. But yeah, most hatcheries and farm stores will sell them as Rhode Island Reds but they're very different from heritage Rhode Island Reds. However, that said, many people do still enjoy their hatchery RIRs and production reds, they're still good birds, just different.

Here is the Meyer Hatchery page on RIRs

https://www.meyerhatchery.com/productinfo.a5w?prodID=RIRS

Versus the ones on this forum and this site

https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/rired

Hopefully you can see the differences and it's helpful

Although actually, side note, I don't think that rooster in my second link appears to have that great of a brick shape? Maybe I'm wrong?

 

[waddles99]

Thank you for the help.
It a Production RIR a different breed? Sorry new to chickens and the many different breeds.

A production red is not a breed, it is a generic term for any red feathered brown layer. They are bred for production, hence the name. Production reds have no set standards and are often mistakenly sold as RIR.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
Most people who raise birds, raise Production Reds which are very good egg layers. They are usually originated from hatchery stock. They are generally lighter in color and do not have the shape a pure Rhode Island Red will have. There are several breeders on this thread who do breed and raise Pure Standard Rhode Island Reds. Many of the breeders breed their birds to show at poultry shows. Good luck and have fun...

 

[cmom]

My Pure Rhode Island Red chicks shortly after they hatched.

The chicks a little older.

 

[pamperedamber]

Thank you everyone for the education. Looks like I'll be buying from breeders next time.

 

[waddles99]

Thank you everyone for the education. Looks like I'll be buying from breeders next time.

A lot of people, including myself, have been fooled by false advertising. I bought productions not once but twice thinking they were RIR. When you are new, you can't judge a good bird yourself so you rely on the honesty and expertise of the seller. This leads to a lot of people being sold hatchery junk as "heritage" or show quality". I bought my first birds from a hatchery, then decided they were no good. So I found a local breeder and bought there and they were even worse than the hatcheries. It wasn't until I went to shows, looked at good quality birds, talked to people and learned that I finally started to get an idea of what I wanted. There are a bunch of better alternatives than hatcheries and clueless people only in it for the money. Read this thread, gain the knowledge, learn the standards. Only then will you know what you are looking for and can't be fooled. Find someone who truly knows their reds that is willing to give you some of their culls. Drive the 3-5 hours, it will be worth it. Talk to them, look at the parents, discuss what you are getting. I guarantee you wont be disappointed. True RIR bred to the SOP are the most amazing looking birds out there.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
I agree with @waddles99 . Many of us have had been fooled. Many breeders take birds to the shows to sell. If there is a show anywhere near you go as an observer and look at the birds. I keep my very best as future breeders but take very nice potential show quality birds to the shows to sell. I usually take some nice birds to area swaps too. If you're not sure of where the shows are, here is a website that lists most of them. http://www.poultryshowcentral.com/State.html Most of the show dates are from this past season. Usually the shows are on the same weekends as the previous years such as the second weekend of a certain month. The exact date will vary from year to year but generally on the same weekend. Good luck and have fun...