The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[ejcrist]

I have found the brass jiffy bands are the best. Colored Jiffy bands are not made as well. There may be a truck to them i just haven't figured it out yet. Good thing about colored bands is you can customize them anyway you like. My name is on all my bands

Thanks for that extra tidbit of info - good to know. I ordered the brass bands a few minutes ago. They cost a little more but I'm sure the birds would prefer gold bling over any other color.

 

[dustindfarms]

I have a few single comb reds for sale. Must be picked up in Chatsworth Georgia

Do you still have them Steven? If so, I'd be interested. [email protected]

 

[Fred's Hens]

The Knoxville Show is this weekend. Birds are washed, prepped and ready to go. The show has been designated a Regional Rhode Island Reds Club show. Lots of the top birds will there in exhibition.


We'll be taking along a very good breeder trio of this year's birds for sale. This will be wonderful opportunity to get a great start for some one. By February, you could be cranking out chicks and building your group of truebred Reds. The truck will rolling down I-75 all the way from way up north, down to Knoxville TN. Could do a drop off along the way. Get up with me quickly as the truck's pulling out at Zero Dark Hundred Thursday morning.

The Dixie Classic, Can't wait.

 

[cmom]

The Knoxville Show is this weekend. Birds are washed, prepped and ready to go. The show has been designated a Regional Rhode Island Reds Club show. Lots of the top birds will there in exhibition.


We'll be taking along a very good breeder trio of this year's birds for sale. This will be wonderful opportunity to get a great start for some one. By February, you could be cranking out chicks and building your group of truebred Reds. The truck will rolling down I-75 all the way from way up north, down to Knoxville TN. Could do a drop off along the way. Get up with me quickly as the truck's pulling out at Zero Dark Hundred Thursday morning.

The Dixie Classic, Can't wait.

Good luck to you and to Matt.

 

[waddles99]

What time do people typically turn on their lights to get their birds laying in the beginning of the season? Just curious.

 

[cmom]

I have a young large fowl Rose Comb Rhode Island Red cockerel from Dick Horstman's line. He was in the bachelor pen and the other boys were picking on him. He has pretty much recovered, still getting some feathers back in and very friendly. He needs a home. If anyone is interested or knows of someone who may be, please send me a PM.

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

What time do people typically turn on their lights to get their birds laying in the beginning of the season? Just curious.

Here's how I would do it, but I'm also adding collection and storage procedures for anyone who isn't familiar with these critical steps.

I would set it up on a schedule that best fits your daily routine If you're an early riser, then set it where the light(s) come on an hour before you get up. Since RIR aren't typically broody, you should set it up so eggs will be exposed to the cold for the least amount of time possible. Collecting the eggs several times daily is a must, especially in colder northern climates. Hatchability declines rapidly once the temp of the egg drops below 40F, so the sooner you can collect and store them in a stable environment after being laid, the better. Store them at 50F with an RH of 70%-80% until time to set, "tilting" them daily. Store in egg cartons with one end of the carton elevated, and swap the elevated end daily. Something as simple as a short piece of a 2x4 on edge works nicely. Tilting daily keeps the yolk from settling and attaching to the side of the egg. Allow the eggs to reach the ambient temperature (about 12 hours) of the room where the incubator is located before setting them. Once they've started "cooking", turn the eggs a minimum of 3 times daily. Candle the eggs on day 7, and remove any that aren't developing. If some are questionable, mark them and leave them in until you candle again on day 14. If there is no substantial development at this time, toss them. DO NOT leave eggs that aren't developing in the incubator!!! One thing you want to avoid at all cost is an exploding egg inside your incubator, because not only does it make a huge mess, it also exposes all of the other eggs to massive amounts of bacteria. Don't jeopardize the entire batch because you're hoping an egg or two will "pull through"... it's not worth it.

That concludes today's lesson. There will be a quiz on Tuesday.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Knoxville report- This is an important southern show and usually has more than 6000 birds displayed. This year, the Ohio National's return, following a year off due to the AI scare, came just 3 weeks earlier and this certainly knocked the numbers down for Knoxville's Dixie Classic. Still the Red numbers were large enough and of enough quality to make fine display of the breed.

Matt Ulrich not only won Best of Breed but also went on to take Champion American with a fine, fine male. Matt told me he is as proud of this cockerel as any bird he's ever bred, so that's saying a lot.



My grandson enjoyed the show, as always, as it is an annual tradition for him to attend.



He showed three LF pullets and was delighted to have #5 pullet, a bird that BlueBirdNanny bred. #1 Hen, I believe, was a female I bred and gave to my partner, Gary Fosmore to give him a jump in LF. Gary showed a marvelous young male, who unfortunately was just a bit out of condition.

In bantams, we also had
#2 Pullet
#3 Cock, a bird that Matt bred and gave to me. He is on loan over at Gary's. LOL
#4 Cockerel

It was fun.

On the very long drive home, Matt and I passed a few dozen miles chatting on the phone and among a myriad of things we talked about, we both discussed how you never, ever let the judge's opinion determine your upcoming breeding assignments. Why in heaven's name not? You might ask and so, here's why not.

The Ch Am cockerel that Matt likes so much (see above) would be a rookie's first choice as A pen male, but it might well be a big mistake. Instead, you need to ask yourself, "what made this male"? Do I still "have the molds to make some more?" If so, go back to what made him. Believe it not, that Ch Am male might not throw great offspring. It is yet unknown. He is untested. Go re-assemble the pen from which he came. Go back to the old cockbird and re-assemble the hens that were in that pen and do it again. That's the right approach.

My partner in bantams, Gary and I have had already decided weeks ago that we would do the same. By far and away, the bantam cockerel my grand daughter nicknamed "Crazy Horse" at the Ohio National is one of the finest bantam K's any place, anywhere, we believe, in the Red's world in 2016. Yet? while he will get a shot at a pen, yes, but it is much more important for us that we get the "old man", his sire, back to work this spring. We have the molds, let's make some more. Additionally, we are excited to get the Old Man's daughters in under him and see if we can improve the females this year. It's a funny thing how coming away from a show? All one can think about is next year's breeding.

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Knoxville report- This is an important southern show and usually has more than 6000 birds displayed. This year, the Ohio National's return, following a year off due to the AI scare, came just 3 weeks earlier and this certainly knocked the numbers down for Knoxville's Dixie Classic. Still the Red numbers were large enough and of enough quality to make fine display of the breed.

Matt Ulrich not only won Best of Breed but also went on to take Champion American with a fine, fine male. Matt told me he is as proud of this cockerel as any bird he's ever bred, so that's saying a lot.



My grandson enjoyed the show, as always, as it is an annual tradition for him to attend.



He showed three LF pullets and was delighted to have #5 pullet, a bird that BlueBirdNanny bred. #1 Hen, I believe, was a female I bred and gave to my partner, Gary Fosmore to give him a jump in LF. Gary showed a marvelous young male, who unfortunately was just a bit out of condition.

In bantams, we also had
#2 Pullet
#3 Cock, a bird that Matt bred and gave to me. He is on loan over at Gary's. LOL
#4 Cockerel

It was fun.

On the very long drive home, Matt and I passed a few dozen miles chatting on the phone and among a myriad of things we talked about, we both discussed how you never, ever let the judge's opinion determine your upcoming breeding assignments. Why in heaven's name not? You might ask and so, here's why not.

The Ch Am cockerel that Matt likes so much (see above) would be a rookie's first choice as A pen male, but it might well be a big mistake. Instead, you need to ask yourself, "what made this male"? Do I still "have the molds to make some more?" If so, go back to what made him. Believe it not, that Ch Am male might not throw great offspring. It is yet unknown. He is untested. Go re-assemble the pen from which he came. Go back to the old cockbird and re-assemble the hens that were in that pen and do it again. That's the right approach.

My partner in bantams, Gary and I have had already decided weeks ago that we would do the same. By far and away, the bantam cockerel my grand daughter nicknamed "Crazy Horse" at the Ohio National is one of the finest bantam K's any place, anywhere, we believe, in the Red's world in 2016. Yet? while he will get a shot at a pen, yes, but it is much more important for us that we get the "old man", his sire, back to work this spring. We have the molds, let's make some more. Additionally, we are excited to get the Old Man's daughters in under him and see if we can improve the females this year. It's a funny thing how coming away from a show? All one can think about is next year's breeding.

It's good to see so many reds winning awards at these shows. This should definitely help to publisize and promote the breed. Kudos to everyone who puts in the hard work and long hours it takes to keep them up to standard and helps to keep this breed going. Without your dedication, this breed would have been extinct a long time ago. Thank you.

 

[Henerz101]

19 weeks old tomorrow