The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[FOGELLY]

Here are three of my cockerels and one of my six pullets. They are about 10 months old. I took the pictures with my phone so the quality is not very good.

 

[catdaddyfro]

I totally agree!

Thanks guy for posting all this great info so the rest of us can take advantage of all your knowledge and years of experience. Also thanks again Bob for answering all my questions in that PM I set you. Very informational and helpful. I do have a question for NYREDS. What does this mean "an early perfect tail set"?

Thanks again guys,
Chris

I'm sure he had a misprint there Chris it should have read; 'A nearly perfect tail-set,'

That sounds better huh?

Jeff

 

[lucky123]

Ron, are those from the Bates line?

 

[Chris Herzog]

Yes Jeff much better! I read that last night and was thinking.... What the hell! I even had to ask my wife (the Vet) do you have any idea what this means...lol!! Anyway thanks for clearing that up. I guess I'm hanging on every word these guys are saying while trying to learn and I couldn't see that goof-up myself. Chris

 

[FOGELLY]

Ron, are those from the Bates line?

Yes they are from the Bates line.

 

[NYREDS]

NYReds.. quick question re:confirmation on the RC RIR Cock pictured...

Would he be considered a bit short in body, needing some length front to back? (Just curious, for my own knowledge)

He is gorgeous. Sorry to hear of his passing Thea.

He might be but I think it might be the way he's standing. He's in mid-stride so he's low in front. I think if he was standing upright he'd look longer.

 

[greathorse]

Bob, I have not been posting a lot (or at all) lately, but I am still here in Colorado and have about a dozen females. I lost my good cock this year, but had given a number of chicks to another freind here and he has been doing a great job breeding. He gave me a really nice young bird that I think may be better than his daddy. His' kids are kicking tail at all the 4-H shows with the Mohawk Reds and some Silvers laced Wyandottes that I shared with him when I got mine from Foley. He tells me judges have been telling other 4-H'ers to pay attention to these birds as most are showing production birds.

I have been getting orders fast and furious, but my birds are not laying. I did not get lights on them early enough and we have had a cold winter and they are shut down. When they start laying I will ship as many as I can, but also want a few more for next year. Glad you are back Bob and yes the interest in Reds appears to be at an all time high based on the emails I get nearly every day.

Paul

 

[Robert Blosl]

Glad to here from you Paul. I think the kids you are talking about are the Twins. If you have time could you send me a private message or a link to their post so I can send them a message.

Also, their is a family of Wheat farmers in Kansas that had some success. I would love to here from them again. I am trying to see how many people out there have this old line. It will be a hundred years old this March this is when Mrs. Donaldson got started in 1912. Its hard to believe that a strain can be this old and still pure with out someone crossing birds from another line onto them.

Maybe Paul we can get you next year some fresh blood once we cross the Florida and Illinois strains together. This would help you and others out for future years ahead. If you get a chance take some pictures of your top females . Bob

 

[greathorse]

Bob

I will try to get some photos when the weather clears a bit. We got about 18 inches of snow on Thursday. Yep I think the Kansas folks got their starters from me. They also have a couple of real good kids that are showing. I love getting birds to youngsters that take an interest and care for the birds with some direction from Mom and or Dad. Of all the birds I have let others have there are only a couple that seem to really try to better the breed. I like that because I do think there is value in having birds from other beeders, so they are not quite so closely related. Also If I should have a real catastrophe, I always know where I can go to get some help. I will get you the other folks here in Colorado, would post it here but have not checked to see if he is OK with that. We need folks to keep this strain going and it takes more than one person and those folks need to continue to select for type and hardiness for sure.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Paul you are so correct on having two or three people having your birds and hoping and praying they stick with it for many years. This way you can go back to one of them and get a male or female cross the bird back to your line and get yourself a fresh shot of blood. This way and this is the breeding secret of Rhode Island Reds in my view is dont cross strains for fresh blood. If you have the Nelson line only get birds that others have of Don Nelson. If you have my old line get birds from someone who still has my old line and then you wont have genetic clashes such as color. Let me tell you a story told to me just this Friday from some one who is a Master Breeder of White Plymouth Rocks. He crosses last year a White Rock Male from another good breeder into his line. He was a excellent bird true to type. Then as he would go into the breeding pen to collect eggs and give the birds feed and water this male would come up behind my friend and spur him in the back of his legs. This is a trait that a lot of Production Red males have and ladies tell me thier Rhode Island Red roosters are trying to knock down their little children. Well he hatched about 30 chicks out of this male and guess what he has today. He kept two of his sons and they are half his and half from California and both young males are mean as snakes. They are dong the same thing as thier sire. Look into next year he will hatch 60 chicks from these two sons and he will have a flock of mean as snakes fighting cocks and his hole line will take on a anti docile personalty. This is what happens when you cross strains. One white rock guy took my Old Line of White Plymouth Rocks and crosses another good line male onto my females and all the sons have flat breasts. They lost the extension of the keel that I breed on them in the cross. Another man crosses strains and has split tails and another breeder has splint wings. So to you who read this thread if there is any secrets you can learn from me that was taught to me by the master breeders 20 to 40 years ago dint cross strains unless you want to have five to ten years of cleaning up negative traits.

Paul my plan is to send you five started chicks which are half Florida and Half Illinois next year and then you send us five chicks from your line in a trade. We then will have some more new blood and can cross onto my old line.We could maybe do it latter this spring but with only five females don't know what the numbers will be but we must get about 40 chicks out from these two lines to get the old line back on track. There are people lines up like crazy wanting this old Mohawk line. Hopefully in three years we will have about 20 family's raising and breeding them.

bob