The Rhodebar thread!

[melroseladi]

These were 2 I hatched before Christmas. I have 2 pens divided and will soon have one more divided off of that one. One of the pens is resulting in much darker males with white spot on the head and the females darker also. I am retaining the darkest ones to grow up and breed.

Awww love baby chicks. Yes I am also breeding to improve the RB line and will only be breeding the darkest and easiest to auto-sex at hatch. Hopefully I will have my first backcross early fall. That backcross to RB will have 1 generation of HRIR breeding before backcrossing. I will also be doing another generation backcross to HRIR before crossing back to my RB.

Penny

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

When I do use heat lamps out in the barn I use the ones premier one sells. They have a safety cover on them to prevent fires even if they are dropped. I have some that are 9 years old and love them... Although they do require a lot more power than the heat plates

9 years makes it worth the investment.

 

[nicalandia]

Awww love baby chicks. Yes I am also breeding to improve the RB line and will only be breeding the darkest and easiest to auto-sex at hatch. Hopefully I will have my first backcross early fall. That backcross to RB will have 1 generation of HRIR breeding before backcrossing. I will also be doing another generation backcross to HRIR before crossing back to my RB.

Penny

that sounds like a good improvement breeding plan...

 

[melroseladi]

My first batch F1 bully. He keeps the rest of the chicks running and screaming. He is relentless and will probably be the first one to go to freezer camp if he doesn't settle down after a stint in isolation.



Penny

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Do Rhodebars lay as well as RIRs and how much do they lay?
Also, are they docile like Barred Rocks?

In my limited experience and from what I've heard from others, they lay quite well. My one pullet is laying 6 eggs per week. She is food aggressive to me when I bring the barley fodder into their pen. I don't like it and have let her know that and she seems better. The cockerel is active but not aggressive at all.

 

[Cynthia12]

I have a third pullet out there getting bigger. Pretty sure it's a pullet. First, I am thinking I have a cockerel because it's lighter, but questioning it because it does have a very light chipmunk stripe on it. Then I'm seeing here that some of the chipmunks are boys? Well, I'm thinking this little chipmunk baby that has grown a bit is a pullet. Will post a photo tomorrow. My light one, turned out to be a pullet. She is prettier than the chipmunk one..more barrs. Very pretty.

 

[RedRidge]

I have a third pullet out there getting bigger.  Pretty sure it's a pullet.  First, I am thinking I have a cockerel because it's lighter, but questioning it because it does have a very light chipmunk stripe on it.  Then I'm seeing here that some of the chipmunks are boys?   Well, I'm thinking this little chipmunk baby that has grown a bit is a pullet.   Will post a photo tomorrow.  My light one, turned out to be a pullet.   She is prettier than the chipmunk one..more barrs.  Very pretty.

Cynthia, are you talking about pure Rhodebars or F1s? There has been a lot of discussion on this list recently about what the F1s are looking like.
It's really not related to the Rhodebars and what they should look like at hatching.
If a pure Rhodebar is not very easily autosexed then it should not be bred. The males will have an obvious head spot... The females will have dark chipmunk stripes. Regardless of other characteristics, those two things need to be obvious. Ideally you want to choose the darkest ones to perpetuate the Autosexing but one of those two traits must be present. Also keep in mind that the females are single barred so their feathering will be naturally darker since the males are always double barred. With my Rhodebars the comb is much more obvious and larger in the males even after only 2 weeks old.

 

[Cynthia12]

The eggs were sold to me as Rhodebars. The first two that I have been showing on here from one breeder, the one I will post later from another breeder. Rhodebar eggs also.
I don't breed. I just wanted to give them a try as a nice looking bird out in my flock, other than a RIR. That being said, I do have a HRIR out there, and did ask what would happen if I bred him to one of the RB pullets. I know that they won't be RB's, but just wondered what may come along...out of interest. Again, just for my flock. Very small flock. My very first cockerel. May be, or may not be able to keep him. Will see. I am loving what I am seeing in these pullets so far. Very pretty. Are they really that rare? My second set of eggs sent to me were all very easily sexed. White spot showed up on the males really well.

 

[RedRidge]

The eggs were sold to me as Rhodebars.  The first two that I have been showing on here from one breeder, the one I will post later from another breeder. Rhodebar eggs also. 
I don't breed.  I just wanted to give them a try as a nice looking bird out in my flock, other than a RIR.  That being said, I do have a HRIR out there, and did ask what would happen if I bred him to one of the RB pullets. I know that they won't be RB's, but just wondered what may come along...out of interest.    Again, just for my flock.  Very small flock. My very first cockerel.  May be, or may not be able to keep him.  Will see.  I am loving what I am seeing in these pullets so far.  Very pretty.  Are they really that rare?  My second set of eggs sent to me were all very easily sexed.  White spot showed up on the males really well. 

You very well could (and should) get some single barred birds if you put your hrir over a RB. The females who are barred out of that cross will not breed true but... The will look like Rhodebars. The males who turned out to be single barred will not breed true either obviously but... Would make for a very handsome male imo. ;-)

 

[RedRidge]

I have a list of people who want Rhodebar females but do not breed. They are getting all the F1s females I do not keep for breeding. Works out pretty nicely since they get the look of Rhodebar hens for cheap - the are priced as a barn yard mix would be but folks get what looks like a Rhodebar. They do understand they if they do need them they won't breed true, but many are just tickled to get a few Rhodebar looking pullets for much less than the purebreds.