RIR's should be some what dark... Around the color of a Bing cherry or blood red...
chicken master:
I would like to see a picture of them in the day that would give a better example of the true color..
There not that bad... If you want a good true answer ask NYREDS on here or you can post a pic over at http://mattlh.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=redforum there are some good RIR breeders over there..