Growing up .... Rhode Island Red

This is one of my favorite breeds and is truly an American class hero. Developed in the early part of this century in the state of Rhode Island, they have maintained their reputation as a dual purpose fowl throughout the years.

5 month old RIR cockeral- Reserve American Class Champion

Rhode Island Reds - An American Classic

"I'm just enjoying the view out of my pen"

What can I say, the name speaks for itself, they originated from Rhode Island and were developed by crossing the Red Malay Game, Leghorns and some Asiatics in 1904. There are 2 varieties the Rhode Island Red and the The Rhode Island Whites with 2 different types of combs the rose comb and the single comb. There are also bantam versions of the Rhode Island Reds. This is a dual purpose breed that makes an excellent choice as an egg layer of brown and dark brown eggs or as dinner with their nicely colored yellow skin. Reds can be also seen at poultry shows across the nation and are the subject of breed club chat rooms. I am posting pics of some RIR chicks that I purchased recently from a breeder who has many generations of his red own specific bloodline through the mail from Minnesota. They already possess big chunky breasts and legs, and are richly dark red in plumage.  I was thinking how good they would taste but I think I will show them first, I have some hopes for them. I will also have another bloodline to study in separate pens. I am curious to see the difference between these two bloodlines and will document the outcome. If you are interested in Rhode Island Reds be sure and join their breed club. Enjoy the pics. If you are interested in breeding Rhode Island Reds and showing them I have started a Rhode Island Red Breeders site called Red Barrons.

Wow look at that grasshopper over there, do you see it?

Well he's gone now, I swallowed him with one gulp !!

It's not cold until it's below freezing

Rhode Island Reds outside scratching for bugs

During cold freezing weather, egg production and hen comfort will be increased if they have plenty of (non-frozen) water to drink. If you don't have piped water to the hen house, I recommend using 10 qt. galvanized buckets as water'ers. Fill them with warm water and take them out to the hens. Take the frozen buckets from last time back indoors with you. Galvanized buckets are good because plastic buckets split when they freeze and poultry fountains are hard to open when they're partly frozen. Rubber buckets and pans are also good. You can place a tennis ball in the water'er and when the water freezes grab the ball and it will pull the ice sheet off with it.

 Chickens can handle very cold temperatures. Some experts say chickens don’t really start suffering until the temperature inside their coop falls to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. They’ll start suffering earlier if it’s damp inside the chicken house, or if they haven’t adapted to the cold, that's why its not a good idea to heat the hen house.  The hens will be warmer during the day if they exercise. They'll be warmer at night if they go to bed with a crop full of grain. The two can be combined by putting a thick layer of loose hay or straw in their pen and scattering a light feeding of grain in the morning and a heavy feeding of grain in the afternoon. Around the turn of the century it was common to have a "scratching shed" attached to the hen house, which was a substitute for range during the winter. The scratching shed was usually open-fronted (that is, walled on three sides only, with chicken wire on the fourth side), with a thick layer of loose straw on the floor. Grain is fed in the scratching shed, which is where the birds get their fresh air, exercise, and sunshine. Always make sure that the girls have a full crop of grain and other nourishment before roosting at night. Birds with existing health problems such as injuries or illnesses or younger less feathered birds may need to be put in different housing arrangements so that they will stay warmer.