GENERAL INFORMATION

All of our domestic chickens descended from the Red Jungle Fowl of the Far East, probably the species known as GaHusbankiva. For 3,000 years chickens and other poultry have provided a widely adaptable food source used by almost every culture.

DESCRIPTION

The Rhode Island Red is America's best known breed of fowl and probably the best known breed in the world. Hens can weigh around six pounds and roosters can weigh over eight pounds. Their color can vary from a fawny-red to a deep chocolate red.

HISTORY

The Rhode Island Red is the most successful dual-purpose bird of all and remains an excellent farm chicken. They are very good layers of brown eggs and are known for their hardiness and ability to produce eggs even in marginal conditions. Rhode Island Reds can produce 200 to 300 eggs per bird in a twelve-month laying period and begin laying as early as six months of age.

There is little information pertaining to the status of poultry prior to the middle of the last century. However, there is evidence that all of our domestic poultry, with the exception of the turkey, was brought from the old world by Columbus on his second voyage in 1493. In the 1840's and 1850's poultry began to be imported on a regular basis and, after a century of random and local breeding, regular breeds were developed, refined and shown. Also during this same time, the first breed societies were organized and in 1873 the American Poultry Association was formed. In 1874, the APA adopted the first American Standard of Perfection, a book that served as a guide for poultry breeders. Illustrations in this book helped to mark the standards and develop consistency in breeding. As interest grew in promoting and showing these refined breeds of bird, so did the interest in poultry as a profitable farm crop. The national value of poultry was estimated at more than $25 million in 1875. The Rhode Island Red chicken was originally developed in Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the 1880's and 1890's. The ancestors of this chicken include the Malay, Shanghai, Java and Brown Leghorn. Its distinctive color and qualities helped it to spread rapidly across the country making this bird one of the most popular breeds ever. Since the 1940's, the Rhode Island Red has been bred for more efficient egg production. By doing this breeders have sacrificed its size, which is now smaller, its darker color, and its broodiness. The "old-type" of Rhode Island Red is becoming more and more rare, due to the modified breeding. Though the old type resembles the more common "production" type, the two are not the same. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is a n on-profit organization dedicated to preserving old types of livestock and poultry. The Rhode Island Red is listed as WATCH under the Conservancy. WATCH means that there are fewer than 2,500 North American registrations annually and estimated fewer than 5,000 globally. The Rhode Island Red along with many other "heritage" breeds of poultry are disappearing. Preservation of the older breeds is vitally important because of their genetic diversity and hardiness, along with other unique traits. Preservation of the older breeds of livestock and poultry are essential as agricultural practices change to meet the needs of the future.

INFORMATION LINKS

Breeds of Poultry

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