I copied/typed the information below directly from the RHODE ISLAND REDS book from Cornell University Library.
BREEDING RHODE ISLAND REDS FOR EGG PRODUCTION
FIVE IMPORTANT POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND—TYPE-EXERCISE-FEEDING-HOUSING-HATCHIng
GEO L ANDREWS
In the Reds we have at least one breed not spoiled by fanciers sacrificing type to color as they realize that the special feature which has so rapidly brought the breed into popular and lasting favor is their pronounced utility qualities. All emphasize shape in exploiting their various strains and this breeding to type has perfected a fancier’s fowl of sterling worth.
In breeding them for egg production we must consider five contributing factors, vie; breeding, feeding, housing, exercising and hatching.
BREEDING
Keep the type ever prominent. The long, broad backed, ow-keeled hen with well spread legs, is the laying hen; select accordingly, also keeping your eye open for the bird with the bright sparkling eyes, activity standing out all over her. You will find she is the scratcher, too. Do not breed from birds of low vitality, denoted by a flat long billed snaky head, undeveloped comb and wattles, and pinched back and knock-kneed legs. Select your known best layers, closely conforming to this type, always mating with a male with pronounced constitutional vigor, indicated by active movements, upright carriage, well developed head, long broad back, tail well spread and full feathered, legs sturdy and set well apart with breast broad and full, and whom you know to be from a heavy layer. He should have a lusty crow, be gallant to his mates and should be always aching for a test of his powers with another male. Introduce new blood when necessary from a heavy laying strain, preferably of the same blood as your foundation stock.
FEEDING
Feeding is of the utmost importance and counts for as much as your breeding methods.
The chick from shell to maturity having no set back through improper feeding will, if bred to type, lay and perpetuate the laying instinct, while the one bred right but fed haphazardly will fail utterly in this respect.
The keynote to feeding is constant variety. It is generally conceded that a variety of grains is essential but do not stop there. It has been my experience that variety in green food and protein elements is highly important. I am not an advocate of dry feeding, preferring a moistened mash in conjunction with dry grains, the bulky portion of which I vary with alfalfa and cut clover. I also find cut clover beneficial for the litter occasionally as they eat all the heads and scratch to get them. Cabbage, mangels, turnips and occasionally potatoes and carrots will help out the variety. Vary your protein by feeding scraps, green cut bone, beef meal, bone meal and milk albumen and your results will be better than with scraps, green bone or milk albumen solely.
HOUSING
The essentials of a good house are light, sunshine, fresh air and roomy quarters, also simplicity and convenience. Fresh air is paramount if you wish to keep up stamina, without which you will not keep type. Simplicity and convenience are next as aids to perfect cleanliness. The curtain open front house best furnishes the former, also assuring dryness.
EXERCISE
Exercising is a prominent factor of success. Teach the birds to scratch from chick-hood to the chopping block and in time this characteristic will become inherent, until you have a flock without a lazy bone in their makup and free from the vices of feather pulling, egg eating and day roosting.
Provide a sunny scratch shed for them with an abundance of clean litter in which to scatter their grain feed, having a tempting head of cabbage just high enough to make them jump for it, occasionally hanging a piece of raw meat similarly. Keep a few pieces of meat from the table on hand to carry out with you when collecting the eggs and see them chase one another, when these are thrown to them.
HATCHING
Though I have placed hatching last, I consider it first in importance. Get off as many early birds as you can, as they are most apt to assume correct type, if their ancestors have been proberly bred, fed and housed. The early chicks grow faster and more uniformly, maturing younger, hence can be expected to lay (in the case of Reds) before fall cold and rains, continuing through the winter and thus lay a larger number of eggs. If early and heavy layers are bred from continuously you will soon perfect a strain of chronic egg machines.
FIVE IMPORTANT POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND—TYPE-EXERCISE-FEEDING-HOUSING-HATCHIng
GEO L ANDREWS
In the Reds we have at least one breed not spoiled by fanciers sacrificing type to color as they realize that the special feature which has so rapidly brought the breed into popular and lasting favor is their pronounced utility qualities. All emphasize shape in exploiting their various strains and this breeding to type has perfected a fancier’s fowl of sterling worth.
In breeding them for egg production we must consider five contributing factors, vie; breeding, feeding, housing, exercising and hatching.
BREEDING
Keep the type ever prominent. The long, broad backed, ow-keeled hen with well spread legs, is the laying hen; select accordingly, also keeping your eye open for the bird with the bright sparkling eyes, activity standing out all over her. You will find she is the scratcher, too. Do not breed from birds of low vitality, denoted by a flat long billed snaky head, undeveloped comb and wattles, and pinched back and knock-kneed legs. Select your known best layers, closely conforming to this type, always mating with a male with pronounced constitutional vigor, indicated by active movements, upright carriage, well developed head, long broad back, tail well spread and full feathered, legs sturdy and set well apart with breast broad and full, and whom you know to be from a heavy layer. He should have a lusty crow, be gallant to his mates and should be always aching for a test of his powers with another male. Introduce new blood when necessary from a heavy laying strain, preferably of the same blood as your foundation stock.
FEEDING
Feeding is of the utmost importance and counts for as much as your breeding methods.
The chick from shell to maturity having no set back through improper feeding will, if bred to type, lay and perpetuate the laying instinct, while the one bred right but fed haphazardly will fail utterly in this respect.
The keynote to feeding is constant variety. It is generally conceded that a variety of grains is essential but do not stop there. It has been my experience that variety in green food and protein elements is highly important. I am not an advocate of dry feeding, preferring a moistened mash in conjunction with dry grains, the bulky portion of which I vary with alfalfa and cut clover. I also find cut clover beneficial for the litter occasionally as they eat all the heads and scratch to get them. Cabbage, mangels, turnips and occasionally potatoes and carrots will help out the variety. Vary your protein by feeding scraps, green cut bone, beef meal, bone meal and milk albumen and your results will be better than with scraps, green bone or milk albumen solely.
HOUSING
The essentials of a good house are light, sunshine, fresh air and roomy quarters, also simplicity and convenience. Fresh air is paramount if you wish to keep up stamina, without which you will not keep type. Simplicity and convenience are next as aids to perfect cleanliness. The curtain open front house best furnishes the former, also assuring dryness.
EXERCISE
Exercising is a prominent factor of success. Teach the birds to scratch from chick-hood to the chopping block and in time this characteristic will become inherent, until you have a flock without a lazy bone in their makup and free from the vices of feather pulling, egg eating and day roosting.
Provide a sunny scratch shed for them with an abundance of clean litter in which to scatter their grain feed, having a tempting head of cabbage just high enough to make them jump for it, occasionally hanging a piece of raw meat similarly. Keep a few pieces of meat from the table on hand to carry out with you when collecting the eggs and see them chase one another, when these are thrown to them.
HATCHING
Though I have placed hatching last, I consider it first in importance. Get off as many early birds as you can, as they are most apt to assume correct type, if their ancestors have been proberly bred, fed and housed. The early chicks grow faster and more uniformly, maturing younger, hence can be expected to lay (in the case of Reds) before fall cold and rains, continuing through the winter and thus lay a larger number of eggs. If early and heavy layers are bred from continuously you will soon perfect a strain of chronic egg machines.
****************** I thought this might be something folks would like to read also. ***********************
Poultry Genetics
The problems and interesting facts about breeding poultry
· Egg Production
is determined by the genetics of the parents and influenced by the environment in which the hen is kept
The genes involved are unlikely to be in a simple relationship but some basic principles can be seen. In old papers there is some evidence that the small egg is dominant - which means we have to work harder to keep good size in a flock and prevent degernation of a line.
It is known that the size is sex linked - i.e. that the father is the most important determinant for the colour of the eggs in the next generation.
Therefore your cockerel/ drake is the most important bird in controlling and improving your egg size. Choose your breeding male from the best egg from your best layer or - if you are missing qualities spend time finding a good stock cockerel from another line to improve your stock.
The other very important factor is yourself - you chose the eggs that are hatched - you control the quality of the next generation.
· only hatch eggs that are of a good size for the breed
· never hatch eggs that are the wrong colour for the breed
· if you have eggs that are not correct replace the breeding male with one hatched from the correct size and colour
· don't be too quick to hatch eggs from pullets - they will be small so not provide the best for the growing chicks. It is also vital to make sure that all the girls are producing eggs consistantly that are correct for the breed. If you start ahcthing from small eggs you do not know whether that hen will continue to lay small eggs. If so you have reduce the quality of your breedline.
Every time you hatch (or if using broody hens allow to be hatched) chicks / ducklings that are from eggs that are not right for the breed - come from hens that are not productive - etc you are playing a part in the demise of utility strains in this country. The future of utility poultry lies in all our hands - every one of us
The problems and interesting facts about breeding poultry
· Egg Production
is determined by the genetics of the parents and influenced by the environment in which the hen is kept
The genes involved are unlikely to be in a simple relationship but some basic principles can be seen. In old papers there is some evidence that the small egg is dominant - which means we have to work harder to keep good size in a flock and prevent degernation of a line.
It is known that the size is sex linked - i.e. that the father is the most important determinant for the colour of the eggs in the next generation.
Therefore your cockerel/ drake is the most important bird in controlling and improving your egg size. Choose your breeding male from the best egg from your best layer or - if you are missing qualities spend time finding a good stock cockerel from another line to improve your stock.
The other very important factor is yourself - you chose the eggs that are hatched - you control the quality of the next generation.
· only hatch eggs that are of a good size for the breed
· never hatch eggs that are the wrong colour for the breed
· if you have eggs that are not correct replace the breeding male with one hatched from the correct size and colour
· don't be too quick to hatch eggs from pullets - they will be small so not provide the best for the growing chicks. It is also vital to make sure that all the girls are producing eggs consistantly that are correct for the breed. If you start ahcthing from small eggs you do not know whether that hen will continue to lay small eggs. If so you have reduce the quality of your breedline.
Every time you hatch (or if using broody hens allow to be hatched) chicks / ducklings that are from eggs that are not right for the breed - come from hens that are not productive - etc you are playing a part in the demise of utility strains in this country. The future of utility poultry lies in all our hands - every one of us