CHAPTER I 



ORIGIN OF THE RHODE ISLAND REDS 



THE RESULT OF CAREFUL RESEARCH GIVEN— AUTHORITIES SEEM TO AGREE THAT 

 IT IS AN OUTCROSS BREED, WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR THE VIGOR OF THE BIRDS 



DR. N. B. ALDRICH 



^Editor't Note: — After exhaustive research and study for authentic information regarding the history of the origin of R. 

 I. Beds, we have decided the following article written in 1903 for theclub book, "Red Hen Tales" by the late Dr. N. B. Aldrich, 

 Fall River, Mass., one of the most prominent Rhode Island Red breeders in America, is the most interesting and authetic ac- 

 count of the early history of the breed. — Ed.) 



I AM NOT one of those who is willing to say, "Never 

 mind the origin of the 'Reds' or any other worthy 

 variety of fowls." I have been breeding poultry for 

 twenty odd years, and I am always interested in the 

 origin of every breed. 



Go back in history with me fifty years, and we find that, 

 at that time, 1846-1850, different Asiatic breeds were intro- 

 duced into this country, especially in the neighborhoods 

 that were near the coast. One variety, the Shanghai fowl 

 (yellow and white) was introduced, just after the Cochin 

 China, and the two breeds for a time became confused, and 

 "many farmers and poulterers declare, spite of feathers or 

 no feathers (on their legs) that their fowls are Cochin Chinas 

 or Shanghais, just as they please." 



At this time, Bennett, in his poultry book, says: "There 

 are but few, if any, bona fide Shanghai fowls now for sale." 

 These Shanghai fowls (Simon pure) were heavily feathered 

 on the legs. Not so with the Cochin China. At this time 

 the Cochin Chinas were bred extensively in Southeastern 

 Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Dr. Alfred Baylies, of 

 Taunton, Mass., imported in July, 1846, specimens of the 

 yellow Cochin Chinas. "The cockerels were generally red." 

 These were not specimens of what were called the Royal 

 Cochin Chinas, as bred by the Queen of England, but direct 

 importations. 



"The Royal Cochin Chinas were one-third larger." The 

 Shanghais were heavily feathered in the legs; these imported 

 Cochin Chinas lightly feathered, if at all. The ship Huntress, 

 in May 1847, direct from Cochin China brought a pair of this 

 variety of fowl, and Mr. Taylor, in speaking of them, says: 

 The imported cock was a peculiar red and yellowish Dom- 



SHAKEBAG HEN. 



Reproduced from Dr. Itennett'i Poultr, Jlook 1852 



This hen was one of a pair imported by Mr. John L. Tuolcer, Boston 

 In connecting them with the R. I. Red we note in Bennett's book as follows: 

 "Mowbray thus writes of one in his possession, 'The only one I ever possessed 

 was a red one, in 1784, weighing about ten pounds.' " This Shakebae 

 hen certainly shows the oblong type seen in the Red of today. 



inique, and the hen a bay or reddish brown;" that the young 

 stock varied "only in shade of color." 



Bennett says, "The|*,legs of both sexes are of reddish 



yellow, sometimes, especially in the cocks, decidedly red — 

 more so than in any other variety." 



How many times I have called attention to the red 

 pigment in a R. I. Red cock's legs. 



So much, then, for the Red Cochin China cock of fifty 

 years ago. The sea captains brought home just such speci- 

 mens to Little Compton, R. I., but a little later came the 

 great Malay*fowl, with its knotty knob of a comb — a comb 



THE SHAKEBAG FOWL. 



Itcproduced from Dr. Bennetfi FouUi; Dook 18&2 



Whenever or wherever we read the history of the Reds we read of the 

 Shakebag fowls. In referring to the above Dr. Bennett wrote: "This 

 fowl has so many points of afiBnity with the Malay tribe, that there can 

 be no impropriety in associating it with them, the plumage of the cock 

 being extremely brilliant and gaudy. The fowl delineated here was im- 

 ported by Mr. John L. Tucker of the Tremont House, Boston." Mr. 

 Tucker is credited with being one of the originators of the Reds. 



that even today occasionally is to be seen on the R. I. Reds. 

 The Jersey Blues — Bucks County and Boodies — were inferior 

 varieties of Malays. These Malays were spoken of as "ser- 

 pent headed." 



Their color was dark brown or reddish, streaked with 

 yellow; some varieties of Ma'ays'ran more red than others. 

 In Little Compton was introduced what was spoken of as 

 the Red Malay. 



The Red Cochin China cocks and the^Red Malay cocks 

 were selected, and crossed with the flocks"of fowls in Little 

 Compton, forty and fifty years ago, the same as today. 



Later, before the Wyandotte fever, the R. C. Brown 

 Leghorn was introduced into many flocks in this neighbor- 

 hood. Even at the time of the introduction of the Leghorn 



