HISTORY OF THE R. I. REDS 



River, Mass., December 10th of the same year, when the 

 following officers were elected : Daniel P. Shove, Fall River, 

 Mass.; William P. Shepard, South Swansea, Mass.; Thos. W. 

 Roe, Fall River, Mass.; R. G. Buffinton, Fall River, Mass.; 

 John Crowther, Fall River, Mass. But not until a meeting 

 in 1901 was a club Standard adopted which was as follows: 

 Shape — The shape of both sexes to conform to the 

 general idea of the American class, without requiring the 

 distinctive contour of the Plymouth Rook, nor the propor- 

 tionately fuller curves of the Wyandotte. A long breast or 

 keel-bone is desirable, and apparent vigor is to be regarded 

 equally important with the consideration of shape. 



A good size of comb and wattles is desirable as betoken- 

 ing vigor. Symmetry of proportion in head adjuncts is to 

 be considered, rather than conformance to any particular 

 type, and the comb may be either single or rose. Shanks 

 are free from down or feathers, stout and shapely in form 

 and of medium length. 



Color — The plumage color in both sexes to be red 

 throughout, uniformity of tint being desirable in the pullets, 

 the male to be deeper in tone and to 

 have an accentuated depth of color on 

 wing and back. This general color to 

 be modified by the appearance of black 

 in tail and under portions of wing 

 flights in either sex, and a slight tick- 

 ing of black in hackles of females. Un- 

 der color red or deep buff. The es- 

 pecial aim of the promoters of this 

 breed being to conserve vigor and 

 prolificacy rather than immaculate per- 

 fection of color, black may find its 

 place in sections enumerated, and the 

 gradual fading of the red portions 

 of the mature hen's plumage, which 

 naturally follows upon prolific laying, 

 shall not be discriminated against in 

 the placing of awards. 



Comb, wattles and fear-lobes should 

 be of that bright red color which betok- 

 ens a healthy condition. Shanks, toes 

 and beak yellow or reddish yellow. 



Standasd Weights — Cock, 7i 

 pounds; hen, 6 pounds; cockerel, 6 

 pounds; pullet, 4J pounds. 



DisatTALiPicATiONS—Diseased spec- 

 imens; anatomical defects; wholly white 

 ear-lobes; wry tails; feathers on shanks 

 or toes, having a perceptible quill; 

 badly lopped comb. 



This Standard, while describing 

 the breed as it then existed was rather 

 tion for shape, and being comparative 

 reference to the Plymouth Rock and Wyandotte varieties 

 in the shape sections, was greatly objected to. The flex- 

 ible color description was evidently a good thing for the 

 variety, as, at that time Rhode Island Reds were anything 

 but uniform in color, the males resembling the Buff Rock 

 and Buff Wyandotte males .of that period excepting per- 

 haps deeper color of the wing-bows, while the female 

 with the exception of the hackles shaded to a mixed 

 creamy brick color. 



Advocates of single and rose comb varieties were present 

 at this meeting, as were also a number of breeders who were 

 very desirous that the pea comb variety should be recogniz- 

 ed. The sentiment of the meeting however, was favorable 

 only to the single and rose combs and the opportunity for 

 the pea comb as a Standard variety was in all probability 

 lost forever, though it cannot be questioned that before any 

 pretense was made to breed the Reds to ideals of shape and 



A prize winning S. C. Kliode Island Red pul- 

 let, winner of first at Iowa State Fair, 1910 

 Bred by Mrs. F. W. Molntyre, Red Oak, Iowa 



obscure in 

 in nature. 



descrip- 

 through 



19 



color, in the original flocks kept strictly for utility purposes 

 the pea comb was nearly, if not quite as common as the 

 single and rose combs, in fact it was an easy matter to find 

 all three varieties of combs in the same flock. The original 

 Standard was in force until the annual meeting in 1903 ex- 

 cept a few changes in the description of color that were 

 made at the club meeting, when a more definite Standard, 

 the one on which the Club made application for admission 

 as a Standard breed, was adopted. 



The single comb became a Standard variety at the meet- 

 ing of the American Poultry Association held at Rochester 

 in 1 904. Prior to this meeting opposition was manifested by 

 some breeders of Buff Rocks and Buff Wyandottes, who in 

 view of the wide range of types and shades of color in speci- 

 mens of Rhode Island Reds that had been exhibited before 

 this time, were not in favor of their admission. The advo- 

 cates of the Reds were prepared for this opposition and by 

 the members of their club making an 

 exhibit of high class birds as an object 

 lesson, that the Reds and the two 

 breeds named could not possibly be con- 

 fused, the opponents to their admission 

 withdrew. 



During the year following the Roc- 

 hester meeting an organized attempt 

 was made on the part of a number 

 of breeders to call the Rose Comb 

 Rhode Island Reds, American Reds and 

 at the annual meeting of the associa- 

 tion at Minneapolis in January, 1905, 

 a motion was adopted of which the 

 following is a part: "That the Rose 

 Comb Rhode Island Reds be admitted 

 to the Standard of American Poultry 

 Association under the proposed Stand- 

 ard set out in said application; that the 

 Rose Comb Rhode Island Reds be ad~ 

 mitted under the name of American 

 Reds by which name they shall be 

 known hereafter." This aroused more 

 than a "tempest in a teapot" on the 

 part of the Rose Comb Rhode Island Red 

 breeders who were not in favor of a change in name, and a 

 special meeting of the association was called in Pittsburg, 

 April 4th, 1906, for the purpose of "reconsidering the action 

 of the association in admitting at the meeting at Minneapolis 

 Minn., breeds to the American Standard under the name of 

 American Reds." After a heated meeting, and discussion 

 lasting an entire day and evening, the motion was passed 

 to reconsider the motion made at MinneapoUs, whereby the 

 American Reds were admitted. This threw the American 

 Reds out of the Standard and left the matter where it stood 

 at the MinneapoUs meeting, before they were admitted. A 

 motion was then made and passed that the consideration of 

 all new breeds be postponed until the next annual meeting. 

 At the thirtieth annual meeting of the American Poultry 

 Association, held at Cincinnati, Ohio, January, 1906, the 

 motion that the Rose Comb Rhode Island Reds be admitted 

 as American Reds, the same motion that was made at Minne- 

 apolis the year before was withdrawn and the Rose Comb 

 Rhode Island Reds were admitted as a Standard variety. 



