R. I. REDS AS EXHIBITION FOWLS 



The females must have size and shape. Their shape and 

 size is really of more importance than that of the male. 

 They must have good eyes and head points with as even a 

 ■color as possible, avoiding chocolate colored necks. We 

 look for females with strong wing markings, even though 

 they show a little smut in the wing-bows, but we cull out the 

 ones that show smut in the back. Look for a good rich 

 under-color with fine ticking in the hackle. If a breeder 

 mates ten or twelve females that are as near this type as 

 possible with a male like the one described above and does 

 not look for prize winners scoring one hundred, we believe 

 that he will not be disappointed with the results. 



"We have been breeding along these lines for a number 

 of years, always avoiding extremes in males and females 

 and we have built up a strain that is highly satisfactory to 

 us. Each year our young stock far surpasses that of previous 

 years. The present season we have fewer culls than ever 

 before. 



T. L. Ricksecker, Kansas 



The mating of R. I. Reds to produce blue-ribbon quality 

 might well be likened to the adjusting of a 23 jeweled watch. 

 Having had some twenty years of experience in the latter 

 work and eight years in the former, I believe I can safely say 

 the reason there are not more high-class Reds raised is the 

 neglect of detail in the selection of breeders. It would take 

 some time and money for me to start with a seven jeweled 

 watch and begin to rebuild it by adding more jewels and, ad- 

 justing it till it would compare (if it ever could) with a high- 

 grade watch of known merit. 



So it is with the Reds or any other breed. You can 

 never get quality from dunghill stock and you would better 

 save yourself the endless work and expense which is sure to 

 follow if you try to do so. Start right with a few birds of 

 good quality of a strain that has been carefully bred by a 

 successful poultryman for a number of years. Then by care- 

 ful study and selecting birds as near Standard requirements 

 as possible, you can win that place at the top of the ladder 

 which is open to all. 



I could fill many pages with my experience with the 

 many matings which I have followed closely, but will sug- 

 gest a few "Do's" and "Don'ts" to follow in the selection of 

 breeders, which I believe will prove beneficial. 



Do select a male with a good head, one that is bright, 

 alert and active and be particular about the comb, to see 

 that it is firmly set on the head and that the serrations are 

 well defined and stand straight. The comb should be of 

 medium size, fine texture and thin blade. 



Don't use birds with coarse, beefy combs or one that 

 has thumb marks or that lops. 



Do get a bird with bright, prominent eye, the redder 

 the better. 



Don't use a male with wall or fish eyes or that has a 

 dull, Ustless expression. See that the ears are red. 



Never use a bird that has disquaUfications, such as 

 stubs, sprigs on comb, enamel white ears, squirrel tail or one 

 whose wing flights do not fold up well — described as slipped 

 wing. Of course the progeny will not all follow any one of 

 your breeders, but if you wish to advance you must have a 

 good foundation, so it pays to look well to these details. 



The color of the chick is influenced by the sire and the 

 shape by the dam. Shape is of great importance in main- 

 taining the sterling qualities that the Reds have as a utility 

 fowl, and it is as necessary to keep its type distinct from 

 other breeds as it is to preserve the color. This, however, 

 does not mean that we are to be indifferent to the color of 

 the female. She should be a good, even red. The better 

 the color, the more certain you can be of the chicks. Do 



39 



not use male birds that have much contrast in hackle, back 

 and saddle. Try to get the color from head to tail blended 

 evenly and of a deep, brilliant red. The more luster to the 

 plumage, the better. The under-color of both should be a 

 deep, rich red that looks clear and free from a muddy red- 

 dish shade. 



^ When it is necessary to use a bird that has some un- 

 desirable points, be sure that the other sex is good and 

 strong in these sections. By such methods one can usually 

 overcome such faults. There is another very important 

 point and that is to keep the breeders in the best of condi- 

 tion, for this has a great deal to do with the vitality of the 

 chicks. It makes no difference how fine a parentage there 

 is behind the birds, if they are in poor health, the chicks, as 

 a rule, will be a disappointment. Having your breeders well 

 mated and in good health is the first half, the other half is 

 for you to raise them properly and give them a chance to 

 reward you by bringing home the blue ribbons. 



M. A. Smith, Pennsylvania 



There are some faults that must be overcome in breed- 

 ing R. I. Reds, such as mealiness, chocolate color and the 

 different shades of red from buff and straw color to mahogany 

 that appear not only in the same breeding pen, but some- 

 tilnes in the same hen. 



The principal fault, I believe, lies in adding new blood. 

 Numerous ways have been advanced through the poultry 

 papers of adding new blood which may be safely followed, 

 but I will state that line breeding will have to be practiced. 

 To use a male bird in your breeding pen from unknown 

 breeding will break up your color lines. The R. I. Red is 

 practically a new breed and only a few of the most noted 

 breeders have followed line breeding long enough to establish 

 color with any certainty. The difference of opinion among 

 fanciers and judges as to the correct color has confused 

 many breeders, Different fanciers have established different 

 shades of red in the flocks, which makes it uncertain what 

 the "color will be when you add new blood from unknown 

 breeding. 



The best plan is to obtain breeding stock from strains 

 whose color has been established by line breeding and then 

 further establish the color by Une breeding yourself. Of 

 course care must be taken in the selection of breeders. 

 Avoid extremes in matings. Do not breed from very dark 

 cocks unless they are perfectly sound in under-color and free 

 from smut or white at the base of the tail. Do not select 

 light colored females, for this will produce chocolate color 

 and mealiness, but select medium colored females, being 

 careful that they are strong in the sections where the male 

 is weak. 



Pages could be and have been written about the color 

 of R. I. Reds, but shape must not be overlooked. It should 

 be considered first. If your breeders lack in shape you 

 would better cast them aside if you expect to produce fancy 

 birds and obtain stock from those who have established the 

 correct R. I. Red shape. It will take years of careful mating 

 to build up shape and it will save much valuable time and 

 money if the beginner starts with correctly shaped stock. 



I would suggest for the good of the R. I. Red — the most 

 beautifully shaped and colored fowl, either for the show 

 room or for the utility yard — that every breeder for the 

 coming season should select his birds with more care, cull 

 harder and throw out any doubtful specimens. Do not fill 

 your breeding pen with doubtful birds, but breed from those 

 that are of the right type and color, even if you have to 

 mate in pairs or trios. In this way you can keep the record 

 of your breeders and follow line breeding from year to year 

 and so be enabled to climb to the top. 



