Rhode Island Red Chick Questions

[farmgirlsomeday]

Two quick questions for those who have raised RIR chicks before: do they sometimes have dark barred feathers on their wings early on? Also, is it normal for them to have a very pretty dark reddish tip on the very end of their beaks as young chicks?

Thanks!

 

[Fred's Hens]

RIR should indeed have a dark red stain on their beaks. This is called horn.

The wing tips will show a bit of a multi-colored look to them as the feathers come in. Can you post a picture?

 

[farmgirlsomeday]

Thank you so much for the response! I ask because there are some chicks advertised as Rhode Island Reds at our local feed store but some seem to have the dark tipped beaks (which I find quite lovely) while others don't, so I was wondering whether that says anything about whether they're actually purebred RIRs (tho' obviously of hatchery quality, I understand) or not.

 

[Fred's Hens]

True bred Rhode Island Reds aren't sold by feed stores. Most are simply re-selling hatchery reds which are production oriented and will lay lots of eggs. The term "pure bred" is confusing, perhaps, when it comes to chickens. Chickens are better understood as "bred to the Standard" or not bred to the Standard. The Standard is the Standard of Perfection for the breed, as determined by the American Poultry Association.