There are so many different breeds of chicken to consider when trying to decide what breed you would like to start working with or have around the farm. You might want to consider the Rhode Island Red chicken though. This breed comes in both bantam and large fowl varieties, and there is a single comb and a rose comb variety! As well, Rhode Island White chickens are also bred and are part of the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection.

If you are looking for more information on the Rhode Island Red chicken, take a few minutes and watch this fantastic educational video featuring Don Nelson sharing his thoughts and experiences from working with the breed for many years! This video was put together by the APA and the Livestock Conservancy.

Rhode Island Red chickens are a great dual purpose breed that can also be competitive exhibition birds. These chickens would be both a great addition to your farm and your show string! Before becoming a standardized breed, Rhode Island Red chickens were primarily used as market and production birds, being a truly dual purpose breed due to their fantastic egg laying ability and high quality carcasses.

As the name states, this breed was first bred and developed in Rhode Island State in the United States of America. They were bred from the Red Malay Game, Leghorn and Asiatic native stock. They were first admitted to the standard in 1904 for the single comb variety and 1905 for the rose comb variety. The bantam Rhode Island Red was admitted in 1940 for the single comb variety and 1952 for the rose comb variety.

This above information comes out of the Standard of Perfection published by the American Poultry Association. If you are interested in learning more about the breed consider purchasing a Standard of Perfection, connecting with the Rhode Island Red Club of America, or reaching out to a local breeder.