View source for Rhode Island Red

{{Short description|American breed of domestic chicken}}
{{Distinguish|Rhode Island White|Rhode Island Reds (disambiguation){{!}}Rhode Island Reds}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox poultry breed
| name = Rhode Island Red 
| image = Rhode Island Red cock, cropped.jpg
| image_caption = Rhode Island Red rooster
| status = {{nobreak|[[The Livestock Conservancy|Livestock Conservancy]]: watch{{r|tlc}}}}
| altname = {{unbulleted list|Rhode Islands|Golden Buffs|John Macomber Fowls|Tripp Fowls}}
| country = United States
| use = dual-purpose
| apa = American{{r|apa}}
| ee = yes{{r|ee}}
| pcgb = soft feather: heavy{{r|pcgb}}
| maleweight = {{ubl|Standard: {{convert|3.9|kg|lb|abbr=on}}|Bantam: {{convert|965|g|oz|abbr=on}}{{r|ekarius|page=71}}}}
| femaleweight = {{ubl|Standard: {{convert|3|kg|lb|abbr=on}}|Bantam: {{convert|850|g|oz|abbr=on}}{{r|ekarius|page=71}}{{space|3}}}}
| skincolor = yellow
| eggcolor = brown{{r|ekarius|page=70}}
| comb = single or rose
| type = [[Chicken]]
| latin = Gallus gallus domesticus
}}

The '''Rhode Island Red''' is an American [[List of chicken breeds|breed]] of [[domestic chicken]]. It is the [[List of U.S. state birds|state bird]] of [[Rhode Island]].{{r|ekarius|page=70}} It was developed there and in [[Massachusetts]] in the late nineteenth century, by cross-breeding birds of Oriental origin such as the [[Malay chicken|Malay]] with brown [[Leghorn chicken|Leghorn]] birds from Italy. It was a dual-purpose breed, raised both for meat and for eggs; modern strains have been [[selective breeding|bred]] for their egg-laying abilities. The traditional non-industrial strains of the Rhode Island Red are listed as "watch" (medium conservation priority, between "recovering" and "threatened") by [[The Livestock Conservancy]].{{r|tlc}} It is a separate breed to the [[Rhode Island White]].{{r|ekarius|page=70}}

== History ==
[[File:Amberbock.jpg|thumb|alt=a tall hen with deep red plumage|Hen]]
The Rhode Island Red was bred in [[Rhode Island]] and [[Massachusetts]] in the second half of the nineteenth century, by [[selective breeding]] of birds of Oriental origin such as the [[Cochin (chicken)|Cochin]], [[Java (chicken)|Java]], [[Malay (chicken)|Malay]] and [[Shanghai (chicken)|Shanghai]] with brown [[Leghorn (chicken)|Leghorn]] birds from Italy. The characteristic deep red [[plumage]] derived from the Malay.{{r|ekarius|page=70|tlc2}} The State of Rhode Island celebrated the centenary of the breed in 1954, when the [[Rhode Island Red Monument]] was raised at the William Tripp farm, in [[Little Compton, Rhode Island]].{{r|hist|page=2}}

The name of the breed is ascribed either to Isaac Champlin Wilbour of Little Compton at an unknown date, or to a Mr. Jenny of the Southern Massachusetts Poultry Association in 1879 or 1880. In 1891 [[Nathaniel Borden Aldrich]] exhibited some as "Golden Buffs" in Rhode Island and in [[Philadelphia]]; they were first exhibited under the present name in 1895. They were previously also known as "John Macomber fowls" or "Tripp fowls."{{r|hale|page=11}}

The first [[breed standard]] was drawn up in 1898, and was approved by the American Rhode Island Red Club in Boston in 1901; the single-comb variety was admitted to the [[Standard of Perfection]] of the [[American Poultry Association]] in 1904,{{r|hist|page=8}} and the rose-comb in 1906.{{r|pcgb2}}

== Characteristics ==

The color of the plumage of the traditional Rhode Island red ranges from a lustrous deep red to almost black; the tail is mostly black.{{r|ekarius|page=71}} The [[comb (anatomy)|comb]] may be either single or rose-comb; it is vivid red, as are the earlobes and wattles.{{r|ekarius|page=71}} The beak is a reddish horn color, the eyes are reddish bay, and the feet and legs are yellow, often with some red on the toes and sides of the shanks.{{r|ekarius|page=71}} Industrial strains may be smaller and paler in color than the old-type breed.{{r|tlc2}}

== Use ==

The Rhode Island Red was developed as a dual-purpose breed, to provide both meat and eggs. Since about 1940, it has been [[selectively bred]] predominantly for egg-laying qualities, and the modern industrial Rhode Island Red is a layer breed.{{r|tlc2}} Rhode Island Reds have been used in the creation of many modern hybrid breeds.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}

The traditional dual-purpose "old-type" Rhode Island Red lays {{nobreak|200–300}} brown eggs per year, and yields rich-flavored [[chicken meat|meat]].{{r|tlc2|slow}} It is included in the [[Ark of Taste]] of the [[Slow Food Foundation]].{{r|slow}}

== References ==
{{commonscat}}
{{reflist|45em|refs=

<ref name=apa>[https://web.archive.org/web/20171104135004/http://www.amerpoultryassn.com/PDF%20Forms/APA%20Recognized%20Breeds%20and%20Varieties%20Sept2012.pdf APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012]. American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.</ref>

<ref name=ee>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130616062803/http://www.entente-ee.com/deutsch/sparten/gefluegel/dateien/2013/Verzeichnis%20R%20F%2028042013.xls Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013)]. Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.</ref>

<ref name=ekarius>Carol Ekarius (2007). [https://archive.org/details/Storeys_Illustrated_Guide_to_Poultry_Breeds_Complete/mode/1up ''Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds'']. North Adams, Massachusetts: Storey Publishing. {{isbn|9781580176675}}.</ref>

<ref name=hale>Dwight Edward Hale (1911). [https://archive.org/details/standardbredrhod00hale/page/11 ''Standard-Bred Rhode Island Reds, Rose and Single Comb: Their Practical Qualities; the Standard Requirements; How to Judge Them; How to Mate and Breed for Best Results'']. Quincy, Illinois: Reliable Poultry Journal Publishing Company.</ref>

<ref name=hist>[Rhode Island Red Centennial Committee] (1954). [https://sosri.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/digitalFile_b959d2eb-4256-4f9c-b2ed-cfda2e6c8f72/ ''A History of the Rhode Island Red, 1854-1954''] (pamphlet). Rhode Island Development Council. Accessed October 2018.</ref>

<ref name=pcgb>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143235/http://www.poultryclub.org/img/Breed%20Classification.pdf Breed Classification]. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.</ref>

<ref name=pcgb2>[https://web.archive.org/web/20181109100645/https://www.poultryclub.org/breed-gallery/chickens/ Chickens]. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 9 November 2018.</ref>

<ref name=slow>[http://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/old-type-rhode-island-red-chicken/ "Old-Type" Rhode Island Red chicken]. Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. Accessed February 2017.</ref>

<ref name=tlc>[http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/conservation-priority-list#Chickens Conservation Priority List]. The Livestock Conservancy. Accessed February 2017.</ref>

<ref name=tlc2>[https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/rired Rhode Island Red - non-industrial chicken]. The Livestock Conservancy. Accessed March 2019.</ref>

}}

{{Chicken breeds of the United States |state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Chicken breeds]]
[[Category:Chicken breeds originating in the United States]]
[[Category:Little Compton, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Symbols of Rhode Island]]