
The Rhode Island Reds



A Truly Dual Purpose Bird
The Rhode Island Red, sometimes called the RIR, originated in the United States in the mid-19th century. They were developed in Rhode Island state, hence their name. Rhode Island Reds are considered a dual-purpose breed, meaning they are valued for egg production and meat quality. We like to raise our birds as naturally as possible. We never use growth hormones or antibiotics, they are raised on pasture and we never force them to lay in the winter with artificial light. Our girls molt in the fall and they need that extra protein and energy to grow new feathers to keep warm in the winter.
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The Meat
Rhode Island Reds are considered a medium to large breed. Cock birds (roosters) typically weigh between 8.5 to 9.5 pounds (3.9 to 4.3 kg), while hen birds (hens) weigh slightly less, ranging from 6.5 to 7.5 pounds (2.9 to 3.4 kg).
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The Eggs
A single Rhode Island Red hen can produce around 200 to 300 eggs annually, depending on diet, environment, and age. A mature hen will lay large to extra-large eggs. A younger hen will lay medium to large eggs.
What Came First?...
At 7 Anubis Farms, the egg came first. We ordered our chicks online from a reputable hatchery. The issue we were running into, was the hatcheries being out of stock or the weather just being too darn cold for us to receive healthy happy chicks. We need to start our meat birds so that they can be ready for the summer Farmer's Markets. Now we have incubators running from early March through early June making sure that not only do we have plenty of chicken, but also an abundance of large, fresh eggs.
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All of our chickens are cage-free and our meat birds are raised on pasture with plenty of sunshine, water, field grasses, legumes, and a supplement of hearty grains. And, let us not forget the smorgasbord of the bugs that they love. They not only get the benefits of pasture living, but we get the benefit of the chickens (and the pigs) helping to regenerate our pasture with their manure.





The Guard Dogs...erm...Geese.
Even though our RIRs are a tough and hardy breed, we still hired some bodyguards for them. Meet the Toulouse Geese. This is our flock, and these seven cuties will be out in the pasture protecting the flock from would-be predators, mostly of the flying type.
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Production Toulouse geese are distant relatives to the dewlap Toulouse but are much more common. They are probably the most popular backyard farm breed of goose. They are wonderfully docile, hardy, excellent layers, brooders, and parents. They are good foragers and do well free-ranging, but they also are content living in a yard. They reach a weight of 18-20lbs and are pretty spicy when they feel threatened, so that makes them the perfect pasture companion.
The OTHER Guard Dogs
If you thought the geese were loud, wait until you hear the Guinea Fowl. They don’t care if it’s a deadly predator or a friendly neighbor, they’ll alert you in the same way each time. Screaming and clucking. Great for knowing when someone or something is on the property. Guinea hens produce a two-syllable, “buck-wheat” sound, while guinea cocks make a one-syllable, trumpet-like call. The vocalization can be a helpful clue.
The guineas love foraging for bugs and will occasionally take out a pesky mouse, lizard, or snake. Guinea hens are great at hatching eggs, but not as good at being a momma. We gather the eggs when they have a large clutch and incubate them ourselves to prevent any deaths.

