Rhode Island Red

Looks how to spot one

Close, glossy soft feathering

A long, rectangular, brick-shaped bird with a flat back. The plumage is a deep, rich red that can run almost to black-red, with black in the main tail and wing feathers. The comb is either single (usually five to seven points) or rose, and it has reddish-bay eyes, yellow legs and feet, and yellow skin. Hens lay brown eggs.145

Personality what they are like

Busy, inquisitive and self-assured. Hens are generally calm and get on with foraging without needing much attention from people. Cockerels can be quite assertive, so a hen-only flock is the easiest option for families.524

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Active and a keen forager; happiest with daily access to a run or garden space where it can scratch, explore and dust bathe.72

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Chickens keep their own plumage in order by preening and dust bathing, so provide a dry dust-bath area and clean, dry bedding. Check the flock daily and collect eggs often, as hens can start laying at about 5 to 6 months. The red plumage tends to fade after long periods in strong sun.754

Home where they are happiest

A secure, draught-free but well-ventilated coop with a roomy outdoor run. The RSPCA suggests around 1 m² of indoor space per bird where possible (no more than three birds per m² if space is tight); veterinary husbandry guidance gives 0.37 m² per large bird as an absolute minimum, and Oregon State University advises about 0.28 m² (3 sq ft) per bird when there is a run, or 0.75 to 0.9 m² (8 to 10 sq ft) without outdoor access. Allow 15 cm of perch per bird at minimum, with large breeds more comfortable at 23 to 25 cm, and roughly one nest box (about 30 x 30 x 30 cm) for every four hens. A comfortable coop range is about 10 to 24 °C, kept as dry as possible, and the run should include a patch of dry soil for dust bathing.768

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Complete commercial feed is the base: chick starter to about 10 weeks, a lower-calcium grower (pullet) ration until laying begins at roughly 20 to 24 weeks, then a layer ration. An adult typically eats about 120 g of layers pellets a day, rising to around 180 g in winter. Offer insoluble grit for digestion and oyster shell as an extra calcium source for laying hens, plus constant clean water set at about shoulder height. In the UK, feeding kitchen scraps to poultry is not permitted.76

Company who they like around

Chickens are flock birds that forage, roost and dust bathe together, so keep at least three hens that get along.7

The story where it all began

The Rhode Island Red grew out of the poultry farms of Little Compton and nearby south-eastern Massachusetts in the second half of the 1800s. Local farmers crossed Asian-type fowls, including Malay, Shanghai and Java birds, with Brown Leghorns, aiming for a hen that laid well yet also made a good table bird. The Malay contributed the deep red colour and sturdy build, while red Javas, already present in the area by 1860, are thought to have brought the rose comb. Before the name stuck, the birds were known after local breeders as Tripp fowls or John Macomber fowls, and William Tripp's farm is regarded as a birthplace of the breed. The name Rhode Island Red is credited either to Isaac Champlin Wilbour of Little Compton or to a Mr. Jenny of the Southern Massachusetts Poultry Association around 1879 to 1880, and the birds were first shown under that name in 1880. A standard was drawn up in 1898 and approved by the Rhode Island Red Club of America in 1901. The single comb entered the APA Standard in 1904 and the rose comb shortly after. The breed spread quickly abroad, with a British club formed in 1909. A monument to the breed went up in Adamsville in 1925, a centennial plaque was placed at the Tripp farm site in 1954, and the same year Rhode Island made the Red its state bird. Commercial selection later produced lighter, paler laying strains, while the heritage type is now tracked by The Livestock Conservancy, which moved it off its priority list in 2023.1324910

Recognised by the official bits

American Poultry Association (Standard of Perfection)

Single-comb variety admitted in 1904; rose-comb variety in 1906 according to Wikipedia, Oklahoma State University and the Poultry Club, or 1905 according to The Livestock Conservancy.1

The Poultry Club of Great Britain

Standardised breed, classed as a soft feather heavy breed; the British Rhode Island Red Club was formed in August 1909.3

The Livestock Conservancy

Heritage (old-type) Rhode Island Reds graduated from the Conservation Priority List in 2023.2

State of Rhode Island

Official state bird since 3 May 1954 (R.I. Gen. Laws 42-4-5).10