"What is the correct type of the Rhode Island Red as a breed?" First we need to define type. According to Webster's Dictionary type is the general form, character, or style of a particular kind or class. Simply stated it is a group of special characteristics that separate the object or objects from others. Now, using that definition, what special characteristics separate a Rhode Island Red from other breeds of chickens? In order to answer this question, we must seek out the guidelines for the exact type for our breed. This is located in the Standard of Perfection. As a side note if you do not have a "Standard," it is of utmost importance for you to obtain one. Now, back to the "Standard." We see a bird with a deep full breast, a flat back, legs that are placed in the middle two-thirds of the bird and a fully furnished tail of medium length. Now, take a piece of paper and cover up the head and tail. You should only have the body in view. The body shape reminds me of the concrete blocks that are used to build with. This rectangular block shape is one-half as deep as it is long. This is an important point to remember. The red type is based on a block shape. Its body shape should be half as deep as it is long to be a bird of great balance. Now, let's start putting the parts of the block into a balanced relationship. For a mental picture, the red will be divided into thirds. The breast and hackle make-up the first third. The middle two-thirds of the bird contains the back, bowl and wings. The legs are placed in the center of the back in this middle third of the bird. The final third of our red is the fully furnished tail of medium length. Now, putting these three thirds together, we have a red that is balanced and proportioned correctly. The "Standard" calls for this type of bird.

Now, let us examine an area that we as red breeders might not place as much emphasis on as we need to in our pursuit of red "type," that is the deep full breast. Again using the "Standard," I mark a reference point on my red. It is at the shoulder.

Bantams on top, Standards below

Using my ruler, I measure the distance from this shoulder point to the front of the bird (the breast length). Next, I measure from this same reference point (shoulder) to the bottom of the bird (the depth of the bird's breast). This is where the red achieves the deep full breast. We as breeders must be very aware of this breast area. The deep full breast can be there one generation and gone the next. In type breeding, we must emphasize this area. Do not allow yourself to forget the saying "build the barn before painting it." Which means breed for type first, then focus on color. In choosing breeders try to seek out the birds that are strongest in the breast area. Remember the Rhode Island Red is a dual purpose bird. It was developed to not only lay plenty of eggs but also provide meat. This meat comes from the deep full breast.

There is a great relationship between brick shape and egg production. The makers of the standard understood this relationship. Their livelihood depended upon a bird that would grow quickly, produce a goodly number of eggs and supply enough meat for themselves and a surplus for marketing. This is why the Rhode Island Red were known as a dual-purpose breed. The brick shape enables the Rhode Island Red to carry a well fleshed breast and a body style that is conducive to producing eggs. This body style gave the bird the ability to house the organs that are needed to produce eggs. These are the characteristics that need to be emphasized in our breeding programs. These requirements were the foundations for the Rhode Island Red "type."

In accordance with this ideal type set in your mind's eye, seek out birds in your flock that carry the red "type" characteristics mentioned above. Look for birds that carry the deep full breast, have their legs in the center two-thirds of the body, and have a fully furnished tail of medium length. As you are examining your reds, watch out for the illusion that can occur when examining the top line (the back and tail). In examining the top line,you might see excellent back length and correct tail angle, yet if we look at the underline we see a cut-away breast, legs placed forward and a tail that makes up more than the appropriate one third of the bird. Again, looking down on the bird from above you see a bird that carries good width from the shoulders through the tail. Now, a side profile reveals the rectangular shape desired. At a casual glance this is true, yet the critical eye reveals that this is not a true picture but an illusion. The tail has caused this misperception. If the tail were removed, you would see that the body would be more the shape of a box or a "V" shape instead of rectangle. A cause of this is in our pursuit of a fully furnished tail. The body length has shortened and the tail length has increased. Meanwhile, we seem to have lost the deep-well rounded breast. Many of our standard reds produced today look as if the birds ran into a wall and their feet kept going. Meaning the legs are not centered in the middle of the bird's back. The leg placement is almost under the hackle. This causes the bird to be unbalanced. I know we can recapture the correct Rhode Island Red "type." One of the most ideal of modern day reds has been produced by Mr. Dennis Myers of Wooster, Ohio. His picture of his bird in the "Poultry Press" is of a bird that in my opinion represents an example of ideal Rhode Island Red "type." This bird has a deep well-rounded breast, its legs in the middle of its back, and fully furnished tail of medium length. This is the type we need to be focused upon for our large fowl and bantams.

In closing, we must maintain our concentration upon the characteristics the "Standard" writers used to define Rhode Island Red "type."These characteristics are the deep full breast, a wide long back with legs centered in the middle of the back, and a fully furnished tail of medium length. Along with these physical characteristics be ever mindful of the Rhode Island Red as a dual-purpose breed and how that is defined. This article has been written with the intent of benefiting the best of all breeds. We must examine the "Standard" carefully and build a vivid picture in our mind's eye of what a Rhode Island Red should look and be like; then we must put forth our effort in breeding to produce birds that resemble that type. Also, much of the information in this article I owe to Mr. Gary Underwood of Stockton, Illinois. Through his patience and persistence in teaching me what red type is and how to breed for it. I am greatly indebted to him for this valuable instruction. He is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced breeders of Rhode Island Reds living today. I encourage all who desire to produce reds that conform to the "Standard" to talk with Mr. Underwood. May our Reds continue in popularity and our club in growth.

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