The Rhode Island Red is the chicken that made the raising of poultry a major industry in the United States. The breed was developed in 1854 and became famous for its delicious meat and for the outstanding quality and quantity of its eggs. Rhode Island Reds can produce 200 to 300 eggs per bird in a twelve-month laying period and begin laying as early as six months of age.

These are excellent farm birds. The adult female chicken is called a hen, the adult male is called a rooster, and the young are called poults. Roosters are larger than hens; roosters weigh about 8 1/2 pounds, hens weigh about 6 1/2 pounds. A group of chickens is called a flock.

The Rhode Island Red has red-brown feathers, a red comb and yellow skin. Hens lay brown eggs. This chicken was developed from Malaysian stock that was refined in Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the 1880's and 1890's. The ancestors of this chicken include the Malay, Shanghai, Java and Brown Leghorn. Its distinctive color and qualities helped it to spread rapidly across the country making this bird one of the most popular breeds ever.

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