Rhode_Island_Red
Rhode Island Red
American breed of domestic chicken
The Rhode Island Red is an American breed of domestic chicken. It is the state bird of Rhode Island.[2]: 70 It was developed there and in Massachusetts in the late nineteenth century, by cross-breeding birds of Oriental origin such as the Malay with brown Leghorn birds from Italy. It was a dual-purpose breed, raised both for meat and for eggs; modern strains have been 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.[1] It is a separate breed to the Rhode Island White.[2]: 70