Did you know that the Rhode Island Red you're familiar with is probably not a real Rhode Island Red? Odds are pretty good you've never laid eyes on a true Rhode Island Red as the APA standards describe. In fact, the Livestock Conservancy listed the Rhode Island Red as "Threatened" on the Conservation Priority List after the 2016 poultry census. They have since been upgraded to "Watch" and have now been moved to "Recovered".

​

In the 1940's, production egg farms decided to take a shortcut to "improve" the Rhode Island Red by crossing it with the New Hampshire Red in an effort to create a more prolific egg layer. Instead of giving these crossbreeds a distinctly different name, the hatcheries continued to market the hybrids as Rhode Island Reds. The popularity of the hatchery strain soared, and the true Rhode Island Red was nearly erased. Today's production line hybrid Rhode Island Reds have a lighter body color, smaller frames, and much different conformation. They are much less of a dual purpose bird than the Rhode Island Red that is bred to the original APA standards. The production strain Rhode Island Red males also have a reputation for nasty dispositions.