Dautobi Acres

Northeast Texas

Grass-fed lamb Katahdin Hair Sheep

Redcap chickens Lilac heritage turkey

dautobiacres@yahoo.com

Member

Katahdin Hair Sheep International OPP Concerned Sheep Breeders Society

Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance Native Prairies Association of Texas

Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association

The Livestock Conservancy

Dautobi Acres
P.O. Box 336
Leonard, TX 75452

Redcaps are more than just a compelling preservation case. They are favored by those seeking a bird that produces well with minimal input. They are agile, active foragers and good layers. If you need a breed improvement project to consume a lifetime, this could be it !

All the photographs on our website are from Redcaps on our farm. We do not use "stock" or copied internet photos - these are actual birds that we have raised.

We do not ship chicks or chickens at this time. Farm pickup is available. Prices on shipping eggs coming soon (we are hatching our test batches first).

Zipcode is 75423 to check distance.

What remains of Redcap stock in this country is still in need of much refinement. Redcaps and Derbyshire Redcaps are almost the same bird. However, when Redcaps arrived in this country, they took a separate path than the British birds. The American Poultry Association recognized the Redcap as a breed in 1888 and created the "standard of perfection" for it. The Derbyshire Redcap's (or Coral) breed standard is defined by British Poultry Standards with the Poultry Club of Great Britian (PCGB). The APA and the PCGB standards differ for these birds in several instances - weight, color of ear(lobe) and more.

Hatching eggs - best availability is late February - May/June (varies with how soon it gets really hot) . We offer no guarantee on hatchability. $25.00 per dozen, $12.50 half dozen. Subject to availability. Shipping costs are additional and we cannot ship eggs when it is hot. Early or late in the year only.

Chicks and started birds vary in price depending on age. Straight run chicks (1 to 2 weeks of age) are $10.00 each. Juvenile, sexed chicks are $25.00 each, these juveniles will be feathered out but too young to reproduce. Adult birds are $30 to $45 each, depending on quality and are of reproductive age.

Current availability -

always subject to change

Eggs - available for pickup (with notice) after April 10th 2020

Chicks - next hatch date is April 9th 2020 -

Juvenile birds - Late May - early June

Adult birds - Trios available for $90 to $120 - October

All chicks and chickens are picked up at zipcode 75423, we only ship eggs at this time.

Egg shipping info -

Priority mail inside TX or surrounding states - OK,NM,AR,LA - $15.00 Priority mail to states two states away $17.00, three states $19.00, four states - not recommended due to low hatch rate due to time in transit. Cost of eggs is not included in shipping estimates above. We can email you an invoice to pay with credit card or check (must clear before we ship).

Shipped eggs are shaken up during transit and can be difficult to hatch due to air cells being separated. There are a few You Tube videos on hatching shipped eggs (and hatching eggs in general if you are new to it). We recommend that you educate yourself on shipped eggs before trying to hatch them. Redcap eggs are not plentiful and we are attempting to get them into the hands of conservation breeders. If the box arrives with visable damage to the outside (crushed, cut, crumpled) you can file a claim with the post office for damages. If the eggs simply do not hatch (due to rough handling, delay in shipment, extreme temperature,etc.) the post office offers no refund on postage. We do not offer refunds/replacement/guarantee on shipped eggs. The incubation and hatching are out of our control - we hatch eggs here on the farm (from the same chickens) and they typically have a 90 to 98 percent hatch rate. Eggs are not washed and are not older than one week when shipped. We highly recommend that if you choose to have eggs shipped, that you ship from the closest breeder.

Send us your zipcode to get an exact price on shipping. Shipping costs for a dozen or half-dozen examples-

Redcaps are poultry antiquities.

We enjoy our Redcaps, you may also find them beneficial, however they are not for everyone.

They are not typically the bird to select for a hug-able pet chicken. They enjoy trees and ranging about for food and dust baths. Ours come running when they see us with the "chicken bucket" - the scrap and treat can.

Redcaps do not flourish in confinement, I'm sure this is also true for lots of other breeds. They are a high energy bird that likes to stay busy.

They lay an egg that some consider smaller by today's commercial standards.

If you have trees, they love to roost in them at night (at least ours do in our native evergreen Junipers) and nap in them during the day.

Redcaps are often termed flighty. We find ours are jittery as juveniles, but they become more tame with consistent management.

More info as reported in the American Poultry Journal, July 1915, by R.P. Weidenfeller of Mineral Point Wisconsin. The article was titled "The English Red Cap". Full article here.

https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/redcap

Email us

Day old Redcap chicks hatched on our farm. Redcap chicks are hatched with pink shanks that gradually turn to slate blue after a few weeks.

Redcap chicks at about 2 weeks of age. Super lively, similar to feathered bullets, only harder to catch.

Redcap eggs and a golf ball "nest egg".

Redcaps are listed as Critical on the Conservation Priority List by the Livestock Breeds Conservancy

from their website..........

Origins: The Redcap originates from England although the precise area is unknown. It is however, closely connected with Derbyshire and is sometimes called the Derbyshire Redcap. It is not known when this breed showed up, but it is thought to be one of the older English breeds. The Redcap came to the United States in the 1800’s and was spread largely across the country by 1870.Redcap chickens were recognized by the American Poultry Association as a standard breed in 1888.

The English Red Cap
by R.P Weidenfeller, Mineral Point, Wisconsin
American Poultry Journal, July 1915

As far as is authentically known, the Red Cap breed in America is limited to such as has been imported from England where they have been known and popular with fanciers for many years. Their origin has always been in doubt; also what crossings combined to make a male with opposite markings of the female. Anyone versed in the markings of this breed knows that while the plumage of the male conforms in color markings to the pencilled breeds, that of the female conforms to that of the spangled or laced breeds. It must also be borne in mind these different plumages are produced by single mating from which come male and female of show quality, neither sex showing the slightest tendency toward the markings of the other. In nearly every other breed the combinations of penciling with lacing and spangling would be very disastrous, but in Red Caps these are combined with none but the best results. I have been unable to find in history anything that even intimates the blood used in their production. Red Caps belong to the English class. There is only one variety, the rose comb, although occasionally, as in all rose comb breeds, they will throw a single comb specimen. A great many of the American bred Red Caps are from one to two pounds under weight, whereas the English bred birds are very often over standard weight. By crossing the two I have attained the desired size without destroying any of the distinctly American points of the bird.

The Red Cap male is a handsome bird, with a large well-balanced rose comb, well flowing hackle, straight back of medium length, large, well-expanded tail, and a full well rounded breast. In color of plumage he takes no second place with any other bird. The comb, ear lobes and wattles are bright red, and the legs and toes are a leaden blue color. The plumage of the neck is bluish black, each feather edged with red, the entire hackle shading off to black at base. The back is a rich red and black, saddle feathers dark red with a bluish black stripe extending down the middle of each feather, breast rich purplish black, body and fluff black, upper part of wing a mahogany red, the lower part black, and the tail greenish black. The standard weight of the cock is seven and one-half pounds, and of the cockerel six pounds. The female is of good size, with well-balanced rose comb, a full rounded breast, a long well-shaped back, and a deep body. The tail is of good size, well expanded, giving the bird a well balanced appearance. The head and legs of the hen are the same color as those of the cock. The plumage of the breast, wings and back is a rich nut brown, each feather ending with a bluish black spangle, shaped like a half moon, and the tail is a dull bluish black. The standard weight of the hen is six pounds, and of the pullet five pounds.

Red Caps have a wide reputation as excellent layers, laying practically all the year around. The eggs are good size, ranging in color from white to a darker shade. Red Caps belong to the non-setting class, but occasionally during the warmest months one of them will go broody. They are energetic and great foragers, but bear confinement in small yards very well. I am often asked if their large combs are not easily frozen. I have always lived in Wisconsin, where our winters are very severe, and any trouble with frozen combs, in my experience, has been very rare. The hens lay practically as well in their second even third years as in their pullet year, and much larger stock is usually produced by using three year old hens as breeders. The male is in his prime height of beauty in his third year. Red Caps are also very good for eating, their bodies being large, with full meaty breasts, the flesh being a beautiful white with delicious flavor.

The baby chicks when first hatched are a light yellow in color, with two or three darker spots on the back and head. They feather quickly, signs of feathers showing in the wings and tail during the first few days.

In communities where Red Caps are not known and are exhibited at poultry shows, they always excite great interest and are in great demand. I think if more widely known the Red Cap would rank among America's most popular birds.

Transcribed by Kerby Jackson https://www.facebook.com/groups/124171928424177/

Redcaps happily spend the day on a routine that includes foraging, sunning, preening, dust baths and laying.

Redcaps have slate colored shanks. Each time they molt, feather coloring changes slightly.

Redcaps and Derbyshire Redcaps are related but not exactly the same bird. A different standard is applied to each breed. Redcaps are an American version of the Derbyshire Redcap or "Coral". The Derbyshire Redcap was thought to have been brought to the USA in the 1800's. Its path has developed separately from the birds in the United Kingdom and Australia. The American Poultry Association recognized the Redcap as a breed in 1888 and created the "standard of perfection" for it. The Derbyshire Redcap's breed standard is defined by British Poultry Standards with the Poultry Club of Great Britian (PCGB). The APA and the PCGB standards differ for these birds in several instances - weight, color of ear(lobe) and more.

Our improvement goals are to make the American version of the Redcap a reliable farm bird while moving closer to the APA breed standard. We have raised these birds since 2015. Our flock was originally a combination of chicks from Ideal Poultry in Cameron, Tx. and Murray McMurray Hatchery in Iowa. Ideal no longer sells Redcaps, but at last check, Murray does. Sand Hill Preservation in Iowa is another option for chicks. The Livestock Breeds Conservance may also have a list of breeders.

Other conservators

We will list all U.S. breeder's contact info here upon their request - None so far !

As a benefactor for these heritage chickens, we will push them forward to the best of our ability and hope others will take up the task with us. If Redcaps are not for you, research the other poultry and farm animals in need of preservation at

www.livestockconservancy.org

We are always accepting advice and anecdotal information on Redcaps. There are so few lines in the country from which to start birds and fewer and fewer folks that can endure a heritage chicken. We don't have all the answers but do offer our own experiences as a tool in your decision making process.

Feed and forage

We offer free-choice scratch grains, lay crumble and black oil sunflower seeds to our adult Redcaps. Since they free range, much time is spent scratching through hay, clipping grass and other green plants and catching insects.

Trees and predators - Our birds love the native Junipers that are close to the barns. These are evergreen natives call "Eastern Red Cedar" that are excellent trees for wild birds and our chickens. We have many other trees, but they prefer these. The chickens still have the hen house and several barns and sheds with roosts available. They love foraging under all the trees and always keep a close eye on the sky.

Pullets about 90 days of age.

Redcap pullet about 8 months of age.

all the photographs on our website are from Redcaps on our farm. We do not use "stock" internet photos - these are actual birds that we have raised.

Email us: dautobiacres@yahoo.com Facebook and You Tube

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Dautobi Acres
P.O. Box 336
Leonard, TX 75452