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 our do in our native evergreen Junipers) and nap in them during the day.  See more info in next column.

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.

Email us at:

dautobiacres@yahoo.com

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.

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".

Full article here.

 Email -

dautobiacres@yahoo.com 

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 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.  

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.

Email -

dautobiacres@yahoo.com 

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.