Dautobi Acres
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
dautobiacres @ yahoo.com
Dautobi Acres
P.O. Box 336
Leonard, TX 75452
Redcap Chickens
Now accepting orders for Spring 2021 hatching eggs. Scroll down for payment link and important breed, shipping and hatching information.
Redcaps chickens are listed as "critical" by The Livestock Conservancy, a rating that is defined as "Fewer than 500 breeding birds in the United States, with five or fewer primary breeding flocks (50 birds or more), and estimated global population less than 1,000." According to the 2015 poultry census, the Redcaps numbered around 250 breeding birds.
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. They fly well and are a wary bird. They lay a tinted egg (ranges from tan to almost white). The hens are typically not the broody type. The plumage changes slightly with each molt - from darker to lighter. Egg color also tends to lighten with the age of the hen. Shanks are a blueish/slate color starting about two or three weeks of age - chicks hatch with "yellow" shanks (so don't panic).
Redcap chicks hatch with a mahogany colored down with a dark stripe. They are easily raised and are very lively. When culling this breed, one should keep in mind that the adult color pattern is not fully revealed until the second or third year.
Our Redcaps originated (2015) as hatchery stock from Ideal Poultry in Cameron Tx and Murray McMurray hatchery in Iowa. The stock from both of these hatcheries produced mostly rose comb birds but there were some single comb chicks. The birds matured to less than the APA standard weight ( a known, ongoing issue). The earlobes range from solid red to solid white and varing shades in between. The APA breed standard allows for up to 50% white earlobes but not for single combs.
Should you desire to accept "Mission Impossible" - refining the Redcap to the APA standard of perfection - cull single combs, fully white earlobes and the lightest weight birds. You can also help preserve them and just enjoy the variability that has been a part of this breed since at least 1915 (refering to J.P. Weidenfeller article - American Poultry Journal, July 1915) Complete article at bottom of page. So, 100 years since that article was written, we found that same bird as basic hatchery stock that Weidenfeller described.
All the photographs on our website are from Redcaps on our farm. Many of them have been copied and pasted all over the internet. We do not use "stock" or copied internet photos - these are birds that we have raised.
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.
The name Redcap, Coral and Derbyshire Redcap are often used by breeders in the United States in reference to "American" Redcaps. The Poultry Club of Great Britian informed me that there are no (PCGB acceptable or known) Derbyshire Redcaps in the USA - obviously what we in the States call a Redcap, did have her origins in the Derbyshire Redcap (or Coral), but after centuries of isolated breeding here, the American influenced version of the Derbyshire/Coral is unique. We think this rare and distinct version of the original Derbyshire/Coral should be preserved in its landrace form.
Redcap hatchlings - $10 each
chicks a few days old - straight run (gender unknown)
No shipping. First availability is apprx. Jan. 16 2021. A link will be here when juveniles are available, check back or ask to be notified via email.
Redcap juveniles - $25 each
Cockerals or pullets, fully feathered, well started birds.
No shipping. First availability is apprx. April 16 2021. A link will be here when juveniles are available, check back or ask to be notified via email.
Redcap hatching eggs
The Redcap pullet/young hen egg (top) and the older hen egg (bottom). This is why confusing information about Redcap egg color is out there - the pigmentation tends to lighten as they age - eggs are tinted in young birds and become almost white in older birds. You will see Redcaps listed as tinted egg layer and white egg layers. While the eggs do lighten with the hens age, they are never a "chalk white", always remaining just slightly off white. The other items to keep in mind are - the chicks do not hatch with slate shanks - it takes about two weeks for the color to appear AND the plumage changes with each molt, becoming adult plumage at three years of age.
Hatching eggs - $3.00 each, plus shipping.
Eggs are shipped with a copy of our current Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory Pullorum-Typhoid Testing Certificate. We offer no guarantee on hatchability.
Spring shipping cost for up to 12 eggs -
USPS Priority mail
TX, OK,NM,AR,LA - $17.00
AZ, CO, KS, MO, MS - $ 19.00
AL, TN, KY, IL, IA, NE, WY - $ 21.00
All Other states (no HI or AK) $23.00
Shipped eggs are shaken up during transit and can be difficult to hatch due to air cells being separated and should NOT be incubated like non-shipped eggs.
If you want the best hatch from your eggs, click here to go to our "hatching shipped eggs page" or click on the page title in the left hand column.
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 - should the eggs be broken. 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 and no insurance coverage for contents. We cannot 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 an 80 percent hatch rate. Eggs are not washed and are stored properly prior to shipping.
Please note: the option for 6 eggs is intended for breeders wanting to add a new bloodline to an exsisting flock (i.e. needing one to three more Redcaps). It would be difficult, especially with shipped eggs, to establish a flock from six eggs. That being said, it depends on the distance shipped and perfect incubation.
You may purchase eggs in advance and have them shipped at a particular time or first available. Confirm a date and availability with us first if you have a specific hatch date in mind. Reserve eggs early for best range of future dates available.
Link for hatching non-shipped eggs
You will find this photo of one of our Redcaps roosters all over the internet (the above one in particular) with a caption that this is a Derbyshire Redcap. We sell Redcaps, as there are no Derbyshire Redcaps in the US, - they are found in the United Kingdom and Australia. The Redcap is the United States version and is slightly different than the Derbyshire Redcap. The Redcap is defined by APA (American Poultry Association) and the Derbyshire Redcap is defined by PCGB (Poultry Club of Great Britian).
Donation link below for Redcap preservation -
If you can't raise Redcaps, you can help us sustain the cost of keeping them in production. Donations are used for chicken feed, hatching and housing.
https://checkout.square.site/merchant/H1YZFT7SKZTVH/checkout/NGNOZ65BFW22XFTSQPLY5TWM
A young cockeral's black breast, which differs from the hen's spangled breast plumage.
Poultry breeds on the Conservation Priority List generally conform to certain genetic and numerical parameters.
- The breed is from one of the four traditional U.S. poultry species (chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys).
- A bantam breed may be listed if there is no large fowl counterpart.
- The breed census satisfies numerical guidelines:
- Critical: Fewer than 500 breeding birds in the United States, with five or fewer primary breeding flocks (50 birds or more), and estimated global population less than 1,000.
- The foundation stock is no longer available.
The wooded area gives our chickens some protection from hawks while free-ranging.
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. Notice the slate/blue shank (leg) coloring is just starting to appear. Chicks are lively.
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
Redcaps happily spend the day on a routine that includes foraging, sunning, preening, dust baths and laying.
Redcaps have slate colored shanks, but chicks hatch with yellow shanks. Each time they molt, feather coloring changes slightly, mature plumage is the 3rd year/molt.
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 McMurray does.
Sand Hill Preservation in Iowa is another option for chicks.
The Livestock Conservancy may also have a list of breeders.
Other private 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
Pullets about 90 days of age.
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.
Dautobi Acres
P.O. Box 336
Leonard, TX 75452