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Rhode Island White Chicken Breed Info + Where to Buy

Modified: Feb 28, 2023 by Phil · This post may contain affiliate links ·

The Rhode Island White is a dual-purpose bird that is surprisingly high-producing. Hens can lay 250+ eggs per year! They also have a wide, brick-like frame and produce high-quality meat.

A Rhode Island White flock on a green pasture.
Image source: Plute Family Farm

Although this breed is not the most common, it is used to produce hybrid breeds like the red-sex link chicken.

Rhode Island Whites are high producing all year round - even in the chill of winter. Hens will continue laying during the colder months as if nothing is amiss.

Jump to:
  • How to Buy Online Rhode Island White Chickens
  • Rhode Island White Chicken Breed Quick Info
  • Origins of the Rhode Island White Chicken
  • Some Things to Know About the Rhode Island White Chicken
  • How Easy is it to Keep Rhode Island White Chickens?
  • Special Care and Considerations for Rhode Island White Chickens

How to Buy Online Rhode Island White Chickens

Cackle hatchery
The Best Hatchery to order from: Read reviews here.

Rhode Island White Chicks As low as: $2.55 - Read reviews

Rhode Island White Hatching Eggs As low as: $3.84 - Read reviews

Rhode Island White Chicken Breed Quick Info

Rhode Island White Chicken Description

Rhode Island White Type/Size:Standard
Feather Color:White
Leg Type:Clean
Leg Color:Yellow
Skin Color:Yellow
Rhode Island White Ease of Raising/Keeping:Easy
Rhode Island White Special Care Needs:No
Is the Rhode Island White breed a common, rare, or protected breed of chicken?Under conservation “threatened” status

Rhode Island White Use

MeatYes
EggsYes
Dual PurposeYes
Rhode Island White Temperament:Calm, friendly
Rhode Island White Ability/Likelihood to Free Range:Yes

Rhode Island White Egg Production

Egg ColorBrown
Egg SizeLarge-Jumbo
Estimated Number of Eggs Per Year230-250
Likeliness to Brood Eggs/Raise ChicksLow

Rhode Island White Meat Production

Dressed Weight Male6 lbs.
Dressed Weight Female4 ½ lbs.

Rhode Island White Climate Tolerance

HeatGood
ColdExcellent

Rhode Island White Age to Maturity

Number of Months to Reach Full Size5 Months
Number of Months to Start Egg Laying5 Months
Number of Weeks/Months to Reach Meat Harvest Size20 Weeks

Rhode Island White Size at Maturity

Male8 ½ lbs.
Female6 ½ lbs.

Origins of the Rhode Island White Chicken

A curious Rhode Island White chicken looking into a camera.
Image source: Plute Family Farm

The Rhode Island White chicken was developed in the town of Peacedale, Rhode Island, by John Alonzo Jocoy. He crossbred Wyandottes, Leghorns, and Partridge Cochins to develop the breed in the late 19th century.

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They gained moderate popularity during the early 20th century but declined after the 1960s. They never reached the same level of fame as the Rhode Island Red, although they are just as hardy and productive.

Some Things to Know About the Rhode Island White Chicken

A Rhode Island White chicken in a backyard.
Image source: The Livestock Conservancy

This breed has a similar body shape as the Rhode Island Red chicken. They are long and wide with an upright neck and flat back. They differ, though, when it comes to their plumage. Rhode Island Whites are completely white, as their names suggest. They have red wattles, earlobes, and combs, and yellow feet and skin.

How Easy is it to Keep Rhode Island White Chickens?

An adorable Rhode Island White chicken in a backyard.
Steven Johnson from Philadelphia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Rhode Island White chicken is a great choice for both beginners and experienced chicken owners. They tend to be very friendly and enjoy interacting with people.

They are quite easy to care for and have no major health concerns. These birds do well in both warm and cold weather. They are particularly cold hardy because they were developed in a state with cold New England winters. Hens will very often lay throughout the winter.

These chickens enjoy free ranging but are also content in confinement. They are a wonderful breed for small farms and homesteads.

Special Care and Considerations for Rhode Island White Chickens

Rhode Island Whites are generally healthy and hardy chickens. They are easy to care for, and owners report that they are friendly toward people.

However, if you have chickens in your flock that are more docile and submissive than them, they can become a bit aggressive, especially around food. One way to combat this is to create two or more feeding areas to make sure everyone has access to feed.

See also  When Do Welsummers Start Laying? (Numbers/Life Expectancy)
Rhode Island White Chicken Breed Info pinterest image.

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