Rhode Island White
Dual purpose · United States · 🌱 Beginner friendly
Despite the name, the Rhode Island White is a distinct breed rather than a pale version of the Red, built from Partridge Cochins, White Wyandottes, and White Leghorns starting in 1888. It offers Red-level production with a noticeably mellower personality, and it's now far rarer than its famous cousin.
Eggs per year
200–250
Egg color
Brown
Egg size
Large
Hen weight
6–7 lbs
Temperament
Calm and docile
Broodiness
Sometimes broody
Did you know?
Rhode Island Whites crossed with Rhode Island Reds produce red sex-linked chicks, which made the breed quietly important to the hybrid layer industry.
Is the Rhode Island White right for your flock?
Expect roughly 200–250 brown eggs a year from a healthy hen in her prime — production dips during molt and the short days of winter, and eases off as she ages. Planning space? A Rhode Island White hen runs 6–7 lbs, so size the coop with our coop size calculator and estimate the feed bill with the feed cost calculator.
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Keeping Rhode Island Whites?
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