Rhode Island is a beautiful state that has, in the past, been the playground of millions of tourists, and it remains so even today. Towns such as Newport are sprinkled with mansions, giving the impression of celebrity and wealth. Providence, the state capital of Rhode Island, is an amazingly large city with a definite New England atmosphere. The fact that the state was built on rolling hills and at the union of two rivers makes a walk through the city feel like visiting the early years of the nation. With colonial residences throughout the city, Providence carries a certain conventional atmosphere that is only broken up by Brown University, which is an Ivy League university. Newport has historically been the hot spot of attraction for the rich living on the east coast.

Astonishingly, Rhode Island, America’s smallest state, is one of the nation’s wealthiest depositories of historical attractions, boasting one of the highest concentrations of the country’s national historic landmarks. Vacationers will notice that the attractions in Rhode Island are its large quantity of Colonial and Victorian dwellings, grand estates reminiscent of the gilded age, and public buildings. Rhode Island also has the nation’s first enclosed shopping mall, the first manufacturing plant in America, and a wonderful 17th century fishing village. In addition, Rhode Island is home to the boyhood home of one of America’s finest colonial artists as well as two houses of worship, which symbolize the roots of religious freedom in America.

The best part of Rode Island is the compact size, which makes it easy to travel from one historic site to another, as none of the historic attractions are more than an hour away from one another. Many historic locations are at a walking distance from each other. Rhode Island remains among the favorite destinations toured by all sectors of society, thanks to its wide-ranging attractions. A great number of public parks are right next to the bodies of water, so all tourists can gain access to Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

These hardy birds are the perfect choice for the home flock. They have a tendency to produce eggs no matter what conditions they live in, though of course they will excel in the proper conditions. These excellent layers can produce from 250 to 300 brown eggs per year. The only brown egg layers that can compete are some of the newer hybrid sex-linked strains that were developed from the Rhode Island Red, like New Hampshire Reds, Production Reds, and ISA Browns. The best laying breed for white eggs is the Leghorn.

Rhode Island Reds will begin laying eggs when they reach the age of five to six months. Eggs will come sporadically at first, and you may occasionally get a very large egg with two yolks. This is typical from young pullets. Once they begin to lay, they will gradually lay more regularly, until they produce one egg every 23 to 26 hours. Hens molt once or twice a year. They stop laying during this period so their energy can go to regrowing feathers temporarily. Once they are done, egg production picks right up again. Rhode Island Reds are a dual purpose breed, meaning they make a decent table bird as well. If you can find some old strains of Rhode Island Reds, you will notice they are darker colored, larger and rectangular shaped. The newer strains have been streamlined for more egg production and less meat production.

Rhode Island Red chickens do well confined to a small chicken yard, in a portable chicken tractor or free range. They are excellent foragers who are happy to dig for bugs and worms. This addition to their diet will create eggs with much higher nutrient contents and deep orange yolks. Hens allowed to forage lay eggs with more vitamin A and E, less cholesterol, less saturated fat, more beta carotene and more omega-3 fatty acids. Many cities are allowing people to keep a few hens for egg production. Rhode Island Red chickens would be perfect for these situations. It is recommended to plan for 1.5 to 2 laying hens per person for a family flock. This is a good rule to follow if you plan on eating eggs every day. Otherwise, a small group of four hens can produce 2 to 4 eggs every day except during molting. That is enough to feed most small families a meal of eggs at least every few days. A family of four could make a quiche, for example, as a meal. One quiche uses about four eggs.