The Rhode Island Red is an American breed of domestic chicken. It is the state bird of Rhode Island. It was developed there and in Massachusetts in the late nineteenth century, by cross-breeding birds of Oriental origin such as the Malay with brown Leghorn birds from Italy.  dual-purpose meat/eggs

The RIR will lay up to 260 large eggs per year. Are a hardy breed and where some use them for meat birds many use them to breed great layers. Often a commercial layer will be bred with either a new hampshire or Rhode Island Red.