The New Hampshire breed of chicken was developed in 1915 from a strain of Rhode Island Red brought into the state of New Hampshire. Poultry farmers, starting with Rhode Island Reds and performing generation after generation of selective breeding, intensified the characteristics of early maturity, rapid full feathering, and production of large brown eggs. The mature birds are a rich chestnut red, of a somewhat lighter and more even shade than the Rhode Island Reds. The chicks are also a lighter red.
