The short answer for a Rhode Island Red in an emergency
Seven days of feed and water is the baseline store for a Rhode Island Red hen, and fourteen days is the better build for a household that could lose water, power, or road access, or that relies on a helper feeding the flock. A Rhode Island Red is a robust, deep-bodied layer bred to keep producing in ordinary backyard conditions, and she will weather a disruption well if the basics never lapse: her usual daily measure of layer feed, grit available for grinding it, and clean water she can reach at all hours. Work the store out from her real daily portion and her real daily drinking, then double-check the arithmetic against flock size, because Reds are usually kept in groups and the reserve drains at flock speed, not single-hen speed.
Feed storage for a hen who lays through a crisis
Store the Rhode Island Red's regular layer feed in a sealed, vermin-proof bin in a dry place, and resist the temptation to stock a cheaper or different feed for emergencies: a sudden change mid-crisis shows up as loose droppings, squabbling at the feeder, and a laying pause. Add grit and a shell source to the same store, since a hen confined to the run cannot forage the small stones and calcium her yard routine normally provides. Rotate the bin through everyday feeding so the emergency supply is simply the working supply, always fresh, always within date, and always the amount you think it is. Weigh a day's portion for the flock once, write it on the bin, and rebuild the reserve from that number whenever hens are added or lost.
Water storage where a Red's thirst is the real risk
A Rhode Island Red drinks steadily in mild weather and heavily in heat, and a laying hen deprived of water even briefly can take days to return to lay, so the water reserve deserves the same care as the feed bin. Store water in covered, food-safe containers kept shaded, and plan on drinkers being emptied, cleaned, and refilled daily rather than topped up, because a Red scratches bedding and feed into open water all day long. Keep a spare drinker and a spare lid in the store, since cracks tend to announce themselves at the worst moment. If your supply depends on an electric pump or a single outdoor tap, store the full reserve filled rather than assuming you can fill it when the warning arrives.
Keeping the Red's reserve checked between emergencies
A reserve quietly fails in peacetime: feed gets borrowed for the main bin and never replaced, stored water sits past its freshness, and the spare drinker is borrowed for a broody pen. Counter that drift with fixed checks tied to jobs you already do, such as the monthly coop deep-clean: open the bin and confirm the level against the written flock figure, tip and refill the water containers, and inspect the spare equipment. Replace anything the check finds short the same week, not at the next feed order. When pullets join the flock or an old hen dies, adjust the written daily figure on the bin so the reserve target follows the real flock instead of the flock you had when you built it.
Handing the flock over when you cannot be there
The reserve earns its keep when a helper feeds the Rhode Island Reds from it, so leave the routine where the helper stands: daily feed measure, grit and shell locations, drinker change times, and what to do if a drinker is found empty or a hen is off her feed. Walk the helper through one round in person if you can, because the questions that surface, about which tap fills the containers or which bin is the reserve, are exactly the ones a crisis phone call handles badly. KinsLe Care Teams assigns those flock-store checks to named helpers for the Rhode Island Red's profile, each one marked with a timestamp on completion, so you can see from away that the reserve was checked and the drinkers changed.