Plymouth Rock thread!

[catdaddyfro]

I am REALLY wanting some Bantam BRs. Does anyone know where I can find some hatching eggs?

http://www.horstmanspoultry.com/bantamshomepage.html

here ya go he has got lots of nice ones

Jeff

 

[hokankai]

Thanks you guys! I found someone near me who will be sending me eggs in a couple weeks

 

[LAchickenMESS]

My White Rock always wants to lay her egg inside my house. She is really funny!

Does she come in a door that was just left open, or do you have a house chicken? My BR pullets have ended up just inside the door when we have the doors open on nice days. Sometimes they stand by the back door and scratch like a dog to be let in. I have to remind my kids that we don't have "inside chickens" except when they are little puffballs in a brooder! None of my other chickens are interested in "inside".

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Does she come in a door that was just left open, or do you have a house chicken? My BR pullets have ended up just inside the door when we have the doors open on nice days. Sometimes they stand by the back door and scratch like a dog to be let in. I have to remind my kids that we don't have "inside chickens" except when they are little puffballs in a brooder! None of my other chickens are interested in "inside".

Ha ha!
I have some chicks in the house (Brooder is inside) But thats about it...

 

[Drew Dizzle]

Does she come in a door that was just left open, or do you have a house chicken?  My BR pullets have ended up just inside the door when we have the doors open on nice days.  Sometimes they stand by the back door and scratch like a dog to be let in.  I have to remind my kids that we don't have "inside chickens" except when they are little puffballs in a brooder!  None of my other chickens are interested in "inside".

We let her hen. She so stubborn, she won't lay her egg any where else, but I like her there she is soooo cute!

 

[BlazeJester]

Hi! I'm looking for plymouth rock chicks; I don't have the resources available to hatch at this time. I am looking for 25 chicks or so and am willing to work with smaller batches of chicks throughout the summer. I'm located in Clemson SC.

My goals are apparently uncommon. I am working with an organic rancher to start a poultry operation - this is a business and we are ultimately aiming for a net financial gain. I understand that we are going to have to put money out there at the outset, make mistakes and learn some lessons. Here is what we need:

• Good pasture/foraging tendency
• True dual purpose - males fill out well and females lay well
• Males at suitable table weight by 6 months
• Females good to very good layers
• Slight tendency toward broodiness/some hens will set
• "barnyard smarts" - these will be pastured birds.

I believe plymouth rocks may be a well-suited breed. I have also considered australorps, delawares and wyandottes. Any recommendations or leads would be greatly appreciated.

 

[catdaddyfro]

Hi! I'm looking for plymouth rock chicks; I don't have the resources available to hatch at this time. I am looking for 25 chicks or so and am willing to work with smaller batches of chicks throughout the summer. I'm located in Clemson SC.

My goals are apparently uncommon. I am working with an organic rancher to start a poultry operation - this is a business and we are ultimately aiming for a net financial gain. I understand that we are going to have to put money out there at the outset, make mistakes and learn some lessons. Here is what we need:

• Good pasture/foraging tendency
• True dual purpose - males fill out well and females lay well
• Males at suitable table weight by 6 months
• Females good to very good layers
• Slight tendency toward broodiness/some hens will set
• "barnyard smarts" - these will be pastured birds.

I believe plymouth rocks may be a well-suited breed. I have also considered australorps, delawares and wyandottes. Any recommendations or leads would be greatly appreciated.

Yes they(BR's) will/should suit you fine. BA's, Dels too. Wyandottes 'eh' more for eye-candy than utility to me, probly ought to look into RIRs or New Hampshires for a 4th or 5th option IMO

Jeff

 

[aoccl]

I work with Duane Urch and buy all his overflow chicks. If those are your goals I would be looking to get Australorps, Buckeyes, Dominques as my main breeds. Great balance between meat and eggs with those breeds.

 

[BlueCamas]

I have a breeding question for those experienced Bantam PR breeders out there. I breed Bantam Blue, Black, and Splash Bantam Plymouth Rocks and their main fault that I'm trying to work on breeding out is their pinched tails in the females in particular. IMO, they have OK front body type, but they are lacking the structure in the back end required for the well spread, "T-Pee" shaped tails that are desired. I have looked far and wide and have not found another breeder breeding this variety of Bantam PR and I know breeding bad tail to bad tail won't produce good tails, so I'm at a loss of what to do. The recent idea that I've to improve their tails and overall type in general is to cross them over to Bantam White Rocks. I know that white can hide a lot of other things, but I really want to preserve the Blue and Black variety and since I can't find anyone else who is I'm willing to go through a lot of hatching and culling to get any better birds out of the ones I have. Is this even a good idea? Hoping some more experienced breeders will chime in with some suggestions, thanks

I found this picture below very useful and I think most of my birds are between #2 and #3

A few pics of my breeding birds. All I've got is 1 Blue cockerel, 1 Blue pullet, and 4 Black pullets, so not much as far as numbers go. Please excuse the mud, it always seems to be raining in Oregon...

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

I have a breeding question for those experienced Bantam PR breeders out there. I breed Bantam Blue, Black, and Splash Bantam Plymouth Rocks and their main fault that I'm trying to work on breeding out is their pinched tails in the females in particular. IMO, they have OK front body type, but they are lacking the structure in the back end required for the well spread, "T-Pee" shaped tails that are desired. I have looked far and wide and have not found another breeder breeding this variety of Bantam PR and I know breeding bad tail to bad tail won't produce good tails, so I'm at a loss of what to do. The recent idea that I've to improve their tails and overall type in general is to cross them over to Bantam White Rocks. I know that white can hide a lot of other things, but I really want to preserve the Blue and Black variety and since I can't find anyone else who is I'm willing to go through a lot of hatching and culling to get any better birds out of the ones I have. Is this even a good idea? Hoping some more experienced breeders will chime in with some suggestions, thanks

I found this picture below very useful and I think most of my birds are between #2 and #3

A few pics of my breeding birds. All I've got is 1 Blue cockerel, 1 Blue pullet, and 4 Black pullets, so not much as far as numbers go. Please excuse the mud, it always seems to be raining in Oregon...

Personally, I think you will likely have 3-5 yrs of "color issues" on your hands if you go the route of crossing "whites" into your blues/blacks....who KNOWS what all is hiding under the whites.

I think of two options right off

1. Hatch a BUNCH and cull specifically for better tails or
2. Cross to a GREAT Barred Rock bantam female with a good tail (she'll only carry one copy of the barring gene which you'll be able to get rid of in a generation or two)

If it were me I think I'd try option 1 first. I raise LF Columbian Rocks and I hatched over 100 chicks each of the last 2 seasons and culled down to the "best" 2 cockerels and 6 pullets each year. It's helped me tremendously

Good luck