Silver Pencilled Plymouth Rock

[PEI chicken]

Thank you for your kind comment. My sppr hens also have quite dusky legs but oddly the males do have more yellow in their legs. My new cockerel from Cape Breton has very yellow legs so I am hoping that he will pass this on to his offspring.

I have been able to sex the chicks by the colour of their legs! (The males' legs being more yellow), but I haven't seen this documented anywhere. Has anyone ever seen this?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Absolutely the males have yellow legs. It's like that in other varieties too. Barred being the most common variety and the dusty legs are very accurate for sexing chicks.

Looking at your profile photos I saw females with nice yellow legs. Were those mostly pullets? I have a few hens who as pullets their legs were outstanding only to gain grey dusting when hens. I've noted these as breeders so hope to one day get hens with full yellow.

You have a high amount of yellow legs from the profile photos. It looks very nice.

 

[BantyChooks]

Gorgeous birds. I wish I had pencilling like that in my Partridge Chanteclers.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

@PEI chicken Since your lines are different country I'm curious- How broody are your birds? Mine brood three times in our short warm season.

And what are you getting for weights? Geographically we are close but being different countries makes me curious how the lines are in Canada.

 

[PEI chicken]

Absolutely the males have yellow legs. It's like that in other varieties too. Barred being the most common variety and the dusty legs are very accurate for sexing chicks.

Looking at your profile photos I saw females with nice yellow legs. Were those mostly pullets? I have a few hens who as pullets their legs were outstanding only to gain grey dusting when hens. I've noted these as breeders so hope to one day get hens with full yellow.

You have a high amount of yellow legs from the profile photos. It looks very nice.

<Archived profile pic inserted above.>Sadly, most of my hens were killed by a predator a couple of years ago. I'm looking forward to building up my flock again. My current hens' legs are quite dusky, so I'm hoping the new rooster will help with this. Glad to know that I really can sex the chicks by leg colour!

 

[PEI chicken]

@PEI chicken Since your lines are different country I'm curious- How broody are your birds? Mine brood three times in our short warm season.

And what are you getting for weights? Geographically we are close but being different countries makes me curious how the lines are in Canada.

Mine have been quite broody, but sometimes they were broody when it was way too cold. Last year I was taking the eggs from my only two hens that were laying and trying to incubate them. (Most weren't fertile - but that was because I had a slow rooster.) So they didn't get a chance to collect any eggs to brood.

Sizewise they are large. For a few years I had a sppr rooster that weighed 12 pounds. The hens look large too, but I have never weighed them.

 

[aprildawn9]

I have some silver pencilled wyandottes that I'm looking to learn to double breed. I have only a pair and they do need work which i was aware of.
So im not sure where to start exactly other than just hatching as many chicks as i can.
Positive suggestions would be greatly appreciated! thanks

Silver pencilled crew

• aprildawn9
• Feb 9, 2018
• 2

Silver pencilled female

• aprildawn9
• Feb 9, 2018

Silver pencilled male

• aprildawn9
• Feb 9, 2018

 

[Egghead_Jr]

We are well into another season. How is everyone doing?

Dismal Easter hatch here. Was so early this year we had fertility issues then had a bust on letting a broody have a clutch. Not sure if I'll get any numbers out this year. Plan is to build a large Woods style coop this summer to add space. If that gets underway I'll put out a bunch of birds pre fall.

Took some weights of the seven cockerels hatched out April 1st. Happy with the largest bird. He came in at 4 lbs maybe 4 lbs 1 ounce at 11 weeks old today. Next heaviest was 3 lbs 10 ounces and the rest except a runt were right around 3.5 lbs. The sire was fast to mature and finished light, weighed him today and he's touch over 8 lbs. Last year I had a massive cockerel we let go as it's neck was goose length, probably should have kept him to emphasis on size but he was just so lanky and stretched out. Felt his type would end too far off the mark to hassle with. My goal is a bit off the standard mark as I want a line that is usable dual purpose. I'd be perfectly fine with 8.5 lbs cocks if they yield 3 lbs + carcass under 14 weeks of age.

Am liking the 4 lbs in 11 weeks though. He's a lot of white feathers and unfortunately they go right up the neck. Barring anything major he's a likely candidate for next year. Still have hopes with late summer hatching to find something better. Will be eating all other cockerels soon. Need to get some chicks on the ground this summer!

And you all?

 

[PEI chicken]

Hi all
So far I've a small hatch of 6 chicks from the new rooster and more are due this month. I'm selling a few eggs and hope to grow out some replacement pullets and some breeding trios to sell this fall.
A Woods chicken house would be wonderful! Good luck with the build Egghead Jr.
We have some cull sppr roosters from last year that will be dispatched soon. I may try skinning them instead of plucking them. They will just be made into soup, pot pies. and such.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Where did the time go? Had hopes and dreams of young cockerels on the grill for July. Time got away from me and past my 14 week old grilling cut off. Was planning on processing this Friday and in rechecking date see they will be 15 weeks this weekend. Have a fella coming by to pick them up later today so put the boys in small pen this morning to choose the next generation breeder.

Just took some weights. The same cockerel that was 4 pounds at 11 weeks is now, at two days shy of 15 weeks, 6lbs 4 oz. Not bad at all. The next in line was an ounce under or exactly 6 lbs. The rest around 5.5lbs and then that runt I didn't bother to weigh. I think given time the six pounder would outgrow my quickest to mature. He's a nice tail started but the largest birds is definitely wider. He's my keeper without a doubt. Being I prefer grilled birds to older roasted the faster maturing is what I'm after. Should still finish out over 8 lbs so better than his father. Time will tell.

If we go by 70% dress weight that means he has the potential to sire 3.75 lbs carcasses between 13 and 14 weeks of age. This F2 cockerel is close to his grand sire in size and body type. That was a bird I'm still kicking myself in the butt for letting go after one mating. Was very afraid of autosomal red leakage back then. Seems it's easy enough to correct for so in hindsight I'm an idiot. That was a big beautiful bird and had no idea how much work this variety needed on size at the time.