The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[uphilljill]

Your chick might be some sort of cross. I have a few meaties that are from a BR cock over BLR Wyandotte hens. The black and splash hens had barred chicks and the blue hen had blue chicks.

 

[uphilljill]

Starting to reduce the flock. We processed 22 of 34 cockerels yesterday. All around 6 mo old. Of the 12 remaining only 3 are possible breeder birds and will stick around a few more months until I can decide. The other 9 are just fattening up a bit more before their date with the ax.

We only hatched 6 pullets this year. Only one is a potential keeper, but I have one last small batch of 8 week old chicks that the broody hatched (looks like 3 pullets and 1 cockerel.) What are the odds that they'll all be keepers?

 

[kaiwan]

Can you post pics of the keeper pullets vs the non-keeper pullets? And maybe elaborate on your selection process for the pullets...Thanks!

 

[uphilljill]

I'm still new to culling, so maybe some other will chime in here, but here are some pics of the 4-5 mo old pullets:

#1 culling due to slab chest, bad wings, narrow body, pinched tail. #2 culling due to slab chest, bad wing, cushion at tail. The wing and chest *may* fill in a bit with age, but other issues won't.

Keeper: Just wider throughout body & tail, rounder in chest, better wing.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I affirm your choices, Jill.

Two things. Open your Standard and study the first 40 pages until these images of faults and strengths are fixed in your mind. I re-read those 40 pages and look again at those drawings and examples at least twice a year, but always during culling season.

Then, go again to the Plymouth Rock section and read again the standard for the breed. Read and re-read about the ideal or perfect Plymouth Rock (although we know no perfect Rock has ever lived) and cull accordingly.

This is breeding to the Standard at it's essence.

 

[peachdawg78]

I have a breeding group of good but not exceptional Shaffer line Large Fowl Barred Plymouth Rocks. I have 4 pullets and 2 nice cockerels I culled down from 30 I raised this year. I would like to find someone to continue working with this line. I am located near Pensacola Florida. For the right breeder I'd make a good deal to assure that these birds get in the hands of someone who will appreciate them.

 

[aoxa]

When people ask the difference between breeder and hatchery, I made this image to demonstrate. While hatchery birds have their merits, they look like an entirely different breed of chicken.

Thought I'd share.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Hope you all had an enjoyable summer, growing out your Plymouth Rocks. Fall is a fun time of year for a Rock breeder. As the birds mature, we get serious about culling down to our "keepers" before the winds of winter come upon us. It is common for a dedicated Rock breeder to put 100 chicks on the ground but few of those birds will still be around come Thanksgiving or Christmas, and they should not be.

Getting down to the 6-10 females (depending on your breeding goals and needs) and culling down to those last 2 or 3 keeper cockerels means birds get sold off or eaten this time of year. This is as it should be.

On the keeper pullets, I keep a few more around through fall. Why? Because they aren't all in lay yet. I want to note their egg laying and judge the age of beginning, the quality of egg and the quantity of eggs.

I have several strains of White Rocks that I am evaluating. Far too soon to make sweeping judgements. None are yet in lay and some haven't moulted through to the final juvenile feathering.

I sure want to thank Ken Weaver for helping in securing these birds. It has been a fun and encouraging process working with Ken.

 

[Fentress]

Mine are almost 20 weeks and starting to come out of that awkard age.They are so much bigger than the hatchery stock. Their shanks, especially the K's, look like steel girders compared to the round spinly shanks on the hatchery birds.

 

[aoxa]

Hope you all had an enjoyable summer, growing out your Plymouth Rocks. Fall is a fun time of year for a Rock breeder. As the birds mature, we get serious about culling down to our "keepers" before the winds of winter come upon us. It is common for a dedicated Rock breeder to put 100 chicks on the ground but few of those birds will still be around come Thanksgiving or Christmas, and they should not be.

Getting down to the 6-10 females (depending on your breeding goals and needs) and culling down to those last 2 or 3 keeper cockerels means birds get sold off or eaten this time of year. This is as it should be.

On the keeper pullets, I keep a few more around through fall. Why? Because they aren't all in lay yet. I want to note their egg laying and judge the age of beginning, the quality of egg and the quantity of eggs.

I have several strains of White Rocks that I am evaluating. Far too soon to make sweeping judgements. None are yet in lay and some haven't moulted through to the final juvenile feathering.

I sure want to thank Ken Weaver for helping in securing these birds. It has been a fun and encouraging process working with Ken.

You are going to be mad when I tell you I didn't keep any to myself this year until very late. I got rid of half my last years breeders and only kept the best.

As for cockerels.. I have a lot. Too many. Thankfully they sexually mature later than other breeds I raise, so they don't become an issue before they are ready to be processed.

I have lots of very young chicks/pullets. Way too early to judge. Seeing what people have they bought as eggs/chicks is very heartwarming. Some are turning into really beautiful birds. Kicking myself for not keeping more to myself. I have a hard time saying no.