The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[uphilljill]

I have noticed that my R chicks seem to be about a week behind the others and thier barring is crisper. How do they look there?

 

[chicken pickin]

I have noticed that my R birds seem to be about a week behind the others and thier barring is crisper. How do they look there?

I agree. My R males seem just slightly behind the others, They are a slight bit smaller than my F/R males and feathering in a just a little bit slower. Their barring does seem more evenly spaced, wider barred and crisper (so far).

In the group of pics I posted of them outside I got one picture of one of the R males, he has the green leg band.

 

[uphilljill]

The 8-week olds are starting to show their potential

 

[chicken pickin]

The 8-week olds are starting to show their potential

They are looking great! Such a great size, they are filling out nicely.

Are you already taking notice to certain ones, male and female, that are showing better quality over others?

 

[uphilljill]

Yes, some are starting to stand out, but I'll let them all grow out to 16-20 weeks and then reevaluate. Do you have any favorites yet?

 

[chicken pickin]

Yes, some are starting to stand out, but I'll let them all grow out to 16-20 weeks and then reevaluate. Do you have any favorites yet?

I like them all lol. But yes so far I have a some that I am preferring and that catch my eye. Some have legs set nice and wide apart and some have heads I like better. Some seem to have nice back/tail angles but I know they are still so young so time will tell. My untrained eye doesn't quite know what to pick out at this age so I am spending time with them and watching them daily to learn the different traits they are showing.

I moved them to their outside coop today, carried them one by one, and these chicks have really good weight to them. They are growing well.

 

[uphilljill]

I weighed a few today. Males were around 2.5lbs, females around 2lbs.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Greetings fellow Rock heads,

I had taken a long hiatus from BYC this spring. Life gets in the way and my attention has been focused on some medical/health issues primarily. No worries. The long, long process is producing favorable results, although still, some things remain to be dealt with. Also, I had quite honestly grown somewhat weary of the "educator's" work and the moderator's workload here. It should not come as a surprise to anyone here, but I am not a "pet" chicken keeper and I'm not a nubie to any fad that may or may not have gained some popularity. That's all I'll say about that. There are literally hundreds and thousands of threads that address pet stuff, nube stuff, and basic husbandry. For pity sake, this thread never wished to re-hash all that tiresome stuff. This thread was intended to be different and pretty much, it has remained a rare thread that keeps it's focus.
Rocks. Rocks. That's it. Breeding Rocks. Not everything or anything else.

We prefered to use proper, adult, poultry language to discuss birds here. This section calls for it and I dislike "kiddie speak" very much. If 4H kids are expected to use cockerel, pullet, hen and cockbird, then by golly, so should we.

Personal note: Jill's posts of late have made me so proud. Proud of sharing a hobby and passion with others and helping them get a start with standard bred birds. I am incredibly proud of her and the accomplishments she is depicting here.

To be very clear, my line of Barred Rocks was never, ever intended as a "show line", although they've been shown all over the eastern 2/3 of the country, by 5 or 6 exhibitors, at MAJOR shows, and have earned RV and BV, RB and BB with consistency. In fact, whenever the birds have been entered, they've won something and haven't been shut out yet. Again, the line is predominately a female line and won't produce showy males with any consistency. It was crafted to be a utility line that was bred to the Rock standard. This was no easy task and it will remain a challenge for decades to come. The variety is my favorite, but also my most challenging, by far.

What I still do not understand about Barred Rocks exceeds what I do know about them, even after more than a half century of experience. For this variety/breed must be loved for what it is, and that love will produce frustration and angst as the challenges are legion.

It is an incredibly easy bird to screw up. You can breed them into a corner and lose vigor easier than you can say Rumplestiltskin. Split wings, crow heads, wonky combs, clumsy legged birds, rainy day backs, hatchet breasts, pinched tails, gaudy over fluffed thighs abound. There is nothing easy about breeding Barred Rocks. Throw in the insistence that they feather in 7 weeks, lay eggs at 28 weeks, lay 190-200 eggs, and remain vigorous and viable in mating and hatching and you've got your hands full to say the least.

I'll help, as best I can, anyone I can, anywhere, anytime who is serious about being a Rock breeder of standard bred farm birds. There are few things in life more rewarding and enjoyable. There's no money in any of this, so if you are motivated by the big returns I'd suggest plugging into the latest silly faddism of "imported rare birds" and all the other con games attendant to that nonsense. Rocks are anything but faddish. They're Rocks. Just good old American class birds.

 

[Beekissed]

Welcome back, Fred...sorely missed!

Quote:
Amen to that. Nothing fancy, just hard working, blue collar, red blooded chickens.

Love 'em!

 

[uphilljill]

Thanks, sir. And welcome back!