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Plymouth Rock

The Plymouth Rock originated in New England in the 19th Century & were created by using breeds such as Dominique, Dorkings Cochins, etc.
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General Information

Breed Purpose
Dual Purpose
Comb
Single
Broodiness
Seldom
Climate Tolerance
All Climates
Egg Productivity
High
Egg Size
Large
Egg Color
Light Brown
Breed Temperament
Friendly, Easily handled, Bears confinement well, Docile
Breed Colors/Varieties
White, Partridge, Buff, Barred, Blue, Columbian, Silver Penciled, Black. RED
Breed Size
Large Fowl
APA/ABA Class
American
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The Plymouth Rock is a very popular duel-purpose American breed, known for their excellent laying ability, general hardiness, and calm good nature which makes them a good choice for small backyard flocks and homesteaders.

Chickens called "Plymouth Rocks" were shown as early as 1849, but that flock disappeared and later strains from several different breeders combined to form the foundation of today’s Plymouth Rock breed. Mr. D.A. Upham of Worcester, MA is credited as being one of the primary influences on the breed, he first exhibited his birds at the Worcester, MA poultry exhibition in 1869. His birds are generally acknowledged to be the ancestors of the breed we know today.

A number of different breeds are reputed to have gone into the formation of the Plymouth Rock, including Dominique, Brahma, Black Java and Cochin. The breed gained a great deal of popularity quickly and the Plymouth Rock became the most popular farm chicken in the United States up until WWII.

The original color of the breed was Barred and early in the breeds history the name "Plymouth Rock" implied a barred bird. Barred varieties remain the most popular color today. As more color varieties were developed, the name Plymouth Rock became the designation for the entire breed, which can now can be found in other colors including White, Buff, Partridge, Silver Penciled, Columbian and Blue.

The Barred Plymouth Rock was one of the breeds used as the foundation for the commercial broiler industry in the united States in the 1920's and the White Rock is still often used as the female side of the Cornish Rocks or Cornish Cross type commercial broiler cross.

They are single combed, quite winter hardy, and the hens are good layers of brown eggs. They are occasionally broody and make good setters and mothers.

The Plymouth Rock breed was recognized by the APA in 1874 and is on The Livestock Conservancy's Recovering list.

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Plymouth Rock juvenile
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Plymouth rock chicks

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Plymouth Rock hen

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Plymouth Rock rooster

For more information on Plymouth Rocks and their owners' and breeders' experiences with them, see our breed discussion here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-plymouth-rock.982643/
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Latest reviews

JewelsJj
Love my Babies
Pros: Sweet and very friendly
Cons: None
I have gotten 3 Barred Rocks, they’re 9 weeks old and the sweetest, friendliest birds. All 3 will sit on my lap or arm and snuggle in for pets. We have one girl Mabel, who’s so curious and funny. When transitioning to the coop from brooder ( brooder was inside ) we’d take them to the coop in a tub for a few hours, then gather them up to bring back in. Mabel jumped on top of the tub to “supervise” until all girls were inside the tub then she’d jump into the tub herself. She’d repeat the process when going back into their brooder as well. Just love her. Love this breed. We also have Gold Lace Wyandottes and those girls are the fighters seems to be. We have 3 Black Jersey Giants and equally sweet as Barred rocks but are very shy and quiet.
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Grandma The Chicken
Pros: Really friendly and come in many colors.
I also have this breed of chicken. One of my chickens, Grandma is a brown Plymouth Rock (which can be mistaken as a Barnevelder). Unlike other Plymouth Rocks, Tony seems to be more anxious.
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Reactions: Jenbirdee and featherhead007
Addicted To Chickens
Pros: Social
Friendly
Cons: Can get picked on easily
I have some of these sweeties of my own and they are super sweet.I think they are nautrally social and loving to their humans.
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Comments

BarredRockMom
I don't know why some chickens end up strange or skittish, and I'm certainly no expert on the breed. But when we went to get our girls, the breeder suggested them or another breed (can't remember now) over a couple of other ones that she had, specifically because of their docile nature. Besides being beautiful, they have turned out to be so sweet, loving, cuddly & such great egg producers that we can't bring ourselves to try any other breed. They all have different personalities, but there's not a "bad", "weird" or "off" one in the bunch. We love our beautiful Barred Rock girls, but it's great that not everyone does or else who would be left to care for the other lovely breeds of feathered boys & girls who need loving homes?
 
La Casa de Pollo
Good point BarredRockMom lol! I have had 24 different breeds total. My Barred and White Rocks have come from several sources...I have had some hatchery birds, as well as heritage birds from private breeders, really nice ones...... and I hatched some eggs from a place online and one was deformed so I would not buy eggs again there...but all the Barred and WhiteRocks have had the same temperament as yours. They are easily in the top three for most sweet and docile easy to handle personalities. Just love them. My oldest Barred Rock Violet, used to holler at me when the others would lay an egg, no matter who laid it she would start hollering, until I came out to get them, it was kind of cute she would jump in the nest so that she could get a pat as I opened each egg door, she liked the attention alot. She died last year and I miss her so much! I think she thought she belonged in the house with us, not in the coop with those "other creatures". Haha But there are lots of sweet breeds out there for sure.
 
snusnu95
Everyone says that Plymouth's are docile but my experience with my girl is that she is skittish and weird. Maybe she is the odd one out, but first impressions do wonders and it is not a breed we are interested in getting again. While they are very good looking they are a weird breed, well at least our girl is weird. It just must be her because even the breeder is stunned that she is flighty while our British-tailed Araucana is completely non-flighty. Guess she is just the odd one out, but I prefer other breeds in comparison to this one.
 
Ronh
I do agree on the Roo's temperment, but he looks really good at least to me. He did take care of the girls and has a cool feeding call, but I really was getting rid of mine until I saw that he sired his first small clutch of chicks, but he is in a separate enclosure because he's been rough on my girls and challanges me everytime I go into the run and even started meeting me in the coop entrance which got old real quick. I may put him back with the girls once more for a short period hoping to get at least two more hens, then he'll most likely get rehomed to a friend of mine.
 
Sweetpea3829
Awww, our BR Roo is the sweetest of all of our roos! He loves to be picked up and held, and so far, he's hasn't crowed yet.
Now our Ameracauna Roo? He's MEAN!
 
Sweetpea3829
Awww, we love our two BR! We have a roo and a hen, and they are the sweetest of our flock. The rest are Ameracauna (one is a BO/Ameracauna cross).
All of my birds have pretty different personalities. Our "weird" hen is one of our Ameracauna hens. She's a runt, and if I didn't know better, I'd think she was a bantam. But she's very flighty, despite being hand-raised and fed for her first week (she had a tough time out of the shell). She's just not a very sweet bird at all.
 
4 the Birds
Rocks are good layers and gentle. Our Roo is a WIMP. First sign of danger and he runs to the coop. Our Golden Comet Roo will protect the girls and is dominant.
 
LisaFD
My Barred Plymouth Rock, Boopsie, is very shy and tends to get more pecks than she gives. She is 23 weeks old and starting to lay. She is still in the "pee wee" stage, but at least once a week she lays an enormous egg that looks wrinkled at the ends. I weighed them, and the pee wees weigh about 1.5 ounces. (My 2 year old Buff Orpingtons lay eggs that usually weigh ~2.2 ounces.) Boopsie's big eggs weigh 2.9 ounces and are so large, I can't wrap my fingers around them. At least one of them had a double yolk. I can only assume this is all part of getting the "machinery" up and running. I read that the barred rocks were THE chicken, back in the day. They are so pretty, I wouldn't mind getting another. However, reading your post has given me pause. Maybe the coop is only big enough for one? I must say, if you are looking gentle hens, the Buff Orpingtons win, hands down. They are the golden retrievers of the chicken world. My buffys follow me everywhere, and hop up on my lap for a cuddle when I sit down. Even though the Barred Rock is new to the egg game, I can see that she's going to out produce the Buff Orpingtons. Yet another reason to keep a mixed breed flock. I also have Jersey Giants and a feisty little Leghorn that's going to out produce them all.
 
song of joy
I think sometimes you just end up with a really mean bird, and this could be any breed. Perhaps the most hardy and successful breeds (like barred rocks) got that way by being a little toward the pushy side. The coop was big enough to house 6-8 hens comfortably and everyone settled down in peace after the bully was eliminated. You're right about a mixed flock. I have buff orpingtons, barred rocks, black austrolorps, rhode island reds and golden laced wyandottes.
 
ThomsonCentennialFarm
I have two White Rocks and two Partridge Rocks, all around six months old (February hatch from McMurray). One of my White Rocks is setting on 17 eggs right now. I guess it just depends on the bird! Have to see if she goes broody again in the future.
 
hezevz
I completely agree with a barred rock hen for a best chicken! Mine, Miss Marmalade, has been laying for one week now and I've received eggs from her every day. Super friendly and curious.
 
MonicaAndHer6
This is hilarious I have a barred rock now and have one one in the best. Both of them are very pushy and dominate. She likes to peck the other chickens if they get in her way. I observered her walking in the feeding area making a noise and "everyone moves over to have Lucy come over."
 
Gingerlilypad
I had a Barred Rock hen, named Henrietta, that was very tame. My flock of 40 had almost pecked her to death as a chick. I would put her on my shoulder whenever I was outside. I would tell people she was a parrot in disguise and even trained her to cluck when I said "arrggg". Sweet little lady. She was quite prolific as a layer, had the free run of the yard and had her own little pen to go to at night. She was never accepted into the flock though.
 
snusnu95
I was hard on our girl I think. She was recently euthanised due to suspected Mareks - despite her weirdness I miss her :( But I don't think I want another Plymouth Rock.
 
La Casa de Pollo
Sorry to hear about your girl...so hard to lose one. Sounds like she did have some issues though, and understand about having a strange one turn you off to a certain breed.
 
snusnu95
Some Plymouths are wonderful. There is one at my work named Matron and she is eight years old and is simply a delight. If the right Plymouth comes along I won't say no but I won't go out of my way to get another one.
 
Sunny Side
I disagree! I had a Plymouth Rock Roo and he was the sweetest of all my flock. Would eat out of my hand and follow me around. Was sweet and never had any fighting problems, even with other roos.
 

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