Barred Rocks Good Shepard Poulty Ranch

[soldier]

I thought I would post a couple of photos of my Good Shepherd Barred Rocks that I hatched out from eggs I purchased from Frank Reese. I just love these birds but they are so very slow growing and their feathers take so much time coming in. Well here in Kansas it has still been very cold. So I thought up an idea of how to keep my Barred Rock chicks warm at night without them huddling up on the floor of the coop each night. I place them on the roosts in the evening, strategically planted between each Welsummer to include rooster. The rooster had his wings draped over the chicks prior to the photo so I ran to the house to get the camera. Unfortunately the rooster brought his wings back in. The chicks are currently housed with the Wellies. All of them get along real well. So if you have cold Barred Rocks just remember your adult birds work well as brooders

 

[BGMatt]

Hey guys, I know this is the absolute wrong time of the year to be asking, but I'm teaching a group of dog breeders about chickens (with an emphatic emphasis on standard bred "heritage" fowl, which they appreciate being purebred dog fanciers) as they're getting ready for their first flocks, and one couple is particularly interested in Barred Plymouth Rocks, does anyone know who here in the Pacific Northwest has either the Good Shepard Line or comparable that has either started birds or chicks or eggs or anything? So that I can refer them?

 

[cbnovick]

Hey guys, I know this is the absolute wrong time of the year to be asking, but I'm teaching a group of dog breeders about chickens (with an emphatic emphasis on standard bred "heritage" fowl, which they appreciate being purebred dog fanciers) as they're getting ready for their first flocks, and one couple is particularly interested in Barred Plymouth Rocks, does anyone know who here in the Pacific Northwest has either the Good Shepard Line or comparable that has either started birds or chicks or eggs or anything? So that I can refer them?

Perhaps check with Dirt Farmer here on BYC for GSBR's (Ringlet strain)...in northern California...he follows plymouth rock thread but don't know if he's subscribed to this one.

Cindy

 

[Hawkeye95]

Question on sex of bird on this bottom bird. Can you tell he is a male by his comb or feather color. I hatched out 17 Good Shepherd Barred Rocks that I got from Frank. BTW, salt of the earth type of person. I have some that are lighter in feather color like the one above. Does this also mean they are males

These Good Shepherd Barred Rocks are BEAUTIFUL BIRDS.
Thanks
From SUNNY KANSAS

The chick one up from the bottom is a female. The barring changes considerably as the chicks go through their juvenile > adult molts. Generally, the barring becomes far better. In my experience, the birds with the best barring are the ones who take more time to feather out, and the feathers are generally narrower than the ones with inferior barring.

She did turn out to be female, and her barring is still blurry.

I got Barred Rock eggs from Good Shepherd in Feb and had no problems with mix ups in the chicks. All are full bloods, 17 in all. It is possible a New Hampshire or some other type rooster got in with the Barred Rocks and had his way with a few girls prior to getting kicked out. The hens will maintain that semen for a while. I would imagine that is what happened. What ever happened I am positive that Frank will ensure the problem is corrected; with birds and I am sure folks that purchased his stock. We all have mix ups in life if we have stock and have been breeding animals/birds long enough. I imagine only a few in life can state they never had some kind of mix up happen.........................

IWhen I went to pick up eggs I could have talked with Frank for hours. His knowledge is amazing. What a GREAT person.

You were lucky-- I bet that was before he moved around his birds. He told me when I went back last week that he thinks the mix up happened when he put in some new birds out of the grow-out barn into the breeding barn. I wonder if he might have had a Wellie get over the fence, too....

I thought I would post a couple of photos of my Good Shepherd Barred Rocks that I hatched out from eggs I purchased from Frank Reese. I just love these birds but they are so very slow growing and their feathers take so much time coming in. Well here in Kansas it has still been very cold. So I thought up an idea of how to keep my Barred Rock chicks warm at night without them huddling up on the floor of the coop each night. I place them on the roosts in the evening, strategically planted between each Welsummer to include rooster. The rooster had his wings draped over the chicks prior to the photo so I ran to the house to get the camera. Unfortunately the rooster brought his wings back in. The chicks are currently housed with the Wellies. All of them get along real well. So if you have cold Barred Rocks just remember your adult birds work well as brooders

SO CUTE!!!

Okay-- so I have much better news to report. I went back to Frank's farm and chatted with him. I got new birds that I am very happy with. He tried to pick out some of his best juvies for me. He didn't want to give me chicks because he was worried about them being okay, although he said that he'd figured out what had happened and he said that he was hatching pure breds now. I got a couple of young cockerels and the rest pullets. GORGEOUS!!! So... now I'm going to sell off the one little girl I had and eat the rest when they grow out from the mixed up birds I got from him. Should be good eating, I hope! Here are some pictures:

Keep in mind, he probably had hundreds of these birds in his grow out barn-- so these guys are still a little "rough" looking from some feather picking- despite the fact that they all free range on several acres of land... Even though they have lots of room to roam, they were all holed up in the barn even though the doors were wide open! But I think they're going to turn out gorgeous! None of the girls I got are laying yet-- still too young, so it'll be fun when they start! The pullet on the bottom was the largest girl I ended up getting. I think part of her tail is missing...

 

[Hawkeye95]

BTW-- Soldier... are you close to where Frank lives? I think it takes me about an hour and a half to drive up to his place. The first time I went, he gave us the grand tour, but he wasn't too busy right then. This last time I drove up, he was super busy with his turkeys! He said he had over 3,000 turkey eggs to clean and candle before setting the day before and that he had a lot going on. When I was there, there were two other customers that had driven up to buy from him too! Obviously he gets a lot of business. I love his barns-- the only other time I have seen barns like his are for the commercial poultry business where they are all caged. That one barn seems like it goes on and on for miles! LOL The other barns are insanely huge as well! But the doors are open all the time and those birds can walk outside at any time they want to... but it seems like they don't want to. I couldn't believe all the automated features there! The HUGE silos for each barn and the auger system that dispersed feed the entire lenth of the barns... to the waters doing the same thing... It could run itself for days and days! Next time I get up there, I think I want turkeys!

 

[black75betty]

So I have 2 dozen Barred Rock hatching eggs arriving from Jeremy Woeppel this week, and I know that a while back people were commenting on having a greater success in hatching them in egg cartons- leaving the eggs vertical for hatching. Has this proven true over time? Any specific hints or tips that I should know for a successful hatch? These are coming a long way- with fingers tightly crossed... I just want to be sure I do everything "right".

Thanks in advance for any tips!

 

[tigercreek]

So I have 2 dozen Barred Rock hatching eggs arriving from Jeremy Woeppel this week, and I know that a while back people were commenting on having a greater success in hatching them in egg cartons- leaving the eggs vertical for hatching. Has this proven true over time? Any specific hints or tips that I should know for a successful hatch? These are coming a long way- with fingers tightly crossed... I just want to be sure I do everything "right".

Thanks in advance for any tips!

I use egg cartons to hatch and it seems to improve the percentage. I also cut the bottoms out of the individual cups to increase the air flow which I believe helps to make more oxygen available to the hatching chick. .....stsan

 

[donnie]

looking for a barred rock cockerel , either from jeremy or frank directly , im not to happy with the barred roo i have currently , despite coming directly from jeremy i just dont like this roo ... does anyone have any extra cockerels or grown barred roo from either of them they would sale thanks

 

[Robert Blosl]

Got a phone call today from a old time Rock Breeder asking me if I would put together a article for the Plymouth Rock Quality. More less a round up of who has what colors of Plymouth Rock Large Fowl.

There are not many old time master breeders of PLymouth Rocks left that is folks that have been breeding consitiently for 15 to 30 years. A few that have hit the ten year mark and a few who have stuck with it for five years or a little more. As always many I mean many get into them but get out about as fast.

So Need your help.

Where did you get eggs or chicks this year in large fowl Plymouth Rocks?

Whites

Barreds

Silver Penciled very rare

Partridge very rare

Buff super rare

Columbian biggest come back of all thanks to Yard full of Rocks.

How many of you got some Columbians from Scott?

Tell me what is out there in your view. I will think as well in my mind who has what and maybe we can kick around more interest among the nearly 200 Plymouth Rock Fanicers Club members to get some large fowl Rocks. Bantams are the norm in this club most have the different kinds. Getting started is hard as you almost have to drive to the breeders home or meet them at a show as they don't sell eggs or chicks. Cant blame them its not easy, and most of them have jobs and don't have time to fool with this event.

Look forward to your posts then I will write the article say Friday and email it to the editor.

Horst man Urch are the big chick supplier in a few colors. Jamie Duckworth in North Carolina have lost track of him did any one get any from him in the last year?

Jeremy of course has shipped some barreds from Frank in Kansas, as well as Kathy from Mo and his new strain of white rocks.


Has anyone got any barred rocks from Kraig Shaffer line in Ohio? How about the Cris out in Calif? Marvin Sugler from Arizona with his barred rock line? Hope to hear from you on this message board and thank you.

 

[desertmarcy]

Got a phone call today from a old time Rock Breeder asking me if I would put together a article for the Plymouth Rock Quality. More less a round up of who has what colors of Plymouth Rock Large Fowl.

There are not many old time master breeders of PLymouth Rocks left that is folks that have been breeding consitiently for 15 to 30 years. A few that have hit the ten year mark and a few who have stuck with it for five years or a little more. As always many I mean many get into them but get out about as fast.

So Need your help.

Where did you get eggs or chicks this year in large fowl Plymouth Rocks?

Whites

Barreds

Silver Penciled very rare

Partridge very rare

Buff super rare

Columbian biggest come back of all thanks to Yard full of Rocks.

How many of you got some Columbians from Scott?

Tell me what is out there in your view. I will think as well in my mind who has what and maybe we can kick around more interest among the nearly 200 Plymouth Rock Fanicers Club members to get some large fowl Rocks. Bantams are the norm in this club most have the different kinds. Getting started is hard as you almost have to drive to the breeders home or meet them at a show as they don't sell eggs or chicks. Cant blame them its not easy, and most of them have jobs and don't have time to fool with this event.

Look forward to your posts then I will write the article say Friday and email it to the editor.

Horst man Urch are the big chick supplier in a few colors. Jamie Duckworth in North Carolina have lost track of him did any one get any from him in the last year?

Jeremy of course has shipped some barreds from Frank in Kansas, as well as Kathy from Mo and his new strain of white rocks.


Has anyone got any barred rocks from Kraig Shaffer line in Ohio? How about the Cris out in Calif? Marvin Sugler from Arizona with his barred rock line? Hope to hear from you on this message board and thank you.

Hi Bob, I have Barred Rocks, got chicks from Matt1616 last year. This is my first year breeding them. I held back 2 males. I have 50 chicks on the ground right now from male #1 and put male #2 in with the hens 4 days ago. Not sure how it will go raising chicks going into the heat of the summer here. These birds feather out so slowly. This might be a stupid question, but do they need those feathers to stay cool as well as stay warm? Just wondering how they will do outside, if they aren't fully feathered, when the temps. hit over 100.

I really like the buff color. Don't get me started on another breed/color. Already have too many. Would have to give something up. Maybe give up those darn Black Copper Marans that drive me nuts. I did not know the Buff Rocks are super rare.