Looking for Partridge Plymouth Rock Breeders

[Egghead_Jr]

I'm in search of standard bred Partridge Rocks large fowl. In the States I can only think of Dick Horstman off the top of my head and in searching internet found nothing nor did a search here find anybody.

Looking for contacts, websites, etc. of good quality standard bred birds. Any suggestions?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I have faith I'll have something worthy to sell in that time. If my cross doesn't look like it's panning out well I'm going to go get a k or even trio from Matty in Mass. If I go that route I'll have hatching eggs spring 2020. My plan is to use my bird and cross. He's got some needed attributes and like the idea of making my own line. 2021 spring is my goal.

Of note, Normans pullets were huge! But I was able to see a K, already sold, and without holding it estimated the weight under 8 pounds. Talked to Norman about this phenomenon where one year you get many large females and smaller males then it switches the next year. He agreed, it happens and is going on with his birds too. My Silver K was over 9lbs at 24 weeks of age. He's a monster as far as Silver Pencilled go. He's got some issues and kept on fence if I was to breed him. This is a perfect project to use him on. Did I mention how happy I am? I may have been 20 minutes late to buy the last K for sale last week but after seeing one sold think I may not have purchased it anyway. Also was amazed at some sold females. People were more worried about proper points on comb than body. I'm a body man first everytime. So though I had few to choose from feel others made not so wise decisions. Time will tell.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

@Egghead_Jr Were you ever able to find any of them?

Yes, yes I did. What a journey of searching it was too. Horstman no longer carries them. I recieved names without states or states without names and so on. "Heard of a guy in California that has them" type leads. Uh huh, try and locate that flock.

I not only located an old time breeder that in recent years is getting back into "fancy birds" (what he calls them) after 15 years of doing meat birds for Tyson, I also through him found a person closer to me that has a good flock. Well, he had a good flock then a fox took all his hens. Norman Ennis (old time breeder) brought some pullets up to Northeast congress last year for Matty Martin to pick from to continue his flock in Mass. Norman is from Maryland.

After a somewhat odd and obviously testing me conversation with Norman he suggested I go to Northeast Nationals this year and he'd have some to pick from. I was there when doors opened and he'd sold most to the other exhibitioners by then. Was able to pick two pullets with excellent body type. Other issues ensue but what do you expect from a breeder that got back into "fancy birds" three years ago and when searching for his stock he'd sold off 15 years ago he only found one flock left and it's state of disrepair was saddening. It's impressive he got them to the state they are in as to the horror he was telling me about his old stock he located- two points, black legs, squirrel. Not to mention white in ears and twisted wing. He came a long way in few years.

Long story short is I have two pullets I'm going to cover with a very large and wide Silver Pencilled. From there use the yellow male to cover dam, best of two dams. In two years I'll have the start of a very good quality flock of Partridge. I'm happy. Still have Normans contact, he does not sell eggs, and found Matty Martin's contact if I need a k. Norman plans to bring birds each year to Springfield MA to sell at the show. Matty shows his Partridge there too, this was Normans first year showing again. Get there before they say the doors open at 9am Saturday or you wont have much to pick over if any.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Here are a few pics I took this morning. Not the best as they are still acclimating to going outside. Our freezing temps are far from what they are used to.

Note the white in ones ears, dark wash on legs and many other problems. For all that they are nice birds in my minds eye. It's a start.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Precision Plymouth Rocks looks great but sadly they are in Ontario. Looking for people in the United States. It's far too expensive and an ordeal crossing international borders.

Yeah, all the Plymouth Rock fancier/Club sites are non active- defunct.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I'll probably start a thread in the exhibition and breeders forum this summer to start a chronicle of journey. I will say that the color, though not my first concern when obtaining stock, is excellent! The males were mahogany and did not have that often seen white tuft at base of tail. The color and penciling of females is unreal- spot on. My personal preference is a touch lighter to really show off the lacing and dynamics in hackle. But these birds are to the mark SOP in that regard. My Silver cross will lighten them, hence the backcross of best begotten yellow k to best dam to retrieve the dark.

Norman's breeder k and what he put in show was spectacular. Tail spot on, color intense. His only flaw was pale legs. Wasn't there after judging but believe he won over Matty's bird. Females shown had proper points, wonderful type, dark wash front of legs. And if you looked close note that a few had pale legs behind the wash. Yellow legs is going to be my big push on these birds. Five points on comb goes without saying but the push is yellow legs.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

 

[Mosey2003]

But look at the width I would have chosen the same.

A friend of mine really rankled when I said I was choosing my breeders by how wide they are and then by weight, she was insistent that I choose the best barred birds. No, from the mix of size and shape I got, I'm going with body first, ma'am.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I agree, as Fred's Hens used to always say- "Build the barn first then paint it."

You know @Mosey2003 we should start up another Plymouth Rock Breeding to SOP thread. Fred's old thread is and will always be a treasure of info but there could be a need for something current. I'd bump my two threads to there and we'd have a place to talk Rocks. What do ya think?

Where'd you get your Barred stock from? If I remember Fred was from Illinois too. I'd be completely envious if you had his stock!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You know how some folks are. Think they need to make sweaters for poultry. Type that would get NPIP for false sense of security of healthy flock. Then you've got some states with crazy regulations just to sell backyard eggs- require NPIP. Stuff like that.

Then there are people missing from the list. State inspector didn't write down all the breed types or never changed it when people got into the breed. Wynette here who is great breeder of Silver Pencilled was not on any state list using this method. And as stated neither was Norman Ennis. I suspect his inspector never changed his code from meat birds and he's not done that in 4 years. So it is what it is. A means to find some potential contacts. Where one may find more contacts from cold calling folks on list. Meh, it's a start.