Partridge rocks feathers

[Blisschick]

I forgot to mention the black laced girl is actually a bit darker red than the photo shows. For some reason, red is a hard color to capture accurately.

 

[walkswithdog]

Red is hard. Both Starbucks chest and Sparrows red coloring don't show up as well as they should when I take it but I wanted to be sure and use unaltered photos for the project so no filters and no fiddling.

 

[walkswithdog]

Woohoo, got some mature feathers coming in and I've hit a color and lacing/penciling jackpot!

I can see why Euro's might refer to it as red pencilled. I've got almost ruby and pencilled, red-gold and pencilled and gold and pencilled. The boys are also sorting out along the same lines as the hackles and saddles show themselves. I grab up and hug chickens just to check colors!

The heavier or lighter barring on the baby feathers had no real bearing on how nicely the pencilling is but seems to have some reflection on how heavily the pullets necks are colored. They did reflect how dark the overall color is, heavy black bars are yielding the deeper reds. Some of the pullets still have almost brown heads and very bronze legs.

This is FUN!

NYRED!!! Or other ROCK person... Question...

In body type at three months - I've got two decidedly broader backed and breasted, cockerals, fairly early feathering faster growing; then one the same height and length - but narrower, his tail is at about 50 degrees if I had to guess; and one wide body, shorter male who is growing, slow to feather hefty for his height, his tail set seems much less angled but it's also got fewer mature feathers..

Is it way too early to sort them down? Just grow them out? When is old enough to judge? I already sorted out the failure to thrive and mean ones. LOL.

I suppose pictures would help. Those are next.

 

[walkswithdog]

Hey I FOUND a Plymouth ROCK STANDARD - including sketches of all the feather types!!! For barreds, for silver pencilled for, partridge. It's the 1915 breed book and they've posted it at the Plymouth Rock Club site on CROHIO.COM

It's PDF and a LONG read but it's there!!!!

And wow there's a TON of information!

I'm all jazzed.

Off course with all the info, only about half of what I have proves to be decent stock but I can sort and breed up from here with all the help choosing.

 

[CountryMom]

Saw your post and thought I would go check it out and maybe print it for future use. WOW!

448 pages! Guess I will keep the link instead. That way I can look back as my coming flock gets bigger. Sigh. Can't wait!

 

[CountryMom]

VERY interesting reading. Thanks for pointing it out. I will have to take my time at this and look at my totally non showable barred rock for all her faults. She would at least get an A+ for being so sweet and a good layer! LOL

Ok, back to school. Fun over.

 

[walkswithdog]

Yeah reading the full partridge standard means some of my favorite PR's are eventually going to have to be culled or sold. Sigh, knowledge can be a sad thing, on the bright side two of my roos are sort of close and a few of the hens are actually nice.

Mature form will have to wait but I have sorted in a good direction. My Sparrow Roo has too much bay/yellow. He's gone here shortly.

That's okay, George and Tokhis are both in the right color range.

 

[CountryMom]

I was told that the parents of the chicks I have coming are amazing in color. I hope they are amazing in everything, but time will tell. I hope to start off with a foot ahead going with a more expensive breeder verses hatchery. Now I will have pictures with the Standard online to compare as we go. What wonderful information there. Reminds me of all the details we have in the ARBA Standard we use for our guinea pigs.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Three months is [IMO] a little early to cull for anything other than disqualifications or glaring defects. That said, if you really need to reduce your flock now for some reason it sounds like the first 2 you described would be the ones to keep.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
This variety is actually known as Golden Laced not Black Laced Red