Plymouth Blue Rock Rooster?

[Birdnubie]

I bought two of what I believed to be Plymouth Blue Rock pullets last April. They both turned out to be roosters. I have included a pictures of the rooster and identification card at the Tractor Supply store where I bought the chicks. I know that sometimes mistakes happen, so I am fine with these being roosters. My questions are: Are these really Plymouth Blue Rock roosters and if so, would the experts on this forum recommend breeding this rooster with a Leghorn, New Hampshire Red, or White Rock if my goal is to have good dual purpose hens? Thank you in advance!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Are these really Plymouth Blue Rock roosters

Welcome to BYC!

Man, how bad is it when they can't even get sex links right?

It makes me crazy that they call these blue Rocks.. when according to my understanding they're not PURE for rock at all.. but a sex linked hybrid.. It's THE reason I wasn't able to choose them as my breeding choice.. Blue being possibly my favorite dog/cat/chicken color and Rock being in the top 3 for chicken breed traits, specifically personality but also general usefulness.

My TSC orders from Hoover's.. do you know where your's orders from? Hoover's doesn't call theirs blue Plymouth rocks but Sapphire Gem was the closest thing I found.

My search from several other sources shows..

"Sapphire Blue Plymouth Rock Chickens (aka Blue Plymouth Rock) are the result of a cross between a native Andalusian male and Plymouth Barred Rock female."

"The Blue Rock results from crossing Barred Plymouth Rocks and Blue Andalusians leaving us with a sex-linked, production breed."

So with that information I personally would think they may not make great meat birds.. if the Andalusian part is what passes on in his genes. They should be fine for eggs.. Maybe the white rock and RIR will make decent enough offspring for the table.

For me.. I've even harvested Silkies, white face black Spanish, etc.. I'll admit the bantam Ameraucana were easier (humanely dispatched &) fed to the barn cats than the effort to put on the table and note that dual purpose to me additionally means serving my hobby and keeping birds I like not just for food. Chicks and hatching eggs (of certain breeds) can go far to cover the cost of keeping in MY area.. which without doing, raising heritage meat birds is off the hook cost wise (for anyone on a budget).. old prices cost me about $10-15 per bird PLUS all my effort incubating (even broody's are NOT set em and forget em), raising, and harvesting.. Price of feed has increased at least 30% over the past 3 years since I last calculated price. Purina Flock raiser was $19, now it's $28. Layer is cheaper but not appropriate for juveniles, roosters, broody, or molting hens. Back then it cost me 2.50/month per bird to keep.. now my cost is estimated at $4/mo/bird.. I never keep less than 2 roosters in case of illness, injury, predation, etc.. So.. at approximately $100/per year to keep 2 roosters.. I could order a whole lot of layer chicks and not deal with certain things.. Depends on your actual goals! Roosters are beautiful flock members and SOME (few) are worth their weight in gold.

I harvest most heritage birds around 16 weeks some closer to 20 or 24 depending on breed or individual growth rate. At a $1 per week (average over time).. Bielefelder put a 4# bird on the table at 16 weeks.. makes it about $4/lb bone in whole.. plus housing, brooding heat, husbandry, etc.

FWIW.. regarding that sign claiming "good winter layers".. if hatched early enough in the season all spring chicks pretty well lay through their first winter.. almost none will lay through their second winter or while they are molting which is *usually* the second fall/winter.

All that being said.. I think most his offspring will be barred but it will not be visible in the white leghorn or white Rock crosses since the bars are white. and red will breed as black and offspring will come out 50% black barred and 50% blue barred. IIRC, but I'm still novice regarding genetics and note I'm not sure how the hybrid genes will play in. The genetic learning adventure and seeing the outcomes of the crosses is definitely part of the fun for me.. for instance.. straight comb is recessive.. So all your offspring will still have straight combs until you throw a rose, walnut, or something else comb wise into the mix.

Anyways, hope this helps give some food for thought!

Happy adventures!

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Welcome to BYC!

Man, how bad is it when they can't even get sex links right?

It makes me crazy that they call these blue Rocks.. when according to my understanding they're not PURE for rock at all.. but a sex linked hybrid.. It's THE reason I wasn't able to choose them as my breeding choice.. Blue being possibly my favorite dog/cat/chicken color and Rock being in the top 3 for chicken breed traits, specifically personality but also general usefulness.

My TSC orders from Hoover's.. do you know where your's orders from? Hoover's doesn't call theirs blue Plymouth rocks but Sapphire Gem was the closest thing I found.

My search from several other sources shows..

"Sapphire Blue Plymouth Rock Chickens (aka Blue Plymouth Rock) are the result of a cross between a native Andalusian male and Plymouth Barred Rock female."

"The Blue Rock results from crossing Barred Plymouth Rocks and Blue Andalusians leaving us with a sex-linked, production breed."

So with that information I personally would think they may not make great meat birds.. if the Andalusian part is what passes on in his genes. They should be fine for eggs.. Maybe the white rock and RIR will make decent enough offspring for the table.

For me.. I've even harvested Silkies, white face black Spanish, etc.. I'll admit the bantam Ameraucana were easier (humanely dispatched &) fed to the barn cats than the effort to put on the table and note that dual purpose to me additionally means serving my hobby and keeping birds I like not just for food. Chicks and hatching eggs (of certain breeds) can go far to cover the cost of keeping in MY area.. which without doing, raising heritage meat birds is off the hook cost wise (for anyone on a budget).. old prices cost me about $10-15 per bird PLUS all my effort incubating (even broody's are NOT set em and forget em), raising, and harvesting.. Price of feed has increased at least 30% over the past 3 years since I last calculated price. Purina Flock raiser was $19, now it's $28. Layer is cheaper but not appropriate for juveniles, roosters, broody, or molting hens. Back then it cost me 2.50/month per bird to keep.. now my cost is estimated at $4/mo/bird.. I never keep less than 2 roosters in case of illness, injury, predation, etc.. So.. at approximately $100/per year to keep 2 roosters.. I could order a whole lot of layer chicks and not deal with certain things.. Depends on your actual goals! Roosters are beautiful flock members and SOME (few) are worth their weight in gold.

I harvest most heritage birds around 16 weeks some closer to 20 or 24 depending on breed or individual growth rate. At a $1 per week (average over time).. Bielefelder put a 4# bird on the table at 16 weeks.. makes it about $4/lb bone in whole.. plus housing, brooding heat, husbandry, etc.

FWIW.. regarding that sign claiming "good winter layers".. if hatched early enough in the season all spring chicks pretty well lay through their first winter.. almost none will lay through their second winter or while they are molting which is *usually* the second fall/winter.

All that being said.. I think most his offspring will be barred but it will not be visible in the white leghorn or white Rock crosses since the bars are white. and red will breed as black and offspring will come out 50% black barred and 50% blue barred. IIRC, but I'm still novice regarding genetics and note I'm not sure how the hybrid genes will play in. The genetic learning adventure and seeing the outcomes of the crosses is definitely part of the fun for me.. for instance.. straight comb is recessive.. So all your offspring will still have straight combs until you throw a rose, walnut, or something else comb wise into the mix.

Anyways, hope this helps give some food for thought!

Happy adventures!

I agree except since he's single barred 25% of offspring will be blue barred, 25% blue, 25% barred, and 25% black! White Rocks are also recessive white to my understanding which means you don't really know what color they're carrying underneath but since extended black is dominant, it should have the same outcome as bred with a red bird that I put above. Regardless, I agree that's he's the hybrid you mentioned. It irks me how hatcheries are calling a mixed breed a Blue Plymouth Rock when that is a very real variety and breed, they're just exceedingly rare!

 

[Birdnubie]

Welcome to BYC!

Man, how bad is it when they can't even get sex links right?

It makes me crazy that they call these blue Rocks.. when according to my understanding they're not PURE for rock at all.. but a sex linked hybrid.. It's THE reason I wasn't able to choose them as my breeding choice.. Blue being possibly my favorite dog/cat/chicken color and Rock being in the top 3 for chicken breed traits, specifically personality but also general usefulness.

My TSC orders from Hoover's.. do you know where your's orders from? Hoover's doesn't call theirs blue Plymouth rocks but Sapphire Gem was the closest thing I found.

My search from several other sources shows..

"Sapphire Blue Plymouth Rock Chickens (aka Blue Plymouth Rock) are the result of a cross between a native Andalusian male and Plymouth Barred Rock female."

"The Blue Rock results from crossing Barred Plymouth Rocks and Blue Andalusians leaving us with a sex-linked, production breed."

So with that information I personally would think they may not make great meat birds.. if the Andalusian part is what passes on in his genes. They should be fine for eggs.. Maybe the white rock and RIR will make decent enough offspring for the table.

For me.. I've even harvested Silkies, white face black Spanish, etc.. I'll admit the bantam Ameraucana were easier (humanely dispatched &) fed to the barn cats than the effort to put on the table and note that dual purpose to me additionally means serving my hobby and keeping birds I like not just for food. Chicks and hatching eggs (of certain breeds) can go far to cover the cost of keeping in MY area.. which without doing, raising heritage meat birds is off the hook cost wise (for anyone on a budget).. old prices cost me about $10-15 per bird PLUS all my effort incubating (even broody's are NOT set em and forget em), raising, and harvesting.. Price of feed has increased at least 30% over the past 3 years since I last calculated price. Purina Flock raiser was $19, now it's $28. Layer is cheaper but not appropriate for juveniles, roosters, broody, or molting hens. Back then it cost me 2.50/month per bird to keep.. now my cost is estimated at $4/mo/bird.. I never keep less than 2 roosters in case of illness, injury, predation, etc.. So.. at approximately $100/per year to keep 2 roosters.. I could order a whole lot of layer chicks and not deal with certain things.. Depends on your actual goals! Roosters are beautiful flock members and SOME (few) are worth their weight in gold.

I harvest most heritage birds around 16 weeks some closer to 20 or 24 depending on breed or individual growth rate. At a $1 per week (average over time).. Bielefelder put a 4# bird on the table at 16 weeks.. makes it about $4/lb bone in whole.. plus housing, brooding heat, husbandry, etc.

FWIW.. regarding that sign claiming "good winter layers".. if hatched early enough in the season all spring chicks pretty well lay through their first winter.. almost none will lay through their second winter or while they are molting which is *usually* the second fall/winter.

All that being said.. I think most his offspring will be barred but it will not be visible in the white leghorn or white Rock crosses since the bars are white. and red will breed as black and offspring will come out 50% black barred and 50% blue barred. IIRC, but I'm still novice regarding genetics and note I'm not sure how the hybrid genes will play in. The genetic learning adventure and seeing the outcomes of the crosses is definitely part of the fun for me.. for instance.. straight comb is recessive.. So all your offspring will still have straight combs until you throw a rose, walnut, or something else comb wise into the mix.

Anyways, hope this helps give some food for thought!

Happy adventures!

Wow!! Thank you so much for your insight! There is so much to learn and I appreciate the wealth of information that I find from the participants of this site. I especially find your assessment of the cost of keeping roosters vs. buying new layers interesting. I don’t really like having roosters, especially since they always try to attack me and my family. The only reason I can think to keep the alpha rooster around is that some people say the rooster mediates and keeps the peace between the hens when they start picking on each other. I don’t know if this is true.

 

[McChooky]

All my chickens are barred or carry the barred gene except for a single sl wyandotte I rescued back in the summer.I love my barred flock especially my blue sapphire gems.

 

[Birdnubie]

Thought it would be fun to follow up with the result of one of my Wellbar hens going broody. She hatched 5 chicks and I incubated the sixth egg that she abandoned after the others had hatched. The ducklings have adopted that one since momma and the other chickens peck at her. The Sapphire Blue Plymouth

rooster is the only rooster we had, so he is the father for

all six chicks. There were two eggs from Wellbar hens, one from an Easter Egger, one from a Starlight, and two from either RIR or White Rocks. There are three blue barred, one black, and two black barred.