Plymouth Rock thread!

[peterjarmo]

Hi all, I've got a barred rock question. I bought some pullets 5 was ago, they're now about 20wks old. Their combs have started getting bigger over the last couple weeks but they are still a pale pink color. I've got a friend with some barred rocks only 10wks old with nice big bright red combs/wattles. Is this maybe due to a slight breed variation or are my rocks missing a nutrient? I just switched them to layers mash, they'd been on hen scratch before that (just found out that doesn't have enought protein, live and learn...)

 

[Silver Rock]

My apologies, you are correct, Dick has also been in them for many years as well ("oldtimers disease" kicks in occasionally here)

I was probably more fixated on the cherylcohen birds "lineage" than SPRs in general

Edited:  Might also check with Bob Blosl here on BYC, I believe I've heard him say on multiple occasions that Wynette has the best line of SPRs he's ever seen and Bob has been breeding Rocks for MANY years....but he probably has some reasoning for his statements

Yes Wynette has some very nice SPPR. On her website she has her Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks are not hatchery stock, they came from a reputable breeder...
Do you know what breeder they came from. I would be very interested to knowing where she got her start. Some day I would like to buy some from her.

 

[Ashburnham]

Ashburnham, your Barred Rock cock is beautiful! Australia is so very far away! There must be some history that would explain how Plymouth Rocks travelled all the way to Australia. Were they imported recently? or back in the 1800's?

Hi guys

A little bit of history from the Australian Plymouth Rock website-

Plymouth Rock in Australia

Plymouth Rocks were one of the first pure breeds of fowl imported into Australia. Importations of Barred Plymouth Rocks took place during the late 1800s from the US, Canada and the UK. The colour and patterns of these birds were all very similar irrespective of the country of origin. The 1900 Agricultural Census found that Barred Rock large fowl were kept on 60% of all Australian farms, a statistic not matched by any other breed of livestock, and never surpassed to this day.
Although not as common now as in years gone by the Barred Rock remains one of the most recognised poultry breeds in Australia, most are not kept by exhibitors but, together with Rhode Island Reds, but by farmers and backyarders. They were after all the “chooks that Grand dad kept”.
Australia is a large country, and even today it will take you a week to drive from Brisbane, in the northeast, to Perth in the west. Stock was introduced into different areas, from different sources, and no comparison of strains were made until after 1900, the result of the extent of distribution and quantity, as shown by the census.
Comparisons of birds started to take place, but as there was no Australian Standard, heated debate as to which was the correct type followed for decades. The reason for this divergence was due to the breeding method used. Some followed the US method of double pen mating, and some the UK method of single pen mating. Due again to the tyranny of distance, and political differences both systems survived until comparatively recent times. The States of Tasmania, Victoria and western Australia stayed with the British system, a single pen mating of light Barred males over black hens, to produce exhibition birds of both sexes.

 

[Wynette]

Yes Wynette has some very nice SPPR. On her website she has her Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks are not hatchery stock, they came from a reputable breeder...
Do you know what breeder they came from. I would be very interested to knowing where she got her start. Some day I would like to buy some from her.

SR, I tried in vain to find out the lineage behind my SPR when I first purchased the hatching eggs some 7 years ago. The woman I purchased them from told me that she bought out a flock from a very old woman in Illinois who had apparently been breeding them for years. I begged the person I got them from to contact the old woman and find out more about them, or give me her name so that I could contact her myself, but as much as I bugged her about it, I never was able to get anywhere, unfortunately.

Bob (Blosl), a longtime (REALLY longtime) PR breeder told me many years ago that he thought they might be a line that originated in Wisconsin, but he could not recall the breeder's name. Bob also mentioned he felt that my line likely originated with bantams that were bred up in size, which to me makes sense, since size is still a probelm in my flock (but I'm working on that!).

I CAN confirm that they are not from Dick Horstman. I have had some of his birds and they are nice.

Someone asked about Partridge variety - Horstman has both, and has used the partridge with the silver pencil to increase the silver penciled size; what worries me about doing this is that I would think they would tend to become smutty (the silver penciled). That's arleady an issue with many of them, so not something I would want to do, though I can see the benefit.

 

[PEI chicken]

Hi guys A little bit of history from the Australian Plymouth Rock website-
Plymouth Rock in Australia

. . . Comparisons of birds started to take place, but as there was no Australian Standard, heated debate as to which was the correct type followed for decades. The reason for this divergence was due to the breeding method used. Some followed the US method of double pen mating, and some the UK method of single pen mating. Due again to the tyranny of distance, and political differences both systems survived until comparatively recent times. The States of Tasmania, Victoria and western Australia stayed with the British system, a single pen mating of light Barred males over black hens, to produce exhibition birds of both sexes.

A good history lesson, thank you. What does that mean when they say "black hens"? Were they completely black, or just with darker barring?

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

TRUE THAT. A mature SPR cock bird is a beauty to behold. Here is my old cock bird - he just passed away last week, I will really miss this guy:

Yes love mine also.

 

[Silver Rock]

SR, I tried in vain to find out the lineage behind my SPR when I first purchased the hatching eggs some 7 years ago.  The woman I purchased them from told me that she bought out a flock from a very old woman in Illinois who had apparently been breeding them for years.  I begged the person I got them from to contact the old woman and find out more about them, or give me her name so that I could contact her myself, but as much as I bugged her about it, I never was able to get anywhere, unfortunately.

Bob (Blosl), a longtime (REALLY longtime) PR breeder told me many years ago that he thought they might be a line that originated in Wisconsin, but he could not recall the breeder's name.  Bob also mentioned he felt that my line likely originated with bantams that were bred up in size, which to me makes sense, since size is still a probelm in my flock (but I'm working on that!).

I CAN confirm that they are not from Dick Horstman.  I have had some of his birds and they are nice.

Someone asked about Partridge variety - Horstman has both, and has used the partridge with the silver pencil to increase the silver penciled size; what worries me about doing this is that I would think they would tend to become smutty (the silver penciled).  That's arleady an issue with many of them, so not something I would want to do, though I can see the benefit.

Hi Wynette
Thank you for the information on your SPPR line. If size continues to be a problem in your line you may want to outcross to bring up their size. A outstanding Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock breeder of the past by the name of Tommy Stanley outcrossed his line with the Dark Brahma with great success. I think size is a problem with most Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock lines today. I will be keeping a record of the weight of my Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks to make sure their weight is up to the STANDARD were it should be. If size is a big problem in my line also I will do what Tommy Stanley did and outcross with the Dark Brahma to bring size up. One thing you should always remember is TYPE over COLOR. Build it first then paint it.

 

[Wynette]

Hi Wynette
Thank you for the information on your SPPR line. If size continues to be a problem in your line you may want to outcross to bring up their size. A outstanding Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock breeder of the past by the name of Tommy Stanley outcrossed his line with the Dark Brahma with great success. I think size is a problem with most Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock lines today. I will be keeping a record of the weight of my Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks to make sure their weight is up to the STANDARD were it should be. If size is a big problem in my line also I will do what Tommy Stanley did and outcross with the Dark Brahma to bring size up. One thing you should always remember is TYPE over COLOR. Build it first then paint it.

I've got some things in the works to help increase size; I considered breeding out to a Dark Brahma, but I wish to keep within the same breed. And, I simply don't want to introduce shank feathering and comb issues at this point in my flock. You will find your Horstman stock to be on the small side as well. This issue is fixable.

There are many things one can do to increase size. I have crossed a very large and excellent type Columbian Rock hen (from Scott Brazinski) to my sivler penciled cock bird, and the female offspring will be taken back to the silver penciled cock bird. I also have a friend locally with what he claims is a "ginormous" male that is from a silver penciled rock crossed to a gigantic white rock. He's giving that male to me, and I'll use him as well. So, it's a process getting these birds back to SOP, but one that I have been working on for many years - I am in this for the long haul.

 

[Silver Rock]

I've got some things in the works to help increase size; I considered breeding out to a Dark Brahma, but I wish to keep within the same breed.  And, I simply don't want to introduce shank feathering and comb issues at this point in my flock.  You will find your Horstman stock to be on the small side as well.  This issue is fixable.

There are many things one can do to increase size.  I have crossed a very large and excellent type Columbian Rock hen (from Scott Brazinski) to my sivler penciled cock bird, and the female offspring will be taken back to the silver penciled cock bird.  I also have a friend locally with what he claims is a "ginormous" male that is from a silver penciled rock crossed to a gigantic white rock.  He's giving that male to me, and I'll use him as well.  So, it's a process getting these birds back to SOP, but one that I have been working on for many years - I am in this for the long haul.

Sounds great, very happy to hear that you have made plans to getting your line to the Standard size. Yes I have read that most if not all the Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks of today are on the smaller size including my Dick Hostman line. But like you I am in it for the long haul and if breeding these takes many years to get my Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks to the Standard of Perfection is what it takes then so be it. I am looking forward to breeding this breed for years to come and some day I hope to see you in the future at one of the larger poultry shows so we can compare years of breeding notes.

 

[Silver Rock]

A few pictures of my Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock chicks at 7 weeks old.