Plymouth Rock thread!

[Robert Blosl]

5 month old chicks from Sam a Jr. in Wisconsin.

IF I recall she told me that she got Silver Penciled Rock eggs from someone in Mo but could never locate them again. That was her first start a few years ago.

She has shared many people with eggs from her flock. If you are one of her people she helped out would love to know who you are.

Got a nice email from one of my juniors who I sent 10 started chicks to this March. I am putting together a mating system for him with two males and two females then a line breeding method. I think I am going to put together a step by step method for how to get started with White Plymouth Rocks for a junior a three year program. You who are starting out can use the same concept and maybe it will help some of you. To many people are making this getting started with H chickens to difficult. If I can help these kids win at shows they attend and breed good birds so can you. We just got to get down to the basics and keep it simple. They are only chickens and some think they are humans.

Will work on it today.

 

[Silver Rock]

Bob you are correct in that Wynette got Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock eggs from a woman in Missouri. She is a member here on BYC ugly ducky "Gloria". Gloria is the one that acquired the Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock stock from a unknown breeder out of Illinois.

I am in the process of researching all the Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock lines we have today and locating their origins to the best of my ability. So far this is what I have found. If anyone knows of any other line please add it.

Dick Horstman line origin - Charles McIntosh, Tommy Stanley, and Silver Penciled Rocks from the Superior Farms dispersal.

Danny Padgett line origin - I am in the process of acquiring this information.

PEI chickens line origin - George Nauss of Brookfiel, NS. Apparently when the Agricultural College in NS dispersed their heritage flocks, he got some of the birds.

In my opinion for me to be successful in breeding the Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks I need at least two quality lines. To move forward in this I called Danny Padgett last week and purchased one dozen hatching eggs that is due to arrive sometime next week. I definitely plan to get more eggs from Danny come next spring.

 

[Silver Rock]

I just got information on a breeder of the Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks out of Maine. Robert Murphy a master breeder that has been breeding the Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks for 35 years. I have sent him a massage asking for information on his line.Anyone looking to add quality new blood to their stock would be making a wise decision in contacting him.

 

[Silver Rock]

I ask Robert Murphy if he could give me some information on his Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock line.

This is the message I just received from Robert Murphy.

" I'm not sure, I've had them for over 20 years. I do remember getting a couple of birds in Columbus in the 80's. I know I sold several birds to Tommy Stanley and Dick Horstman over the years."

 

[Wynette]

Clayton, good on your for doing all this research; however, you never asked me directly where mine came from; I'd have been more than happy to tell you. I, too, wish I knew the exact origins of my flock, but after researching for many years, I have, in the last 4-5 years, concentrated on working to bring my flock forward. I did get hatching eggs from Gloria on here (she's a wonderful woman to work with, and I find her birds lovely). I also picked up a very nice K from a show in Ohio several years ago. The man's name was Don Soho (probably goes by "Donald" for your research info.). Also, I purchased two lovely hens from the Tommy Stanley line probably 8 years ago, which were shipped to me. Those two hens have been my "building block." I used a cock bird from Gloria's line as well as the previously mentioned K. Also, I have been in contact with a man in Michigan by the name of Dave West for some years now. He dabbles in the silver penciled, preferring the white, and this man doens't give himself enough credit, as he's quite a good breeder.

I've sought guidance through these years from longtime breeders - folks who have been successful in showing their SPR and some who have never shown one bird at all; but all of these folks are people who have been breeding for many, many years, and know the Plymouth Rock type as it should be. I will continue to seek guidance from these mentors, as I'm certainly not arrogant enough to believe that I can go this alone, or that each & ever chick I hatch will be a winner. I hold back less than 10% of my Silver Penciled Rock that I hatch; that works for me, and others should do what works for them.

I recently got an e-mail from a fellow who showed, at quite a large APA show, a young SPR pair hatched from eggs he purchased from my line, as well as a young pair he hatched from someone else. At the end of the show, the judge offered him $300 for the K from my line. He smiled and walked away.

Are they perfect? Heck no! But each generation is a bit better, I believe, and I'm certainly not in this to put other lines in a negative light, or to sell oodles of stock. If I never sell another bird or hatching eggs, I'm completely fine with that. I'll just keep doin' my thing on my small farm, to the best of my ability.

 

[aoxa]

If you have a Rhode Island Red or a Barred Rock that is mean tempered, it could just be an individual flake or quirk, but since it happens so often with hatchery stock, there's something more afoot here. It happens so often because these birds have been pushed to places never imagined by the originators of these fine, historic, American Class birds that are such a huge part of our heritage in this country. It's a shame. The Leghorn was snuck into these fine, venerable old breeds in order to cheat and win egg laying contents, way back when. Further, the push of the huge, modern hatchery with huge breeding pens and no individual selection of breeding stock than is even possible creates generation after generation of flock breeding. 100 or 200 rooster in a pen with 1000 hens. This style of mass production breeding pushed these birds into being something they never were meant to be and the most aggressive rooster wins and passes on those genetics to the next and to next generations. Forgetting for a moment that these birds barely even look like the breeds they said to be, but what about performance and temperament?

Both the hatcheries and the consumer benefit from higher and higher egg yields and lower costs, but at what cost to the type, temperament and integrity of the breed?

I'm late on this, but I think the leghorn in the hatchery blood is to blame for the flightiness.

Never had an ill tempered rock ever. Not even a cockerel.

 

[Wynette]

I'm late on this, but I think the leghorn in the hatchery blood is to blame for the flightiness.

Never had an ill tempered rock ever. Not even a cockerel.

I have to agree. The worst issue I've ever had with a PR, as far as aggressiveness, is that my SPR hens do not appreciate me lifting them up to see if they have eggs under them, and will give me a half-hearted peck if I do so. Not enough to break skin, nothing like a broody mama can do. But each & every one of my SPR hens does it.

 

[Fred's Hens]

As I've tried to say many times, the Rock is a composite bird. That composite comes apart with indiscriminate breeding. The pieces of parts of the original composite, Black Java (too dark) Cochin (way too fluffy and big cushion) Dominique, (too Dominique, save the single comb) stuff shows through. I believe those genes, while well buried, are still there and can influence and re-compose the bird if selection for Rock type isn't demanded.

You simply cannot properly breed any line of birds using the mass methods employed.

BTW, hiding whatever you want under a supposed Barred Rock is a lot easier than many people think.

 

[aoxa]

I have to agree. The worst issue I've ever had with a PR, as far as aggressiveness, is that my SPR hens do not appreciate me lifting them up to see if they have eggs under them, and will give me a half-hearted peck if I do so. Not enough to break skin, nothing like a broody mama can do. But each & every one of my SPR hens does it.

All bets are off when my Rocks are broody. Talk about screaming. For them, not me. As soon as I enter the room the roar like dinosaurs. Even when just laying, and not broody. I do crosses with regular layers (red sex links) x BRs and this trait carries right through to all of the offspring that I've kept six girls, all did it. I make my own layers. They have less issues with their reproductive system in my limited experience (compared to their RSL mothers), but their egg size, and frequency is very similar.

My older BPR girl is broody on 15 eggs. She is really serious about it too. Looking forward to seeing her with the chicks.

 

[Silver Rock]

Clayton, good on your for doing all this research; however, you never asked me directly where mine came from; I'd have been more than happy to tell you. I, too, wish I knew the exact origins of my flock, but after researching for many years, I have, in the last 4-5 years, concentrated on working to bring my flock forward. I did get hatching eggs from Gloria on here (she's a wonderful woman to work with, and I find her birds lovely). I also picked up a very nice K from a show in Ohio several years ago. The man's name was Don Soho (probably goes by "Donald" for your research info.). Also, I purchased two lovely hens from the Tommy Stanley line probably 8 years ago, which were shipped to me. Those two hens have been my "building block." I used a cock bird from Gloria's line as well as the previously mentioned K. Also, I have been in contact with a man in Michigan by the name of Dave West for some years now. He dabbles in the silver penciled, preferring the white, and this man doens't give himself enough credit, as he's quite a good breeder. I've sought guidance through these years from longtime breeders - folks who have been successful in showing their SPR and some who have never shown one bird at all; but all of these folks are people who have been breeding for many, many years, and know the Plymouth Rock type as it should be. I will continue to seek guidance from these mentors, as I'm certainly not arrogant enough to believe that I can go this alone, or that each & ever chick I hatch will be a winner. I hold back less than 10% of my Silver Penciled Rock that I hatch; that works for me, and others should do what works for them. I recently got an e-mail from a fellow who showed, at quite a large APA show, a young SPR pair hatched from eggs he purchased from my line, as well as a young pair he hatched from someone else. At the end of the show, the judge offered him $300 for the K from my line. He smiled and walked away.

Are they perfect? Heck no! But each generation is a bit better, I believe, and I'm certainly not in this to put other lines in a negative light, or to sell oodles of stock. If I never sell another bird or hatching eggs, I'm completely fine with that. I'll just keep doin' my thing on my small farm, to the best of my ability.

Wynette, thank you for all the valuable information, by far a lot more information on origin of your SPPR here than on your website. Nice to know that Tommy Stanley hens are the building blocks of your SPPR. As I think Tommy Stanley had great Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks. I will continue to search for information on the unknown breeder out of Illinois and if I find anything I will definitely send it to you. Again thanks for the information it will help me out in my research and also anyone else out there looking to add new blood into their line for genetic diversity.