Plymouth Rock thread!

[Yard full o' rocks]

These girl were almost 10 months old That's a longtime.

Therein lies a major problem with some of our heritage bred birds.....slow maturing (mine as well). That is another reason I try hatching in Jan so that pullets reach POL before natural light diminishes significantly...then I can just add supplemental light to use them as breeders in Dec/Jan

Just a thought

Congrats on the first eggs!!

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

the girl i got is Im guessig around 8 months and she hasnt laid an egg for me

 

[Fred's Hens]

Scott is right. We've got to push these birds to earlier maturity in all respects. Preserving them is not enough. Breeding them continually to be awesome in type and show isn't enough. There's a tendency to continually allow the late bloomers to win the breeding lottery. I understand that completely, but if we love these birds and want to see a future for them, we've got to push harder.

 

[rancher hicks]

Therein lies a major problem with some of our heritage bred birds.....slow maturing (mine as well). That is another reason I try hatching in Jan so that pullets reach POL before natural light diminishes significantly...then I can just add supplemental light to use them as breeders in Dec/Jan

Just a thought

Congrats on the first eggs!!

Yes but they are nice birds and I like them.

Everyone who see's mind comments on them too.

 

[BGMatt]

Scott is right.  We've got to push these birds to earlier maturity in all respects.  Preserving them is not enough.  Breeding them continually to be awesome in type and show isn't enough.  There's a tendency to continually allow the late bloomers to win the breeding lottery.  I understand that completely, but if we love these birds and want to see a future for them, we've got to push harder.  

It is said there is no standing still in poultry breeding. You either progress or regress. It's very true.

Edit: The goal shouldn't even be what the birds used to be like in the old days, we have better nutrition, better understanding of genetics, we should be able to make them better then our predecessors did, but you have to want to, and be willing to cull relentlessly to improve.

 

[gjensen]

Matt/Fred, I am glad to hear that. I hear so much talk about slow maturity as if it is something that makes them authentic. That is a bunch of rubbish. No good comes from it.
I am not saying a Brahma should be quick to mature etc. There is just a point where growth rate/ maturity is reasonable and not. There should be a reasonable standard in someone's mind. Somewhere between the two extremes.

 

[DMRippy]

Well I FINALLY had a little time today so I moved some birds into breeding pens in the shop. I have a Black Rock and a Blue Rock with some silver leakage. I put my blue barred pullets with the black roo and the GSBR pullets with my blue roo. The roos came from Brookhavens flock and she got them from Stan. VERY excited to get to hatch from these guys. I have wanted SOLID Rocks for years and years!

I have 2 Black Rocks Roos from Scott too. One has some silver leakage (not too bad) and I think I have another Solid Black Roo from him too. Their legs are much darker than the roo I moved today. I may test mate them in the spring to see what happens when I cross them with the GSBR lines. They look so much like my Black Orps at this age I can't tell them apart from a distance. I need to go through the pens and put leg bands on everyone. Maybe the next heat wave I can tag everyone that needs it.

I will try to post pics in a few.

 

[DMRippy]

The roos were still very excited to have female company so they were not going to sit still. LOL

This is the Black roo with 2 Blue Barred Pullets (from my GSBR Roo)

The rest of these are the Blue Roo with 2 GSBR I hatched from Frank Reese. He is very dark but still blue.

When they calm down I will try to get better pics. One of the pullets is laying I think as I got a brown egg from the pen I took them from. They are old enough to be laying so maybe now that they inside and will have light that will make sure that happens.

 

[BMW the Awesome]

I Don't have any yet. But i am planning on getting one or two soon!!!!!

 

[cybercat]

I think the Black are so nice looking. It is sad that they are so rare. i have had a few locals here tell me they have them but i have not seen them to say if they are or not.