Plymouth Rock thread!

[Yard full o' rocks]

Cyn......I'm just back from Nashville and saw your message. Looks like Fred has pretty well answered all the questions.

Being Indy came from a Delaware and a NICE rock, I'm bettin' you'll get a fair number of "decent" Rocks in your F1s, although depending on how many you hatch, there will likely be a few "oddball sports" in the mix

I have one F2 pullet and one F2 cockerel right now that are a part of my project to get rid of the brassiness in my males. If you didn't know it, you'd swear they were 100% Columbian. The male is a bit overly dark, but would pass for the real McCoy. BUT, I am quite impressed with their type

 

[speckledhen]

I gotcha, Fred.

 

[colburg]

Since y'all are talkin about Stukel Rocks, does anyone have any experience with his Whites? I have a trio on order due to arrive late Oct. I've seen lots of talk about his BR's, but not his Whites.

Curiously,
colburg

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

To All the Plymouth Rock Breeders.

I do truly admire the progress of the Plymouth Rock breeders on this thread. As they have posted pictures and information on the progressions of the variety they breed. To see what they started with and what they have now is truly amazing. Keep up the good work!

Clayton Grace "Silver Rock"

Clayton, for those of us raising Plymouth Rocks its takes year after year to see the improvements. You're just starting out with Plymouth Rocks, but I noticed you should be in about your 4th year as a breeder of Delawares.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/181907/received-my-25-delaware-chicks-today

How are they looking? Have you seen a lot of progress in them?

Also noticed you got rid of your La Fleche (too aggressive for the kids I think)...were they good enough to give someone interested in them a good start? Do you know who has them now?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ad-pic-of-my-black-la-fleche/150#post_5879852

 

[Silver Rock]

 

[COLOR=444444]Clayton, for those of us raising Plymouth Rocks its takes year after year to see the improvements.  You're just starting out with Plymouth Rocks, but I noticed you should be in about your 4th year as a breeder of Delawares.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=444444] [/COLOR]
[COLOR=444444][COLOR=0068CF]https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/181907/received-my-25-delaware-chicks-today[/COLOR][/COLOR]
[COLOR=444444] [/COLOR]
[COLOR=444444]How are they looking?  Have you seen a lot of progress in them?[/COLOR]
[COLOR=444444] [/COLOR]
[COLOR=444444]Also noticed you got rid of your La Fleche (too aggressive for the kids I think)...were they good enough to give someone interested in them a good start?  Do you know who has them now?[/COLOR]
[COLOR=444444] [/COLOR]
[COLOR=444444]https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ad-pic-of-my-black-la-fleche/150#post_5879852[/COLOR]

As you also know they were hatchery stock and it took me not once not twice but four year's to jump onboard the breeder way of poultry. I did try out the Delaware in 2009, La Fleche in 2010, Redcaps in 2011 and I also had the White Langshan last year. I also have a Standard and as much as I liked the hatchery birds they are far from the Standard. I decided this year I would get quality birds from breeders and build up a high quality line that I could be proud of.

 

[Silver Rock]

As for my past hatchery birds well what do breeders do with culls or should I say "What breeders should do with culls". I definitely did not sale them for someone else to make the mistake of breeding them. Culls are best in chicken stew.

 

[speckledhen]

Matter of opinion. Culls make fine backyard flock birds or pets. I don't eat my culls. In fact, unless a rooster is bad tempered, he doesn't lose his head around here. It's simply a chicken and the Standard is not written on stone tablets. If a cull becomes someone's backyard flock hen or rooster and they breed from them for their own use, no skin off my nose and no harm done.

 

[Silver Rock]

Matter of opinion. Culls make fine backyard flock birds or pets. I don't eat my culls. In fact, unless a rooster is bad tempered, he doesn't lose his head around here. It's simply a chicken and the Standard is not written on stone tablets. If a cull becomes someone's backyard flock hen or rooster and they breed from them for their own use, no skin off my nose and no harm done.

That is your opinion of a cull and I respect your opinion. But my opinion of a cull is I have not the time,space or money for culls in my poultry yard. JMO

 

[speckledhen]

That is your opinion of a cull and I respect your opinion. But my opinion of a cull is I have not the time,space or money for culls in my poultry yard. JMO

Who said in my poultry yard? I said I can sell the culls from a breeding program. Plenty of folks have no idea there is any standard for chickens and just want good backyard birds. They are the ones who end up with my culls, most of which are still far superior to hatchery stock that they would otherwise be stuck with. Besides, I have a laying flock that is full of show quality birds who have aged as well as "culls" as you'd call them. I have plenty of room for good layers, plenty.

ETA: And, by the way, there are may folks on this thread with good old hatchery stock who would love to post pictures of their Plymouth Rocks. I want them to feel as welcome to do so as anyone with those "perfect" birds. I started with hatchery stock and I have a 4 yr old hatchery descended hen, a "cull", who outlays all of my younger, better quality Rock hens still. She can stay forever. Plenty of room for Fern. Since I do have chickens for eggs, if a perfect-per-Standard hen never lays, she is a cull around here. And you know what culls are called at my place? Pets. They don't live forever. And they at least give me fertilzer, which is more than I could say for a dog, so they aren't doing nothing, certainly.

I don't want to run off all the folks with their "normal" Rocks from this thread. They are welcome to be here and post as much as any with birds with "name brands".

 

[Silver Rock]

Who said in my poultry yard? I said I can sell the culls from a breeding program. Plenty of folks have no idea there is any standard for chickens and just want good backyard birds. They are the ones who end up with my culls, most of which are still far superior to hatchery stock that they would otherwise be stuck with. Besides, I have a laying flock that is full of show quality birds who have aged as well as "culls" as you'd call them. I have plenty of room for good layers, plenty.

ETA: And, by the way, there are may folks on this thread with good old hatchery stock who would love to post pictures of their Plymouth Rocks. I want them to feel as welcome to do so as anyone with those "perfect" birds. I started with hatchery stock and I have a 4 yr old hatchery descended hen, a "cull", who outlays all of my younger, better quality Rock hens still. She can stay forever. Plenty of room for Fern. Since I do have chickens for eggs, if a perfect-per-Standard hen never lays, she is a cull around here. And you know what culls are called at my place? Pets. They don't live forever. And they at least give me fertilzer, which is more than I could say for a dog, so they aren't doing nothing, certainly.

I don't want to run off all the folks with their "normal" Rocks from this thread. They are welcome to be here and post as much as any with birds with "name brands".

ok