Plymouth Rock thread!

[DMRippy]

Though not a Rock, my Delaware rooster has serviced as many as 25 hens successfully yet still has his favorites. It's not unusual for a Delaware to need more hens than the average LF rooster. However, my late Blue Orpington rooster, Suede, had as few as two hens and though he was not an overenthusiastic breeder, his sheer size necessitated saddles at one point for them because his nails just tore out feathers when he tried to balance. Generally, he did great with only 3-5 hens with no excess wear and tear on any of them, for most of his life. It just really varies by rooster. but I recall all my Rock roosters being somewhere between the two extremes.

What is that hunk in your avitar????

 

[speckledhen]

What is that hunk in your avitar????

Thanks for the compliment! That hunk is Rex, son of Isaac, my Dellie rooster, and Ida, my largest Stukel BR hen. He's named after his Uncle Rex, my only Stukel BR cockerel, who was killed by a copperhead while free ranging. Shame, since he was amazing. Rex is going to be bred back to his mother, aunts and cousin, Druscilla, to get back to the more pure BR look. Though I have three other of his half brothers (different non-Rock mothers) in that flock, Rex is next in line to the throne and it's obvious that he would be the sire of most of the chicks if I incubated now.

 

[normanack]

I was told to use the saddles from Stromberg's. I have yet to get them but supposedly those work well.

If you know how to sew, you can also make your own.

You know, I actually make my own saddles, but I don't put them on until after the hens show feather damage (they really, really hate them and can usually get them off). A pre-emptive strike sounds like a good plan for those hens I'd like to keep in good featherage. Thanks!

 

[Faith Hope]

I will be looking for some Plymouth barred rock eggs this spring to put under a broody. Anybody here in Illinois? We are about half way between St. Louis, MO and Springfield, IL.

 

[speckledhen]

Snapped two photos of Big Ida yesterday since she is well over her molt and in full weight again. She is the mother of Rex, in my avatar, who, as I mentioned previously, was sired by my Delaware rooster. Unless you see her in person, it's difficult to envision how truly wide she is. I don't call her "Big" Ida for nothing.

 

[Wynette]

Wynette, is that a Naked Neck in your avatar?

Yup.

The problem with using female chicks from eggs layed from pullets is in most cases they never achieve Standard size and with that they will lay smaller eggs and in return you get smaller chicks / smaller breeding birds.

To fix size problems in a breeders line one needs to first start with breeding adult hens as this will equal larger eggs, larger chicks & larger breeding birds to move forward with.

You know, it's so interesting, because I have had longtime breeders tell me both - some believe size is a characteristic passed by the hen, and others believe it comes from the cock bird. I've never tried to prove the theory on my farm, I simply don't take any chances either way.

Sounds like you've got a good plan, Clayton.

PLEASE tell me you have a bigger back up roo????


I have learned the HARD way NEVER have just one roo.... three is good.....

This is very true, but not everyone has a set-up to where they can keep more than one backup. I use a few 4' x 3' breeder cages for my back-up males; while that's not what I view as an ideal situation (they do not have the room to get nearly as much exercise as they would in a full-sized pen), it works for me.

 

[speckledhen]

Since a pullet is a pullet until she is a full year old, you mean you do not hatch eggs from a bird until she is a year old? I've never had any issues from hatching eggs from a good size pullet laying decent size eggs, not in size or vigor of the youngster.

 

[Wynette]

Since a pullet is a pullet until she is a full year old, you mean you do not hatch eggs from a bird until she is a year old? I've never had any issues from hatching eggs from a good size pullet laying decent size eggs, not in size or vigor of the youngster.

Hey, friend!

Many folks who are breeding for exhibition don't hatch eggs until the females are at least a year old; other do. It's just a preference.

Many of these heritage breeds are slower to mature than hatchery types, so you really do want to give them the time to mature before you truly know what they're bringing to the breeding table, so to speak.

 

[speckledhen]

Hey, friend!

Many folks who are breeding for exhibition don't hatch eggs until the females are at least a year old; other do. It's just a preference.

Many of these heritage breeds are slower to mature than hatchery types, so you really do want to give them the time to mature before you truly know what they're bringing to the breeding table, so to speak.

Hi, Wyn! I forget sometimes that the heritage stock sometimes doesn't even lay until they are almost a year old, duh! Yeah, I can see that, in those cases. I haven't hatched eggs in quite awhile. I just revved up my new Genesis to hatch some D'Anvers for someone so it may give me the fever again soon. Gawd, I hope not.

 

[Wynette]

Gawd, I hope not.

But you're so doggone GOOD at it! Miss chatting, my good friend.