Silver Penciled Rock cockerels - help me choose between these 2

[PeepsInc]

I spent years breeding bantams. They are very hard to get perfect. You need to breed one pen to make perfect roosters, & another trait will give you perfect hens. You will rarely get good roosters & hens from one breeding pen. A good rooster should have a solid black chest. All my birds were double penciled.

 

[Wynette]

Thanks for the photos of your birds, Peeps! I have seen some bantams at shows with awesome penciling. I have a myriad of issues with my flock, but I'm determined to work them out to the best of my ability, and when I can no longer work with them, definitely I will find someone that is as passionate as I am about them to pass my flock onto.

I have a very, very old article somewhere at home that speak of how to breed good males and females from the same pen - what qualities to look for in parent stock. I haven't been able to find it again, but I'm still looking! I'm not to that point yet. I'll be happy to just get the size (while keeping good type) I want in the next few years, and then I'll work on color issues.

All of my males have solid black chests. Here is the cock bird who sired these juveniles:

 

[fowlman01]

Here's another opinion from a fellow Plymouth Rock breeder:

I like the purple cockerel best.
In my opinion, he:
1. Appears to have much more growing to do....seems to have a larger frame, still looks like a "gangly teenager" right now, but I think he has a lot of growing/filling out to do
2. I like his length of back
3. I prefer his tail although my Rocks are 10+ months before I can get a good read on tails
4. First bird appears to carry a "V" shape in his underline, Mr Purple isn't "perfect" but seems to carry more curve (could be the pictures)

Lastly, if Mr Purple is a bit more fiesty....can't be all bad for fertility issues. Heads to me are about a toss up. If you are looking for improved SIZE, I think #2 is your man.

I agree with this post. The both look like they have wide backs, which is not all that easy to get in these. I will always take a feisty male over a pet type male for breeding........as long as he is not feisty with me. I would love to see this bird after it is finished. It is very difficult to judge by photo's.

Walt

 

[Wynette]

Thanks very much, Walt, for weighing in. Yep, indeed it's difficult to know for sure what a bird brings to the SOP table via a picture, but it's the best that I can do at this point.

I definitely appreciate you weighing in, Walt!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I definitely see what the "experts" are describing. I wish you could keep them both so we could see how they mature!!

 

[Wynette]

I definitely see what the "experts" are describing. I wish you could keep them both so we could see how they mature!!

Yup, I do, too. I could....except that if I DO keep them both, I'd have to give up my old cock bird and I'm just not quite ready to do so.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Purple is ok. They are only five months and one week old. Still need two months to finish out to tell. My two white rock ckls flip ed on me. The younger one I think is better than his older brother. Only a two week difference in age now.

 

[fowlman01]

Purple is ok. They are only five months and one week old. Still need two months to finish out to tell. My two white rock ckls flip ed on me. The younger one I think is better than his older brother. Only a two week difference in age now.

This happens folks. The first step to culling here is that the birds are put out in the general populaion for a bit to see if they change. Every once in a while I think: "how did that bird get out ?" then and I check the ID and it is a bird that I thnought was not up to my standards, but has matured into a winner.

w.

 

[missnu01]

I think Mr. Blue is the better looking bird, the pattern of his head feathers looks better to me..but I know almost nothing...so probably not the person to listen to.

 

[Wynette]

Purple is ok. They are only five months and one week old. Still need two months to finish out to tell. My two white rock ckls flip ed on me. The younger one I think is better than his older brother. Only a two week difference in age now.

Hi, Bob - sure sounds like I really should hang onto them both for another 8 weeks, minimum. So, that's what I'll do - what the heck.

Many thanks for popping in.

I think I'll do whatever I need to do in order to keep the two, and I'll repost updated pics, then. Thanks again so very much - Bob and everyone!! Will be interesting to see how they mature out.