Tell Me about Your White Plymouth Rocks

[CluckyJay]

How quickly do yours grow?

A general slaughter time would be between nine and sixteen weeks of age?

How well do yours forage?

Are they pretty good on feed? Eat a lot or moderately?


What would a good quality hen look like? If you have pictures I would really like to see them!


Good mommas? Go broody?



Anything else you can add about this breed I would really appreciate.




Thank you very much!

 

[CoopedChik]

I have 2. I was planning to slaughter them but thier where too friendly so I've had those two things for a year a near. The hens sometimes look a little like the roosters I find it hard to tell the difference because they aren't really meant to live past 6 months so they don't always develop right. Any way they don't make good mothers at all and they have a tendency to eat their own eggs a lot that is if they even lay any. They never stop eating actually I refer to my 2 as the feathered garbage cans because they will eat anything. A good slaughtering age I found was about 3 months on the roosters around 4 or 5 months for the hens. And the picture I have posted is of my hen.

These birds are broilers and where bred only for meat I ended up keeping 2 as pets because I became attached to them. Yet I can have them in with the other standard chickens just because they eat too much the bird is almost designed to only eat no other real purpose to life. And if you do keep them for breeding watch their weight they can easily die of obesity after their 6 monthes. When mine hit 8 moths he couldn't walk he was too fat to stand so I had to diet him and ever since I've been watching how much they eat. Also for breeding your best bet would be to use an incubator. Becuase if you did get a hen to hatch out a nest full the other hens will try to eat the chicks (I went through that it was disturbing) And these are extremely clumsy birds theirs a good chance the mother could crush them.

My bad that is the rooster then hens crown is just a little bit smaller.

 

[CluckyJay]

I think you're talking about that other kind? The Cornish cross or whatever they're called?

 

[CoopedChik]

No those are plymouths rocks I got from tractor supply doesn't mean their decent quality but theres my experience with them. Hopefully some one can give you a better reply with better quality birds.

 

[CluckyJay]

I'm trying to figure out why they are only supposed to live for around six months? Maybe its heritage vs. hatchery? I am not sure if I have hatchery or heritage. My son got them for me from his grandfather in law.

Probably hatchery.

Slaughtering them isn't a problem. I am only planning on keeping a few hens to lay eggs and make babies. I am gonna send their offspring to freezer camp.

Yours looks different than mine, maybe because he is a rooster?

 

[CoopedChik]

I think it is. They are bred to be meat birds their metabolism isn't as well as other birds, but I think you find them for breeding use only you can probably find ones that will easily just blend in with your flock. Just watch out for what your getting or else you'll end up with those over grown birds like I have. Also mines very very very VERY bad breed quality, nothing I'm proud of owning. But I have compared him to some one else's rooster to make sure he is the same breed. He is but he's ugly is all...

 

[CluckyJay]

Here is one of the hens I got. All of these and the dommies were given to me. I think he ordered both breeds from a hatchery--not sure though. I need to ask my son and see what he can find out.

 

[CoopedChik]

Quote:
Yeah that looks like my birds, alot actually, lol mine look bad becuase they are missing feathers and everything. But yeah she looks like my girl. I will say this although I have desire to keep mine for breeding just pets they are some funny and goofy birds to have on the barn yard.

 

[StarLover21]

Hang on- I know White Plymoths Rocks can be meat birds- but the bird your describing, Cooped Chik, sounds more like Cornish X. From white I've heard, White Plymoth Rocks are good layers and freindly- definitally meant to live past six weeks!

 

[StarLover21]

Here's what it says off a hatchery-

White Plymouth Rocks or "White Rocks", as they're called, are a popular dual-purpose breed. Their heritage is unclear with reports of different crosses, but what is clear is that they're very friendly, great layers of large brown eggs and able to withstand cold weather quite nicely. Though they tolerate confinement, they're most happy when they get to range freely.