The Plymouth Rock Breeders Thread- Part Deux

[Egghead_Jr]

It's early for plumage photos but it's of interest to me to see/document the expression of "golden" on the cockerels. These chicks being a cross of Silver over Partridge (gold). Academically speaking there should be a stark contrast to feathers coming in. Reality is there is not. I can only assume this is due to the gold dillutors inherent in Murphy Line of Silver. The "golden" or yellow plumage doesn't appear to be expressing at this young age. Interesting to me anyway.

Shows up better with the camera than my naked eye. Subtle. Single chick photo, though down looking lighter in sunlight, is one of the darker chicks and you can see the yellow in plumage coming in.

I'll have to get actual hands on photos soon. Confirm that the three dark down chicks are cockerels and get some close up shots of plumage. That has to be done as I close up or open up their dog crate brooding with mom area one of these days. Too much of a hassle to catch them when released for day.

 

[Mosey2003]

Interesting!

My shipped eggs were a miserable failure. Never accepting them from him again, it was a lovely gesture, but devastating. Got one lone chick. Luckily I had one of my own hatch overnight, so she'll have a friend. Guy said he'll ship me chicks come fall, but that will be super expensive and I'm not comfortable accepting such an offer, nor do I want to pay the new jacked up postal rate for them.

If I ever get my culls butchered, I'll start collecting to hatch my own again, see what I can come up with. Got 11 broiler chicks for $11 last week or the week before, so we'll have "big chicken" in the freezer anyway.

 

[Mosey2003]

Got some pics of my male. He's very nearly 12 months old. Love the tail.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Is he Shaffer Line too? It is a nice tail set. Wanting to see some chicks! He looks dubbed. Frostbite damage perhaps?

My end it's confirmed the cock bird is lower fertility. Forget how many I set last batch but more than a few were infertile. Need to get on hatching some silver for a replacement. Then of course I muffed up this last batch some by forgetting to plug in the turner for first three days. Nine of viable eleven hatched, all healthy and popped from shells like corn. That makes for only 14 so far hatched from that one Partridge. Setting every egg she lays it still hard to get numbers but should get more than nine chicks this next and final batch of hers going in incubator today. Putting in all the Silver eggs too as it's apparent I can easily identify who is who on hatch. Was a very light colored chick this hatch but still has yellow. Will be able to determine the Silver/Partridge from Silver/Silver. Looks to be about three dozen total going in.

Of the three Silver hens I kept one is raising the first batch of crossed chicks and another just went broody few days ago. Attempted to move her to a crate to raise this batch but she wouldn't take to it. Going to give her a few silver eggs to set and mover her later-have her brood the chicks that result from this batch starting in incubator today.

Short of that is I'm not getting nor will I be getting all three laying for setting many Silver eggs at once. I could break her of brood now but rather have birds brood the chicks than myself dealing with it. It's going to make for a push of hatching enough Silver to obtain a new and better quality cock bird.

Oh well, hatch, hatch then hatch some more...time will tell if there are any keepers.

 

[Mosey2003]

Yes, he's from Kraig. And yes, he got frostbite in that hell week last winter, sadly. He had 5 points. I was afraid bringing him in the house then back outside would be harder on him than losing his points. I wanna see some chicks too

 

[Mosey2003]

I do have some chicks. But not the 60 I planned...
One from the shipped eggs (the big girl), one from my breeders, two from the half hatchery girls I had in the pen. I raided the broody nest.

 

[Mosey2003]

Sorry for posting three separate times in a row here, last night I was on mobile and now I'm on the work computer so I can really type. Kinda feels like I'm being pesty, haha.

I've been chewing on breeding goals and possibilities, especially in regard to the barred variety in particular. I know I'm already breaking Bob Blosl's (and many other wise breeders') cardinal rule in that I'm crossing lines. But honestly, I simply couldn't carry on with a male of the Good Shepherd line from where I acquired the pullets, for various (semi-personal, semi- anti- that line in particular) reasons. So, I'm doing the next best thing, starting where I am with what I have.

What I have is a Kraig Shafer cock(erel), 5 Good Shepherd hens, and one pullet chick from a third breeder in Arizona that has tighter feathering than either other line I have.

My hens are not laying well. They laid okay last year, but weren't magnificent. Something else that bothers me is that their eggs are still what I consider quite small, as second year hens no less. Plus, I want to tighten up the fluff considerably. The hens I would say are fair, the cock(erel) is quite fluffy.

The laying and feather issue is what's currently rolling around my mind, as Bob already told us exactly how to fix both of those issues: select for the fastest maturing chicks and keep doing that. The problem being, crisp barring is produced by the slowest feathering birds. So, I have a bit of a conundrum. Do I pressure them into faster and faster feathering and improve the rate of lay and feather quality, but lose the crisp barring? Is that something that I can add back in later? Do I let them all grow out and try to determine which nicely-barred birds are better than others? Pondering.

It will be interesting to see what I end up with after doing the dreaded outcrossing. Ideally, I'd love to get a cockerel chick with tighter feathering and a deeper/fuller/rounder breast, to replace my current male in some breedings. I might get a pile of crap, too That's what the experienced breeders say I'll get, so I'm sure it's more than likely. We shall see how much work I have ahead of me. Or maybe a Good Shepherd male that actually has the tail and wing carriage I want will materialize, who knows. I'm going to keep those hens for as long as they keep going, anyway.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Keep in mind fast maturing is not always hand in hand with fast feathering. Most of the time yes it is. When it comes to barred birds there has been a lot of pressure on slow feathering, this has been done for a century. I have faith that with enough birds on the ground- hatch, hatch and hatch some more- you'll find the bird or two with the desired requisite or closer facsimile to that goal than what you currently have.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Yes, he's from Kraig. And yes, he got frostbite in that hell week last winter, sadly. He had 5 points. I was afraid bringing him in the house then back outside would be harder on him than losing his points. I wanna see some chicks too

You need more ventilation to push moisture out the top of coop. I lose tips but never that much comb anymore. Ventilation is key.

 

[Mosey2003]

You need more ventilation to push moisture out the top of coop. I lose tips but never that much comb anymore. Ventilation is key.

Oh I know, but he wasn't in the coop. He was in the barn, wide open space, lots of ventilation. There's only so much one can do when the temperature is -20 with a -50 wind chill for a week, sadly.