The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[Fred's Hens]

http://archive.org/details/callhenscience00hogarich

This is Walter Hogan's famous book, Call of the Hen also available on e-book.

Too many posts of reading material tends to overwhelm these kinds of threads, and people tend to get a blank stare and zone out, so I hesitated to post these links, but OK, there is enough to last the beginner many, many weeks of study and reading enjoyment.

 

[catdaddyfro]

I have messaged Wynette about the brown in the boys. Still no word. Maybe someone here can tell me if they are culls







This male has quite a lot of brown, as does the one behind the female in pic two.

These guys are easy to sex by colour. All the males are so much darker and less defined than the girls.

The brown leaking through is normal at this stage in the silver-duckwing color pattern it will all blend in in another 6 weeks after their next molt.

Look closely in the autosomal barring of the pullets its there too, all look to be on track in color development right now.

Jeff

 

[cbnovick]

I have read this online book over and over and over. The American Standard of Perfection: A Complete Description of All ... - Page 32 - Google Books Result

This is online. It is very old, which makes it obsolete in many ways, but also makes it a GREAT read. It will whet your appetite for buying the current APA SOP. I heartily recommend that everyone buy the current SOP. The first 90 pages or so are worth their weight in gold.

The book isn't that expensive in the paper back. Yes, I am a proud member of the APA.

Yup...have the SOP...proud member of APA and Plymouth Rock Fancier's club....and I love the Poultry Press!

all good stuff

 

[cbnovick]

http://archive.org/details/callhenscience00hogarich

This is Walter Hogan's famous book, Call of the Hen also available on e-book.

Too many posts of reading material tends to overwhelm these kinds of threads, and people tend to get a blank stare and zone out, so I hesitated to post these links, but OK, there is enough to last the beginner many, many weeks of study and reading enjoyment.

Thanks Fred...have 'leafed' and jumped around in this online version publication a lot....Petaluma was only about 10 minutes from where I resided from 2004-2011....LOVE living there...that big Stockton show is awesome each year!! Wished I had known of "W." then...

 

[PEI chicken]

Hi Aoxa

Thank you for posting the pics of your spprs. These chicks are from my hens so I will comment about the brown smut. This is an ongoing issue with my cockerels. Some have brown smut and a few escape the curse. This is why I stayed breeding with my 2011 cock this year; the 2012 cockerel I kept had this problem (he is ready for the stew pot). I did get a few cockerels hatched this year without the brown smut, so I will be choosing one of these to keep. I don't show my birds, but I think the brown smut would be frowned at by judges and probably disqualified. (You would need to check a more recent standard book, the one I have is from the early 1900's)

I looked at some spprs in Nova Scotia this summer, hoping to find a suitable cock to bring to my flock. Unfortunately, I will need to look further. So, for now I will stay breeding within my own flock's genetics, until I can find a good source. Good things come to those who wait!

I must say that there is nothing cute about young spprs, they are slow feathering. . . but if you have patience until they are mature, they have a lot of eye appeal! Good things come to those who wait!

Thank you for starting this thread Fred; I have subscribed.

Has anyone successfully bred out brown smut? All my birds are related and some cockerels show the brown smut and some do not.

I will post pics of my flock on this website (probably this weekend).

Bye for now.

 

[cbnovick]

this is two more 15 week old wr pullets one on left is best pullet of 7 second best was other pullet posted with white rock cockeral

That is a NICE WR pullet, Weaver...killer topline, chest, wide head, nice horizontal wing, tail spread etc...will be looking forward to seeing her as a Hen.

 

[catdaddyfro]

Hi Aoxa

Thank you for posting the pics of your spprs. These chicks are from my hens so I will comment about the brown smut. This is an ongoing issue with my cockerels. Some have brown smut and a few escape the curse. This is why I stayed breeding with my 2011 cock this year; the 2012 cockerel I kept had this problem (he is ready for the stew pot). I did get a few cockerels hatched this year without the brown smut, so I will be choosing one of these to keep. I don't show my birds, but I think the brown smut would be frowned at by judges and probably disqualified. (You would need to check a more recent standard book, the one I have is from the early 1900's)

I looked at some spprs in Nova Scotia this summer, hoping to find a suitable cock to bring to my flock. Unfortunately, I will need to look further. So, for now I will stay breeding within my own flock's genetics, until I can find a good source. Good things come to those who wait!

I must say that there is nothing cute about young spprs, they are slow feathering. . . but if you have patience until they are mature, they have a lot of eye appeal! Good things come to those who wait!

Thank you for starting this thread Fred; I have subscribed.

Has anyone successfully bred out brown smut? All my birds are related and some cockerels show the brown smut and some do not.

I will post pics of my flock on this website (probably this weekend).

Bye for now.

It is present in adult plumage?

Jeff

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Hi Aoxa

Thank you for posting the pics of your spprs. These chicks are from my hens so I will comment about the brown smut. This is an ongoing issue with my cockerels. Some have brown smut and a few escape the curse. This is why I stayed breeding with my 2011 cock this year; the 2012 cockerel I kept had this problem (he is ready for the stew pot). I did get a few cockerels hatched this year without the brown smut, so I will be choosing one of these to keep. I don't show my birds, but I think the brown smut would be frowned at by judges and probably disqualified. (You would need to check a more recent standard book, the one I have is from the early 1900's)

I looked at some spprs in Nova Scotia this summer, hoping to find a suitable cock to bring to my flock. Unfortunately, I will need to look further. So, for now I will stay breeding within my own flock's genetics, until I can find a good source. Good things come to those who wait!

I must say that there is nothing cute about young spprs, they are slow feathering. . . but if you have patience until they are mature, they have a lot of eye appeal! Good things come to those who wait!

Thank you for starting this thread Fred; I have subscribed.

Has anyone successfully bred out brown smut? All my birds are related and some cockerels show the brown smut and some do not.

I will post pics of my flock on this website (probably this weekend).

Bye for now.

Is the "brown" showing in the wing bay areas? If so, I'm guessing you are dealing with an "autosomnal red" issue....now, as for how to correct it, I am not certain. There was a great set of articles published by Brian Reeder in Sept/Oct/Nov issues of Exhibition Poultry last year regarding "autosomnal red"....I think you can google Exhibition Poultry and locate these articles....might be worth a try. It was useful in helping me determine the cause of the brassiness in the hackles/back and saddles of my Columbian Rocks. Just a thought

Here is a link to the first part http://www.exhibitionpoultry.net/downloads/ep3-9.pdf

 

[Wynette]

Hi, Aoxa/PEI/Scott - I am not convinced this "smuttiness" is caused by autosomal red, but I am not that educated on the auto red. I've been reading up on it at length due to some issues in my Black Copper Marans.

Many folks (I know that Dick Horstman, who most lines in the U.S. can be traced back to [though mine do not, and I am fairly certain PEI chickens do not either]) have used the Partridge Rock to breed into the silver penciled to improve type & size. This is one of the issues that causes the smuttiness, in my opinion. It's not a bad idea to use the partridge rock, as their pattern is typically "cleaner" than the silver penciled is. I have seen many more Partridge Rocks with better leg color than the silver penciled generally has as well.

I would cull those birds showing the smutty feathering. I do get them in my line as well, so perhaps the auto red is at fault for more than I think it is.

Here's an interesting item: I have noted that the birds showing this smuttiness - both in my line and in the chicks I've hatched from PEI Chickens - are all larger than their hatch mates that do not show it. Hmmm...

Oh - Jeff, yes - it's present in adult plumage, both male and female.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Here is an article from Brian on his blog, regarding autsomnal pheomelamin....this guy is SUPER smart with genetics and perhaps all of use looking at this can take it apart and make some sense of it....its a bit beyond my "engineers" brain

http://brianreederbreeder.blogspot.com/