The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[uphilljill]

And here's a 2-3 week old pullet I'm keeping my eye on (out of Fred's GS/XW line):

 

[racertomtom]

Hi all ...First off, your pictures of the birds are really beautiful and inspiring...makes you never want to buy from a hatchery again!

But now that morning chores are done (I farm and raise chickens), I have to ask--as breeders, where do you guys put all your flocks? How do you keep them separated from each other? I see many of you have several different breeds or types of Rocks (white, penciled, barred) living together; do you have large barns partitioned off? I hatched out Buckeye chicks 4 weeks ago who are chomping at the bit to get out of their brooder (all feathered out, ready to go) and am patiently but excitedly awaiting my XW/Jeremy ordered chicks! YIPPEE...My husband is building several coops for me but in the meantime, where do I put the kids? I can't let them free range it since the fences won't be up till Sept. (too many fox and coyote by me). I have 3 coops that house the egg layers, the breeders, and the old RIR who earn their keep cleaning up the vegetable & herb gardens...and I want to order pure bred Buckeyes but am afraid I have no place to put them, and can't kill off the one flock of Buckeyes who earn their keep laying eggs --not yet...my barn is already packed with chickens including 1 week old Cornish X for market in July..PHEW! I am a chicken NUT! I would like to stop raising Cornish X, and concentrate on just raising BPR and Buckeyes.

So I wonder, how do you manage them, esp. when attempting Spiral Line Breeding?

Thank you in advance for your wonderful insights and experiences.

I agree with Blosl and Fred. Small, focused and down the middle until you know what you are doing and totally understand what you’ve gotten into. Co-op with other breeders if possible. No one but you knows how much time and money you have or how hard you are willing to work. I think I know what I’ve gotten into but still get overwhelmed at times.

NOTE: This is what I do based on a larger operation, some people call 4 birds a flock, I think I’m out if I’m only feeding 50.

I need sufficient equipment to do the following: Incubate, hatch, brood, grow out, separate into two flocks, grow out some more, breed and Isolate. Keep in mind the more pens you use the more work you create. Larger fewer pens are easier to feed, water and clean than more, smaller pens. Multiple purpose pens/cages are more practical than single purpose pens.

I have incubators and hatchers in the house where the room is climate controlled. My brooder is a wooden box upside down on 3” legs inside a large pen with a run off of the pen. The chicks can regulate temperature themselves by entering leaving the brooder and I can have a wider range of ages in the brooder pen. When they can’t squeeze through a 2x4 fence wire the run will be open until the cockerel/pullets need separated. Then the brooder pen becomes the cockerel pen and the pullets go into the hen side of the same coop. My hen house has 2 separate pens/runs with separate outside doors so they can have alternate free range days. I have temporary breeding pens set up in the spring by wiring panels together and installing a makeshift roof (six 8’ x 3’ pens). I also have wooden rack type cages in the barn I can use for Quarantining new birds, breeding pairs in artificial light, conditioning, drying, observing, separating cocks, whatever. My facility is actually much larger than that, but you get the idea. I keep my flocks together as long as practical and I run all breeds/varieties together unless breeding.

 

[uphilljill]

Fred, except for the 2-3 week old pullet above, all those chicks were from the pair I hatched last year. I do have a 1 week old chick in the basement brooder from the last batch of eggs you sent. I will try to get a pic of it soon.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Well, I KNOW this one is a "75" pullet. LOL

 

[Fred's Hens]

Jill, it thrills me to see how well you're doing with these birds. Thrills me to no end. Keep up the good work!!!

 

[uphilljill]

Thank YOU for sharing your stock! And your knowledge.

 

[Silver Rock]

A few pictures of my Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock chicks I took tonight. I hope to get a few out of these to move forward with.

15 chicks at 2 weeks old "the red light above them has the color off in the picture". :/

1 cockerel & 3 pullets at 5 weeks old.

 

[aoxa]

I just set my first batch for me to keep all to myself. A full tray. My girls are laying like champs.

Anyone know if electric fence can keep them contained? I just split my pasture in two. First strand is maybe 6 inches off the ground, and every 6 inches there after until you hit 5 feet.

I don't want any other roosters sneaking in and mating my girls either.

If it keeps goat kids in, it should keep in full grown birds right?

 

[uphilljill]

My chickens go right through electric fence (6 strand and goat netting.) Their feathers insulated them well enough that they just don't feel the shock. If they can squeeze through the opening, electric won't stop them. I have had good luck with poultry netting, but that's because the opening are smaller.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Down in KY, the netting is very popular with the boys. They do use it successfully. I use poly deer netting, non electrified.