The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[Matt1616]

Scott, I wouldn't worry to much about "coop training". If you have some cages that you can separate the 2 that you are going to show and just handle them some I think they will be fine. I sometimes just go out and grab birds out of my grow out pens and take them to a show and I have never had any major problems. Judges are pretty accustomed to chasing the younger birds around the cage to catch them. The one good thing about them being calm when handled is that it decreases the chances of them bending or breaking a feather when the judge is trying to get them out.
I am taking about 30 birds to Knoxville...can't wait!

Matt

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Scott, I wouldn't worry to much about "coop training". If you have some cages that you can separate the 2 that you are going to show and just handle them some I think they will be fine. I sometimes just go out and grab birds out of my grow out pens and take them to a show and I have never had any major problems. Judges are pretty accustomed to chasing the younger birds around the cage to catch them. The one good thing about them being calm when handled is that it decreases the chances of them bending or breaking a feather when the judge is trying to get them out.
I am taking about 30 birds to Knoxville...can't wait!

Matt

Thanks Matt

30 birds??? Holy crap....must be a vehicle for people and a vehicle for birds

See ya there

 

[pathornton]

I cant get over how nice that RIR looks in your profile pic Matt. Hope mine can hold a candle to that when he fills out

 

[Pooman]

Hi Barred Rock Professionals.... ;-)

So before i post any photos of what i have and what ive been breeding.

I need to know this.

Will a pure dark barred Plymouth Rock breed true?

That is, coming off pure mother and father will i only get barred offspring OR will some of the girls end up basically black with no barring?

Photos to come. Can someone who knows please let me know. I have a feeling im going to need to ask a breeder to please explain.

Thanks girls and guys

 

[Fred's Hens]

In OZ, there are two classes of Barred Plymouth Rocks, Light and Dark. In North America, we abandoned those two classes long ago and now only have Barred Plymouth Rocks. No distinction. Mostly, our C's and K's are lighter and our P's and H's are darker.

"Pure" in the chicken world doesn't have the same meaning as it might in the horse or dog world, where pedigrees reigns supreme. In the chicken world, a bird is said to be "pure" when it reflects very, very well the Standard written for it by the sanctioning breeds association of the country in question. Here in North America, that would be the Standard of Perfection by the American Poultry Association or the Standard by the American Bantam Association.

As to whether a dark variety would breed true when bred to dark, I would assume so, in most cases. Remember, what we "see" in a bird is one thing. What might be hidden down in it's genetics, that which we cannot see until it might be expressed through breeding, is the tricky part.

 

[Pooman]

Thanks Fred.

Here's some photos.
Mothers and Father i was shown at breeder where i got the eggs.

Stripey (the roo i have been using) as a young immature... I cant get a decent photo of him today. Its his day inside the indian game gets to wander in the growing pen today.

His sister from the same eggs (it was a disaster of a hatch with rats taking eggs from a broody, we only got 2)

And the primary unrelated partner, Wilma (ill get a better photo of her too shortly)

On a side note, those holes to the left are being converted into rooster houses. Oh the peace it brings to the nighttime having them properly locked up in an enclosed building. Mmmmm sleep ;-)

So. Obviously from the black hen we named Crow from the barred breeder parents didnt breed very true. Now this year using the boy we hatched (Stripey) we are getting about 50/50 barred/black hens. Wilma is unrelated and sourced separately. The black hens do get the lovely luminescent greeny coloring on their feathers. And they are still heavy nice shape birds. But i want the stripes.

Im going to be talking to a different breeder that i met at an auction recently and get his thoughts. But I'm not happy eh, i like this Roo. I dont like chopping em unless i know thats where they are destined all along.

Anyway, comments on my chooks, ill get some better photos, Wilma shortly and Stripey in his current livery will have to be tomorrow.

 

[Fred's Hens]

On this thread, as per the category header and sticky, we use proper terminology, so I have no idea whether a "roo" is a marsupial or baby Kangaroo or what. In this thread, you have a cockerel, pullet, cock bird or hen.

With that out of the way, (and please take no offense) let's talk about your black Rocks. In some countries, the Black Rock is an accepted breed variety and honestly, I adore them personally. Do we need yet another Plymouth Rock variety in North America? No, quite honestly, as we cannot keep the Buffs, Columbians, and Silver Penciled up to snuff as it is. Too few keepers and quality breeders of these birds. Nonetheless, I love the Black Rock, especially if has the proper yellow shanks. Gorgeous birds, especially those I've seen from the UK.

Your K (cockerel) is a cross. He's not "pure" Barred Rock and is carrying only one barring gene, I would say. He's carrying a lot of black and his barring is very faint. He's a handsome, typey son-of-a-gun. The black pullet is a black Rock, but this is in phenotype, that which we "see". What she is in genotype, what she's carrying in genes underneath that we cannot see? Only through breeding her, if you wish to do so, will you know.

The top photo, showing the supposed parent stock shows "pure" BR females. But the male in that photo is standing back in the shadows, but with this unclear photo of him? I'd say he is too dark. He likely doesn't carry two barred genes. Thus, he only had a single pair to pass to his offspring, which explains why the pullet is a Black Rock and the cockerel is single gene cross.

What you need? You need a true bred male, if you wish to breed Barred Rocks. If you wish to breed Black Rocks, you could certainly push subsequent generations to the Black Rock by selecting only Blacks. Hope that helps.

Edited to add: What I know about the "science" of genetics wouldn't fill a thimble. But I know a couple of our semi-regular contributors are exceptionally well versed. Perhaps Joe Emenheiser will chime in. Joe knows this stuff cold.

 

[Pooman]

Thank you Fred.

I have been doing some various reading. You are confirming what i have read. Im gonna have to ring this breeder. She was claiming to be registered... Pfft for what thats worth. Might have to find out registered by whom and let them know whats getting passed off. Surely cant help the breed stay alive and diverse. Ill call the breeder first regardless, i was of course asumming they were going to breed true and thought it weird when we had the black hen from the same eggs.

On another note. Some half orpington half plymouth breed from the guy in my avatar and Wilma my unrelated plymouth, which show no cuckoo patterning... Are now being crossed to the dbpr (fake) cockerel and getting some white cock birds showing heavy cuckoo patterning

**** not sure of the correct terminology for cuckoo, it where you have different colors, waves almost, horizontally accross each feather

Thanks again for your help, and of course no offence taken

 

[Pooman]

Some better photos here of Stripey. Note he got into a nasty fight and lost a while back. He sustained severe damage to his beak, it was a beautiful beak, but seems to be growing out oddly now. I was tube feeding him for a week after he hadn't eaten for the previous week and lost a heap of muscle mass. Body wise he is almost back to where he was. He is 12 months old here... Now

 

[Pooman]

Also, ive decided to buy a ready to go cockerel, a dark barred obviously.

Before i commit would i be able post photos and get comments from the brains trust here. Just so im more likely to get what im after.

I'll see how my search goes and report back.