The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[Fred's Hens]

Most of this year's crop of juveniles are now old enough to also check "hip bone" distance. Pick up the birds and settle them into your classic 4-H hold, on your left arm perhaps. Then, using your right hand, use your thumb and middle finger to stretch the distance, feeling the two "bumps" on rear of the bird, back in the saddle area. Write down that distance, say 3", for each bird according to it's ankle number.

Move on to the next hatch mate of the same sex. Write down the distance, the width of the rear of the bird between the boney bumps at the rea. Proceed through all the birds of that hatch.

I record this data on each bird at 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks. While the bird is in hand, spread the wings and feel the keel bone for straight formation. Run your hand down the spinal bone as well looking for any "hump back" conditions.



Make any other pertinent notes. Wonky comb, crow head, beak too long, small thin shank bone, etc. Bob Blosl always taught that in 90% of the cases, your outright "leader" at 8 weeks will likely still be your leader at 12 and 16 weeks. Bob was pretty spot on, in my experience. Those front runners, larger boned birds just don't seem to get caught by their less impressive hatch mates.

 

[uphilljill]

Got my homework for the weekend. Thx!

 

[Fred's Hens]

Got my homework for the weekend. Thx!

Jill, that female with the big head, I "arrowed" above is a full sister to some of your current, older females which were mothers you used to create some of those chicks with the big heads you showed.

This stuff runs in the family, especially on this female line. The resenblence is utterly remarkable. Unmistable females from that line. If the females do not turn out like this? If they show up with faults like a crow head? Cull them. This line has awesome females and awesome they should remain, generation after generation, if we do our jobs right.

Bee, your birds have XW and Blosl blood. Both of those lines throw chicks with big heads, with the Blosl head more appealing to me personally. You should have no problems with heads. If you see a dud with a poor head? Invite it to supper.

 

[Wynette]

Folks, in keeping with comments about big heads, please take a moment to watch this short video by APA judge (and longtime breeder), Rip Stalvey. While this video was made for the Marans Chicken Club, it applies to all LF standard-bred birds:

 

[Fred's Hens]

We talk over and over again about the first 40 pages of The Book. It baffles me that folks set about "breeding" when they've not adequately studied this material. Can it be found piece meal about the web and in agricultural libraries? Yes, mostly. But one small measure of your commitment to breed birds to the Standard is actually have The Book in which that Standard has been published. I'd never go to a "show and tell" or to a show without it.

Can you buy a 20 year old book from a dusty rack somewhere? Yes, in the case of Plymouth Rocks, you certainly can as the standard has not changed in many, many years. I am unlikely to purchase another Standard in my lifetime, to be honest, unless for some unknown reason something "new" strikes my fancy.

 

[Wynette]

Many longtime breeders refer to the Standard as the "Bible" for standard-bred fowl. I have not yet tired of flipping through it, and always seem to start - and end - with the cutting for defects section at the beginning.

 

[weavers rocks]

 

[weavers rocks]

...

 

[weavers rocks]

twenty week old cockerel hatched this year

 

[weavers rocks]

hoping he keeps his width all way through