The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[Fred's Hens]

I'm looking forward to seeing those photos and critiques also Fred. Great idea!

Finally, finally got a semi decent photo of the cockerel who has yet to be seen here. Does he have any obvious flaws or is he a possible contender?

First photo is a 23 week old cockerel and the second photo is the previously unseen 17 week old, just as a comparison. Neither are great photos due to a tired camera. Sorry.

He's still got another 8-10 weeks to "finish" at least, but this is a cockerel that is easy on the eyes. His tail will finish, some day. LOL His chest is coming along and still has time to improve even more. I like his overall solid look. His comb doesn't have the curve I'd like see, but that's rather nit picky. The bottom of his wing line is parallel to the ground, and I like that. He looks to be broad and I love how far apart his legs are. If this is your #2 or #3 boy, I'd say you did very well, very well indeed.

 

[Dahlisgrams]

Quote:
Thanks, Fred. These birds will teach me patience if nothing else.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Something that confuses me, however.

The two birds shown are the same bird, right? On the photo of the older version, his top line looks to be sloped downward, going down from the base of the neck to the tail. This would be an angle, I believe, that is correct for a Buckeye perhaps, but not proper for a Rock.

My question is this. Does that photo reflect the true angle of his back line? I don't see it in the younger version of him.

 

[Dahlisgrams]

Something that confuses me, however.

The two birds shown are the same bird, right? On the photo of the older version, his top line looks to be sloped downward, going down from the base of the neck to the tail. This would be an angle, I believe, that is correct for a Buckeye perhaps, but not proper for a Rock.

My question is this. Does that photo reflect the true angle of his back line? I don't see it in the younger version of him.

No, they are different birds. I'll take some more photos and try to get a decent one from the side of both of them. Sorry to confuse!

 

[Dahlisgrams]

Okay, just took some more of Cockerel A, the 22 week old. It's VERY windy here but he really cooperated for the first few. He seems to enjoy the attention. I hope these photos are adequate to show his angles. If not I can get some more. I appreciate the critique very much.




This is one of my favorite pullets, 17 weeks old here. There are three pullets that are hard to tell apart, and this is one of them. She's very friendly. Actually the whole flock of HBR are always the first to want to "help"....

 

[Fred's Hens]

Thank you for the better photos. Photo judging birds is oft times too hard for me. These photos put him in a much better pose.
He's young. He's going to fill out something fierce over the next two months. You'll hardly recognize him by Christmas.
Even his comb looks better in these photos. LOL

 

[Dahlisgrams]

Thank you for the better photos. Photo judging birds is oft times too hard for me. These photos put him in a much better pose.
He's young. He's going to fill out something fierce over the next two months. You'll hardly recognize him by Christmas.
Even his comb looks better in these photos. LOL

Photos are hard, period!!! It's a moment in time and even though he stayed still for me, each photo is slightly different. Thanks for trying!

We spent the last few days evaluating/moving/culling drakes and it's difficult not to turn the same eye to the Rocks. lol

 

[Fred's Hens]

He looks good. That's the key. He's young and he's not done. Christmas time. That's when he'll finish and you'll know what he's got and whether to use him in your late winter breeding.

He's a pure XW, JWhip barred rock line cockerel. He's awfully nice looking at this point. He's got another 2-3 pounds of heft to put on and his big boy feathers to finish. He'd be the envy, I reckon, of folks looking for true bred Barred Rock. There may be less than 3000 birds of this caliber in the world, to be honest about it. That's why we don't rush to judgement and this boy will be a finalist for you, I can be confident of that. His over all "put togetherness" is too good. Do you have one better? May be. BTW? How do you like those pullets? You have three carbon copy girls, don't you?

 

[Dahlisgrams]

He looks good. That's the key. He's young and he's not done. Christmas time. That's when he'll finish and you'll know what he's got and whether to use him in your late winter breeding.

He's a pure XW, JWhip barred rock line cockerel. He's awfully nice looking at this point. He's got another 2-3 pounds of heft to put on and his big boy feathers to finish. He'd be the envy, I reckon, of folks looking for true bred Barred Rock. There may be less than 3000 birds of this caliber in the world, to be honest about it. That's why we don't rush to judgement and this boy will be a finalist for you, I can be confident of that. His over all "put togetherness" is too good. Do you have one better? May be. BTW? How do you like those pullets? You have three carbon copy girls, don't you?

He has a great temperament too, so far. Since there are only a couple of cockerels, they're all kept together with a bunch of pullets of similar ages and a little older. He calls the girls over for treats and has never shown any signs of aggression. With grandkids around, that is important. I really like this guy and am pulling for him to make the cut. lol

Would you say the younger 17 week old cockerel B is also pure XW? His barring was not nearly as fine as the older cockerel A as a youngster but seems to be improving as he grows. He went through a very awkward stage but seems to have grown back into balance.

Oh those pullets!!! I like their wide heads, yellow legs, lack of cushion so far and gorgeous barring. They are growing fairly slowly but not like molasses. I'm trying hard not to discount any of the other pullets. The blurry photos of them that my camera seems determined to take are perfect for allowing me to see the bird and not just their barring. Time spent viewing them from a second story window has helped me see their type better too. I am just learning the ropes and have no experience breeding Heritage birds but they're my passion now and I take my SOP with me just about everywhere and read everything I can on the subject. I like these pullets a lot and am pretty sure they're the best I have. Those 3 look like a separate breed next to some of the others they look so different. NOTHING like the hatchery Rocks I've seen. I don't know how they are going to turn out but that might be a breeding worth repeating!

 

[Fred's Hens]

Well, as winter approaches, we'll all see this current crop of juveniles finish out. We'll make our final choices before Christmas. A Barred Rock hatched in April or May will finally be ready for some judging. But… we all have to start with where we're at. You have a small flock and you'll get started. There are no perfect birds and a small batch of youngsters you hatched last spring is what you have to start. You will likely work with what you have. Do the best you can. That's all we can do beside rushing out to a fall show and buying a K from someone we think is superior to what we have.

If we start with 24 chicks, we have a broader selection, perhaps. When we start with a small group, we do the best we can. It may take a few generations of hatching chicks and doing the culling required to get where you want to get. It's OK. We have to have fun along the way and enjoy this hobby. It sounds like you are enjoying your birds greatly. Good for you.