The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[Fred's Hens]

I sometimes take one pullet and spoil the crud out of her. I let her follow me around as I do my chores, feed her at my feet and this really "tames" her and gets her really calm in my presence. I've been spoiled the livin' daylights out of one of the F! pullets. She's coming along fine. There may be couple better than she is, but this is the one I've decided to spoil. If she's back in the barn resting in the coolness of the darkness, she clucks at me when I walk in.

I do this for a purpose. My old trainer hen is on her last legs. She's a mutt white rock I bred out years ago. She's getting up in years and I don't know if she'll make it through another winter and another season of training young pullets. So, I'm training this one as her replacement. It's what I do. Easier than training beagle pups, but that's another story.

Wanted to take some pictures of her today, but the wind was hurricane force and she just looked like barred dust mop gone mad.

 

[catdaddyfro]

I sometimes take one pullet and spoil the crud out of her. I let her follow me around as I do my chores, feed her at my feet and this really "tames" her and gets her really calm in my presence. I've been spoiled the livin' daylights out of one of the F! pullets. She's coming along fine. There may be couple better than she is, but this is the one I've decided to spoil. If she's back in the barn resting in the coolness of the darkness, she clucks at me when I walk in.

I do this for a purpose. My old trainer hen is on her last legs. She's a mutt white rock I bred out years ago. She's getting up in years and I don't know if she'll make it through another winter and another season of training young pullets. So, I'm training this one as her replacement. It's what I do. Easier than training beagle pups, but that's another story.

Wanted to take some pictures of her today, but the wind was hurricane force and she just looked like barred dust mop gone mad.

Yes I understand, LOL I too have the favorite Special K(s) too Fred they are worse than trained Beagles (spoiled rotten that is) LOL

Jeff

 

[cbnovick]

Yes I understand, LOL I too have the favorite Special K(s) too Fred they are worse than trained Beagles (spoiled rotten that is) LOL

Jeff

My husband is just shakes his head many a morning muttering 'good lord' under his breath when he discovers several of my 'favs' waiting on the back porch for yours truly to bring them their 'treats'...they have even bullied our sweet, old yellow lab off his food bowl before. There's strength in numbers of course.
Yup, they have ME trained. LOL

 

[Fred's Hens]

A trainer hen has been invaluable to me over the years. I see those traits in this young pullet. Calmness. She'll show the future pullets how to relate to me when I enter the layer pen in future years. They have to have an innate calmness, be smart and the spoiling helps to give them confidence and a touch of aloofness. Since the trainer hen is always older and wiser, the young pullets will follow her lead in where to lay and so forth.

Hopefully, I've made a good choice. My old girl has trained wave after wave of young pullets over the years. She's been invaluable. I'm just following what I did with my old white girl. She was a sport out a Barred Rock. Hopefully, it will work again.




Here's the old girl back when she was young and in her prime.




Here she is in her "middle age"

 

[aoxa]

A trainer hen has been invaluable to me over the years. I see those traits in this young pullet. Calmness. She'll show the future pullets how to relate to me when I enter the layer pen in future years. They have to have an innate calmness, be smart and the spoiling helps to give them confidence and a touch of aloofness. Since the trainer hen is always older and wiser, the young pullets will follow her lead in where to lay and so forth.

Hopefully, I've made a good choice. My old girl has trained wave after wave of young pullets over the years. She's been invaluable. I'm just following what I did with my old white girl. She was a sport out a Barred Rock. Hopefully, it will work again.




Here's the old girl back when she was young and in her prime.




Here she is in her "middle age"

Do you have cock birds train the younger cockerels?

 

[cbnovick]

A trainer hen has been invaluable to me over the years. I see those traits in this young pullet. Calmness. She'll show the future pullets how to relate to me when I enter the layer pen in future years. They have to have an innate calmness, be smart and the spoiling helps to give them confidence and a touch of aloofness. Since the trainer hen is always older and wiser, the young pullets will follow her lead in where to lay and so forth.

Hopefully, I've made a good choice. My old girl has trained wave after wave of young pullets over the years. She's been invaluable. I'm just following what I did with my old white girl. She was a sport out a Barred Rock. Hopefully, it will work again.




Here's the old girl back when she was young and in her prime.




Here she is in her "middle age"

That's the first 'sport' photo I've ever seen...I've read about them of course etc...very cool to actually see a photo of one....she fulfilled a real purpose despite her coloring for you--all good.

Older hens are good to run with young males as well...I am 'lending' a few XW Barred Rock hens to my friend with a nice group of XW NH's I hatched in Feb...she is going to put them with her nice young male for a bit...It will be good for him and frees up a pen for some grow outs for awhile.

Sports were used in the creation of new varieties?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Actually, I've tried to breed that white sport. I'd love to just go ahead and breed and keep the white Rocks. They remain my favorites. I adore them. I'll probably talk to Ken Weaver about getting a dozen eggs in spring. We'll see. If I kept Whites, I'd pressure them hard to the egg laying side. Others might want to put breeding pressure on them for meat.

I hatched three more of them last winter, but they aren't nearly as clean and nice. Won't be used.

I'd band all the fast featherers for 3 generations and cull based on egg laying. Might do that one of the days, although the calendar suggests that "someday" needs to be sooner, rather then later.

We do not expect older cocks to train the cockerels. They'd mostly beat the snot out of them. hahaha

 

[Fred's Hens]

That's about the best photo I got of her this evening. She's such a busy body. She's standing on an incline, not exactly the best level surface to show her off, but there she is, anyhow.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

That's about the best photo I got of her this evening. She's such a busy body. She's standing on an incline, not exactly the best level surface to show her off, but there she is, anyhow.

send her my way Fred!!!

 

[aoxa]

That's about the best photo I got of her this evening. She's such a busy body. She's standing on an incline, not exactly the best level surface to show her off, but there she is, anyhow.

Nice