The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[aoxa]

Here's another that I missed posting.I find the comb/wattles small and almost comparable with the girls at this age.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Here's another that I missed posting.I find the comb/wattles small and almost comparable with the girls at this age.

And those would be the boys with super, duper, sharp barring genes. They'll be the slowest to feather, and often the slowest to mature. This is the feature breeders push for the shows. The homesteader walks a fine line. He/she cares for the beauty and the SOP, but she/he also is aware that faster feathers, faster maturity means higher profits. Faster feathering females will be your top egg layers. But, the faster the feathering, the slightly less radiant and crisp the barring.

It bites ya comin' and goin'. Dang barred birds. Why do we mess with them?

 

[SillyChicky]

I had a Barred Rock roo years ago, he was EVIL! I handled the 22 group of birds lots since they were chicks, all the hens were really nice but man he was mean. Soon after his spurs sprouted he got super aggressive, husband took him out back to meet the bok bok block!

I'd love some rock hens someday though, I love the color!

 

[Fred's Hens]

I had a Barred Rock roo years ago, he was EVIL! I handled the 22 group of birds lots since they were chicks, all the hens were really nice but man he was mean. Soon after his spurs sprouted he got super aggressive, husband took him out back to meet the bok bok block!

I'd love some rock hens someday though, I love the color!

Let me guess, from a feedstore or hatchery stock?

 

[Silver Rock]

[sidebar: you know what works most awesomly for egg storage? WINE REFRIGERATORS. A regular fridge is too cold. Also, remember to keep the humidity high - at 70-75, and, if you keep the eggs longer than 7 days, you do need to tip them at least twice daily] Per your request, Fred, here are a couple of lovely 12 week old Plymouth Rock pullets...... :

Are these the chicks from the added Scott - Columbian line. If so I think you will greatly improve type as Scott's line of Columbian Rocks with the blood they hold are large. With a few years of selective crossing back to the Silver Penciled Rocks you should get color back on track. It is a work in progress and with the line you also have out of Canada you will do great.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Good morning all you Rock breeders....

Had a very nice weather weekend here in the deep south. Saturday and Sunday were in the low 80s, no humidity, nice breeze.....perfect for getting a little work done.

I got rid of 8 birds over the weekend. Some friends from my youngest son's baseball team came by and got the females from my "cross" experiment for brassiness (nice type btw) and 2 "mutts" that were a late broody raised group....a few less mouths to feed and freed up a small pen.

I was able to finally "lay hands" on and band the second of the 3 CR pullets I plan on keeping. I still need to catch and band one more and I think I'm going to keep 1 extra pullet just in case. That will leave me with a flock of 6 CR females, and 2 males (the sire from last yr and the best K from this year).

After all the talk last week I really took a GOOD look at legs this weekend to make darn certain I was keeping birds with good yellow legs. Second thing I was double checking was NO CUSHIONS...Wynette had commented on a pix I sent to her a while back and made note that the pullet had a cushion (which she did and I have overlooked)....so, my 3 picks are definitely without cushions and it seems those birds also have the tightest overall feathering (a good thing)

Hope everyone had a good, productive weekend and that everyone is getting ready for breeding season or Fall shows...

 

[Silver Rock]

Good morning all you Rock breeders....

Had a very nice weather weekend here in the deep south.  Saturday and Sunday were in the low 80s, no humidity, nice breeze.....perfect for getting a little work done.

I got rid of 8 birds over the weekend.  Some friends from my youngest son's baseball team came by and got the females from my "cross" experiment for brassiness (nice type btw) and 2 "mutts" that were a late broody raised group....a few less mouths to feed and freed up a small pen.

I was able to finally "lay hands" on and band the second of the 3 CR pullets I plan on keeping.  I still need to catch and band one more and I think I'm going to keep 1 extra pullet just in case.  That will leave me with a flock of 6 CR females, and 2 males (the sire from last yr and the best K from this year).

After all the talk last week I really took a GOOD look at legs this weekend to make darn certain I was keeping birds with good yellow legs.  Second thing I was double checking was NO CUSHIONS...Wynette had commented on a pix I sent to her a while back and made note that the pullet had a cushion (which she did and I have overlooked)....so, my 3 picks are definitely without cushions and it seems those birds also have the tightest overall feathering (a good thing)

Hope everyone had a good, productive weekend and that everyone is getting ready for breeding season or Fall shows...

Scott... Do you still have any of the pure Colombian Rocks that came out of Canada or does the Colombian Rocks you have today possess the Cobb strain blood in them. I am just curious if you keep any of the pure Colombian Rocks so you could fall back on them in the future if ever needed. I do admire the work and effort you have put into breeding your Colombian Rock line.

 

[Wynette]

Hope everyone had a good, productive weekend and that everyone is getting ready for breeding season or Fall shows...

Scott, sounds like a good, productive weekend. Love getting those numbers down before the cold hits hard (not that YOU have much to worry about there!

)

We got a 180' trench dug with a rented "mini backhoe" to get a water line out to my new barn. I am SO SO hoping we can get the pens completely done & the water completed before winter so I can move my birds over. We've got the new pump installed, just need to connect the "old" water to the new line and we're set. We've been so doggone busy this summer, I don't want to put a ton more on DH, so I told him that if we can get just 2-3 pens built, I'd be happy with that. One of them is my SPR pen. The coop is upon stilts, which is great for the birds in the nasty weather; if it's hot,they can get underneath for nice shade (and that's where they dust bathe, too) if it's raining, they can still be outside and dry. But...I have to crawl around on my knees to get that coop cleaned, and I ain't getting any younger!

 

[catdaddyfro]

Quote:
The ones that Fogelly has from Scott don't have the Cobb in them they are from some of his first offsprings of the originals. I have 4 pullets and 6 males in which I'm so patiently awaiting to come full circle to choose a couple of breeder males from they are getting there slowly but surely looking more like young men daily. Jeff

 

[catdaddyfro]

Quote:
Boy that's a mighty deep trench you should have no worries with that line freezing and busting wide open even in your cold temps.I'd like to see the size of a big hoe if you dug that deep with a mini hoe, LOL Jeff