The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[Fred's Hens]

Notice the female I marked. She has much fuller feathering.

 

[juzzk]

Okay great, some of the lighter comers are full feather aswell, you just can't see them all in that picture

 

[ronniewayne]

I would love to have a trio of these birds.. which line would you recommend Fred? I live in northeast ,tx ..

 

[maryhysong]

Once a person has the ability to hatch out 60 chicks or more, the luxury of culling earlier becomes a reality and a necessity. Coupled with the development of the "eye", one learns their line, learns their type at an earlier age, learns to see faults so severe that more time isn't going to improve things.

While it is true that these birds grow slowly and develop slowly, still…… It is impossible for most breeders to raise out, and feed out all 80-90 chicks hatched. Perhaps some can, but I cannot. I teach the "cull from bottom up" method.

This means you cull birds with severe defects in the brooder.
Cull again at 8 weeks when juveniles are feathered out and can be seen to be inferior.

I usually cull again at 18-20 weeks when the culls are quite tasty have substantial, tender meat. Lemon and pepper, please.

Finally, at 28 weeks for pullets and 30 weeks for cockerels, it's time for final selections. Only the few, the proud and the chosen will be wintered over for the breeding pens of the next year. Anyhow, that's my method.

Thank you for sharing Fred! Could you add some specifics on what you are looking at in each stage? I mean I can figure chicks in the brooder, maybe I'd be looking for crossbeaks, or any other sort of deformity like that, failure to thrive, runts, anything else? At 8 weeks are you just looking at size or are you also looking at color, body type, feathering? 18-20 weeks, maybe picking out those that you can see definitely don't have the right type, or color? Then the last round you are picking the best of the best, the ones that are closest to the SOP in all areas?

 

[Fred's Hens]

There are many good lines. Frank Reese of Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch,(not too far from you) Jeremy Woeple (sp) of XW Poultry, Nebraska.

Other great, great breeders include Marvin Stukel, Kraig Shafer, and Jamie Duckworth, just to name a few.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Thank you for sharing Fred! Could you add some specifics on what you are looking at in each stage? I mean I can figure chicks in the brooder, maybe I'd be looking for crossbeaks, or any other sort of deformity like that, failure to thrive, runts, anything else? At 8 weeks are you just looking at size or are you also looking at color, body type, feathering? 18-20 weeks, maybe picking out those that you can see definitely don't have the right type, or color? Then the last round you are picking the best of the best, the ones that are closest to the SOP in all areas?

Type Type Type.

Even at 8 weeks, there will be birds with bad wings, bad heads, really bad feathering, etc.

Culling from the "bottom" up means, eventually, you slowly decrease the number of mouths you're feeding. Then, you let the remainder of your hatch go for awhile. Just got to feed them and allow them a chance to grow out. But, as they grow, the pullets show earlier. Go through your mental matrix of the SOP you have burned into your brain as your ideal. Heads (big and wide), backs (no roach backs allowed), top lines, (hate cushions) bottom lines (no notches), feathering quality (tight is good, excess fluff is bad) front breasts,(judge the keel) wing carriage, leg width, "balance" ( is the bird a rainy day or front heavy bird?) tails come in slowly, but look for pinched tails (bad), good tents forming. Look at the them almost everytime you feed them and watch them as they graze. I also photograph them. I study those digital photos. The camera often picks up things and draws it to my attention.

Joseph, aka YellowHouseFarm showed a great photo a week or two back on his thread. He had set up 20 cages, side by side out on the lawn. Into those cages, he put his 20 finalist cockerels. Side by side. Studied, looked, made notes, walked back and forth. This was his method. Then, he filled those 20 cages with his pullet finalists. Same side by side by side study.

Having 20 finalists bespeaks the leveling of Joseph's flock. Frankly, until one gets their line that level, the "sore thumbs" stick out a bit more, quite honestly.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I will use the photos Normanack posted earlier, and I hope she doesn't mind.

This cockerel didn't just suddenly become poor. He's not had good type from the beginning. His body is too short, his bottom line is a V, as stated, his breast is flat, his barring isn't good, his bottom fluff is too loose, his top line is rainy day, etc, etc. He's looked like this for a long time and when we get used to seeing this lack of type, we can cull him earlier on.

In fairness, when you first hatch out just a few birds from eggs, you're very, very hesitant to cull as you just don't have the numbers to feel confident in culling earlier.




Now, let's look at that pullet again. She didn't just suddenly get this good type. She was hatched with it. He top line is outstanding and it has been that way all along. Her bottom line isn't finished yet, but it is nice. Feathering is tight. That's huge. Barring is very good, head is OK, could be better, but it is OK. Legs are nice and yellow and tail is wide, (now we hope it finishes) No cushion in front of the tail.



She has so many nice features and she's looked good all along. There was no risk of culling her early on.
I'll guarantee you she looked great at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, etc.

 

[maryhysong]

Fred, thank you for the lessons ;-) I have a ways to go in getting that SOP burnt into my brain, but I"m working on it. Reading this thread along with the P. Rock standard and breed book as I have time...

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

I would love to have a trio of these birds.. which line would you recommend Fred? I live in northeast ,tx ..

Ronniewayne

I'd wait for Fred to set up his breeding pens and BEG HIM to let you either buy chicks of eggs from him, IMHO

He has already initiated plans that are dealing with the "issues" a few of the better known lines have (vigor, hatchability, etc).....from what I've seen of his F1 birds, that's where I would begin to "build the barn". Jamie has a great line with good tails and few issues....in my opinion, the others, well????

 

[normanack]

. . . . Don't know if you eat your chickens, but he'd be in the crockpot before the weekend here. LOL Hope you're not offended by the honesty. . . . .

Not offended at all -- honesty is good, and chicken tastes good.

I will use the photos Normanack posted earlier, and I hope she doesn't mind.

. . . . head is OK, could be better, but it is OK. . . . .

I don't mind at all -- I'm thrilled to learn more.
And -- what makes a head good, bad, or in the middle? I know a skinny crow's head is bad, but that's about it.

Thanks!!!