The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[desertmarcy]

It might prove quite hard to locate mature birds at this of year, as most breeders only kept their breed stock last fall and now, the birds are in breeding pens. You might locate either eggs or chicks, depending on what the breeder prefers. It's the weekend and there's some kinda football game on today. I don't know.

Editted: I see Jeff and Donna gave you good directions. Nice of folks to help out.

I am still culling out my Good Shepard Barred Rocks. 4 cockerels left from one breeder male, 6 from the second one. I hatched late in the year (June) from the second male, and waiting forever for them to mature so I can make good culling decisions. Same with the pullets. The last to be culled are the better ones.

 

[lefty26]

Thank you for the insight . I am reading up on all the different techniques and how everyone has a different way managing their flocks.

 

[Wynette]

Hey, Clayton - glad to hear you're getting lots of eggs! My pullets are not yet giving a sideways glance to the nest box, but I'm fine with that...the thought of hatching in this weather just makes me shiver! Of note on this pullet below - watch the heads...this female has a very small head. This is yet another issue with the Silver Penicled variety. I have to say, I didn't pay that much attention to it until last year...one of my mentors schooled me about it, bringing it to my attention again and again. Now, like cushions, I just can't get past a small head on a PR. Speaking of cushions, the very nice thing about this female is that she appears to not have one! It's SUCH a problem with the SPR, it's nice to see a female without one. Also, she has a well spread tail; yet another issue with the female SPR (you often see pinched tails in the females). While there is SO much that we need to work on with them, the variety is such a good looking one, I'm thrilled there are so many of us who are working on them here and that we're working together to move them forward!

 

[aoxa]

Hey, Clayton - glad to hear you're getting lots of eggs! My pullets are not yet giving a sideways glance to the nest box, but I'm fine with that...the thought of hatching in this weather just makes me shiver! Of note on this pullet below - watch the heads...this female has a very small head. This is yet another issue with the Silver Penicled variety. I have to say, I didn't pay that much attention to it until last year...one of my mentors schooled me about it, bringing it to my attention again and again. Now, like cushions, I just can't get past a small head on a PR. Speaking of cushions, the very nice thing about this female is that she appears to not have one! It's SUCH a problem with the SPR, it's nice to see a female without one. Also, she has a well spread tail; yet another issue with the female SPR (you often see pinched tails in the females). While there is SO much that we need to work on with them, the variety is such a good looking one, I'm thrilled there are so many of us who are working on them here and that we're working together to move them forward!

You find this issue with tails in your Canadian SPPR Wynette? Not a single one of mine from Janet has issues with the tails. SO WIDE!

I did get one female with a small head out of 3. She is not going to be used.

 

[Silver Rock]

Hey, Clayton - glad to hear you're getting lots of eggs!  My pullets are not yet giving a sideways glance to the nest box, but I'm fine with that...the thought of hatching in this weather just makes me shiver!  Of note on this pullet below - watch the heads...this female has a very small head.  This is yet another issue with the Silver Penicled variety.  I have to say, I didn't pay that much attention to it until last year...one of my mentors schooled me about it, bringing it to my attention again and again.  Now, like cushions, I just can't get past a small head on a PR.  Speaking of cushions, the very nice thing about this female is that she appears to not have one!  It's SUCH a problem with the SPR, it's nice to see a female without one.  Also, she has a well spread tail; yet another issue with the female SPR (you often see pinched tails in the females).  While there is SO much that we need to work on with them, the variety is such a good looking one, I'm thrilled there are so many of us who are working on them here and that we're working together to move them forward!

Hi Wynette, yes the size of her head is a issue for me also but with the other thing I see going right for her "no cushion for one " I have decided to use her in the breeding pen as the cockerel she will be crossed with has a very large head. I ask aoxa a question and if it is ok I would like to ask you the same question as if I remember correctly you don't use heat over your birds in the Winter months. With the Winter we have had this year have you had any comb damage due to frost bite?



Clayton Grace "Silver Rock"

 

[Wynette]

You find this issue with tails in your Canadian SPPR Wynette? Not a single one of mine from Janet has issues with the tails. SO WIDE!

I did get one female with a small head out of 3. She is not going to be used.

Justine, you know, I can ALWAYS count on you getting the most awesome pics! I could be the only person thinking...as I look at this one...What's up? Chicken butt! (Sorry...I know this is much more serious thread than lots of them here on BYC, but I couldn't help it!)

I believe I may have gotten eggs from different matings, Justine, or it could simply be that when I got mine, fewer of her hens were laying, and so the majority of mine may have easily come from 2 or 3 hens, which were not the same as the hens your eggs came from - I say this because mine look different to me than yours do. I do need to look them over more closely, I cannot say for sure on conformaition issues. I know I keep saying that, and I honestly am not trying to be "coy" about - it - my barn is not well lit and, in fact, their pen doens't have a light over it. All I have is the one barn light, which doesn't light well, so I hesitate to get pictures in the pen. I find pictures come out much better when they can be in a more natural posture, which is not indoors, but outside. However, the weather has been just horrible for weeks now. It's going to probably be mid-February before I'm able to get some pics of them out in the pen.

Hi Wynette, yes the size of her head is a issue for me also but with the other thing I see going right for her "no cushion for one

" I have decided to use her in the breeding pen as the cockerel she will be crossed with has a very large head. I ask aoxa a question and if it is ok I would like to ask you the same question as if I remember correctly you don't use heat over your birds in the Winter months. With the Winter we have had this year have you had any comb damage due to frost bite?

Clayton Grace "Silver Rock"

Clay (may I call you Clay, or do you prefer Clayton??), Yes, the cushion issue is a big one, and by eliminating or reducing that - breeding for a nice, wide body, all the way back - you're also opening up the tail. You're correct in that I do not use artificial light or heat in my breeder pens. My cock bird DID sustain frostbite on his comb this year, just a bit. It's not something I love to see, but nothing I can do about it in my neck of the woods.

 

[aoxa]

Justine, you know, I can ALWAYS count on you getting the most awesome pics! I could be the only person thinking...as I look at this one...What's up? Chicken butt! (Sorry...I know this is much more serious thread than lots of them here on BYC, but I couldn't help it!)

I believe I may have gotten eggs from different matings, Justine, or it could simply be that when I got mine, fewer of her hens were laying, and so the majority of mine may have easily come from 2 or 3 hens, which were not the same as the hens your eggs came from - I say this because mine look different to me than yours do. I do need to look them over more closely, I cannot say for sure on conformaition issues. I know I keep saying that, and I honestly am not trying to be "coy" about - it - my barn is not well lit and, in fact, their pen doens't have a light over it. All I have is the one barn light, which doesn't light well, so I hesitate to get pictures in the pen. I find pictures come out much better when they can be in a more natural posture, which is not indoors, but outside. However, the weather has been just horrible for weeks now. It's going to probably be mid-February before I'm able to get some pics of them out in the pen.

I thought "I like big fluffy butts and I cannot lie.." Yeah, so you're not alone

I totally get you. I don't take pictures in my pens either. They are just not easy to photograph indoors. Only in the great open area in the barn am I able to achieve any decent photos. It's a bummer, especially when I am so in love with photography not to be able to get my pictures to come out well this time of year. The sun is too much with the snow.

I do light my breeding pens for 13 hours, but not with heat. I only do this during breeding season. It's kind of necessary anyway, since I do chores at 6 in the morning and close by 7pm at night between working and choring.

I light during the day because it is so dull in most of the rooms. Good thing I have high efficiency lighting

 

[Wynette]

I thought "I like big fluffy butts and I cannot lie.." Yeah, so you're not alone

I totally get you. I don't take pictures in my pens either. They are just not easy to photograph indoors. Only in the great open area in the barn am I able to achieve any decent photos. It's a bummer, especially when I am so in love with photography not to be able to get my pictures to come out well this time of year. The sun is too much with the snow.

I do light my breeding pens for 13 hours, but not with heat. I only do this during breeding season. It's kind of necessary anyway, since I do chores at 6 in the morning and close by 7pm at night between working and choring.

I light during the day because it is so dull in most of the rooms. Good thing I have high efficiency lighting

Speaking of fluffy butts...that's yet another issue with the Silver Penciled, but honestly, it's probably something to be worked on after we get these major issues dealt with. They are, plain & simply, too fluffy. Upper thighs and rear ends shouldn't look as puffy as most do. BUT...again, that's more of a "tweaky" thing, in my opinion.

 

[Silver Rock]

Clay (may I call you Clay, or do you prefer Clayton??), Yes, the cushion issue is a big one, and by eliminating or reducing that - breeding for a nice, wide body, all the way back - you're also opening up the tail.  You're correct in that I do not use artificial light or heat in my breeder pens.  My cock bird DID sustain frostbite on his comb this year, just a bit.  It's not something I love to see, but nothing I can do about it in my neck of the woods.

Clay is ok with me Wynette

I also want to say it was very nice to have Dick Horstman chime in on this thread a few nights ago. I do hope he joins in more often as his knowledge on poultry breeding would benefit many.

Clayton Grace "Silver Rock"

 

[DMRippy]

Hi Wynette, yes the size of her head is a issue for me also but with the other thing I see going right for her "no cushion for one

" I have decided to use her in the breeding pen as the cockerel she will be crossed with has a very large head. I ask aoxa a question and if it is ok I would like to ask you the same question as if I remember correctly you don't use heat over your birds in the Winter months. With the Winter we have had this year have you had any comb damage due to frost bite?



Clayton Grace "Silver Rock"

Clay

It is NOT the COLD or even a lack of heat that causes frost bite.... it is MOISTURE. This last cold snap we had was really dry so I don't think anyone would have had too many issues with frost bite around here. BUT the first one it was not as dry and I had about 3-4 roos get frost bite pretty bad. It was strange too as I have 10 pens all the same and it was the roos in the middle 3-4 pens. My guess is the moisture from ALL the pens managed to settle in the middle of the coops for some reason.... maybe the wind blew it to the middle. My coops are well ventilated for sure I made no attempts to make them air tight. I have a 10 inch over hang at the front of the coops with just hardware cloth over it at the peak. There is also lots of gaps in the wood too so air can move. Moisture was the ENEMY in my pens.