The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[colburg]

You're right Judge, not being an early morning layer is one of my pet peeves too. LOL

CoIberg, I got way ahead of myself. I really should have asked, have they had light? If so, when did you begin?

I know lots of folks may have some aversion to it, but in some situations, it is just one small part of the domesticated, artificial environment we already provide. That's another discussion.

It is a deep concern to me when people wish to embrace bred to Standard birds and then get discouraged by the slow maturity and heavy costs and the perceived slow and small returns that are far too common. To break that cycle and start the selective breeding, one must first have fertile eggs to hatch. Lighting is essential to this. Had you lit those birds from October on you'd likely have had eggs by now and would be able to be hatching chicks in February, breaking this whole late/wait cycle. But I got way ahead of myself, sorry.

We haven't put lights on them. Wouldn't you know it though, my wife asked about that after I posted my questions. Don't know why I didn't think of that before. I've only read about it 100 times here and on the Heritage thread. I'll get a light out there today and start them with an extra 30-60 minutes.

Thanks so much Fred, Ripster, and Scott

 

[Silver Rock]

Fred, blurry photography or not, we can see what you were looking at!!  NICE

Great photos?  Pictures without any comments/content/questions?  Those are great for a "photo gallery thread"....but here!!??, I wanna hear about the BIRDS.  

In my opinion a picture is worth a thousand words. You can repeatedly tell others what you have but if you post pictures they can actually see what you have for themselves. I really wish more pictures were posted so we could see and compare our birds. But this is Freds thread and if he wishes for me not to post pictures I will stop the picture posting.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

We haven't put lights on them. Wouldn't you know it though, my wife asked about that after I posted my questions. Don't know why I didn't think of that before. I've only read about it 100 times here and on the Heritage thread. I'll get a light out there today and start them with an extra 30-60 minutes.

Thanks so much Fred, Ripster, and Scott

I would start by adding an hr since you are behind (add light only in the AM). Give it a week then add up to 1 1/2 hr, another week, go to 2 hrs....you need to work up to a total of 14 hr of light

It will take a little white for it to kick in. I use a cheapy timer from Lowes to turn mine on/off. And you dont meed much light. I think my largest coop has a 40W bulb in it.

Whatever you do, PLEASE think about safety and be certain the light is secured somehow so that it doesn't fall into shavings and start a fire, etc!!!

 

[Fred's Hens]

I would start by adding an hr since you are behind (add light only in the AM). Give it a week then add up to 1 1/2 hr, another week, go to 2 hrs....you need to work up to a total of 14 hr of light

It will take a little white for it to kick in. I use a cheapy timer from Lowes to turn mine on/off. And you dont meed much light. I think my largest coop has a 40W bulb in it.

Whatever you do, PLEASE think about safety and be certain the light is secured somehow so that it doesn't fall into shavings and start a fire, etc!!!

Yup yup. Me? I'd likely push it just a little harder and faster only because you're playing catch-up. I'd also only do the light adding in the am, agree 100%. Don't worry about the Daylight savings time goofiness coming up either. The birds don't wear watches. You're working off "real time"; the time the sun actually rises. Pay no attention to the silliness of socio-political DST nonsense.

 

[Silver Rock]

Hi Scott, I posted this yesterday but you may have missed it so I will post it again. This is my Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock breeding plan for the upcoming year.

This year I will just grow out my two lines of Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks and decide which ones will be used to move forward with come next Spring. I very much want to get started in hatching eggs off my Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks but I have decided to stick to my guns and wait until all my pullets are adult hens as this is the advice that has be given to me from Bob Blosl and other very knowledgeable poultry breeders. Come next Spring I plan to do all my Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock hatching in the month of March. I like to get my chicks on the ground in March as with the cool temperatures of early Spring the chicks are much healthier in my opinion. I also like March hatching as come April the grass runs are nice and green with fresh grass and bugs for the chicks to forage around on. One more thing I like about March hatching is the chicks have 9 months of growing out before The Dixie Classic poultry show in Knoxville, TN. a show that I plan to start attending each December.

Clayton Grace "Silver Rock"

 

[colburg]

I wish NM would be like AZ and Saskatchewan. No DST. Last time I checked, my chickens, cow, horse, didn't look at the clock and say, "Oh yeah, it's daylight savings day. It's ok if he's an hour late bringing us food."

There was supposed to be a petition to get rid of the DST in NM a year or 2 ago, don't know what happened with it. Anyway, we're sopposed to get to 70F today so it'll be a good day to finish that fence, clean shop, and top it off with grilling and cervezas later.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

It's probably too soon for me to be posting on a "Plymouth Rock breeders" thread but as that's my aim and winter is becoming far too long with nothing poultry wise to do but keep the water from freezing so I guess I'll do it anyway.


The stock I have now will be scrapped, at least not bred forward. I was fortunate enough to meet with Emenheiser and obtain a trio of his Andalusion laced project birds recently. I think fortunate at least as I believe this the most promising way to get complete lacing back on the Blues. I was surprised how nice the lacing was on the first birds of that project. Will leave photos to Emenheiser as it's his side project but really nothing to see other than the lacing as everything else is out of whack.

The goal this year is to hatch, hatch and then hatch some more to set in the lacing on those few blue colored ones picked for the following year. Of course if that isn't achieved to enough success will continue to hatch all summer. My freezer will be full of cockerel meat and locals will be getting very inexpensive then free layers so a win, win situation no matter how you look at it. Though looking at the birds I've confidence I'll have plenty of completely laced birds to select from and move forward.

In my other pen I'll simply be growing out Plymouth Rocks of good type hatching mid March this year. Knock on wood as I've the worst track record with shipped eggs! Regardless, if nothing hatches or of quality arises I'll obtain live birds in the fall of the best type I can find to be ready for the following spring.

It's a long road but I've high hopes and already chomping at the bid in this frigid February. Guess I should grab any eggs not already frozen and check the water...so busy...

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

It's probably too soon for me to be posting on a "Plymouth Rock breeders" thread but as that's my aim and winter is becoming far too long with nothing poultry wise to do but keep the water from freezing so I guess I'll do it anyway.


The stock I have now will be scrapped, at least not bred forward. I was fortunate enough to meet with Emenheiser and obtain a trio of his Andalusion laced project birds recently. I think fortunate at least as I believe this the most promising way to get complete lacing back on the Blues. I was surprised how nice the lacing was on the first birds of that project. Will leave photos to Emenheiser as it's his side project but really nothing to see other than the lacing as everything else is out of whack.


The goal this year is to hatch, hatch and then hatch some more to set in the lacing on those few blue colored ones picked for the following year. Of course if that isn't achieved to enough success will continue to hatch all summer. My freezer will be full of cockerel meat and locals will be getting very inexpensive then free layers so a win, win situation no matter how you look at it. Though looking at the birds I've confidence I'll have plenty of completely laced birds to select from and move forward.

In my other pen I'll simply be growing out Plymouth Rocks of good type hatching mid March this year. Knock on wood as I've the worst track record with shipped eggs! Regardless, if nothing hatches or of quality arises I'll obtain live birds in the fall of the best type I can find to be ready for the following spring.

It's a long road but I've high hopes and already chomping at the bid in this frigid February. Guess I should grab any eggs not already frozen and check the water...so busy...

Egghead

It seems you have a plan and a goal! In undergrad school, I had an engineering professor that preached constantly "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail"...no doubt that holds true in breeding as well.

I was in your exact spot a few years back.....goal was to simply put 100+ chicks on the ground and to tighten the feather up. From there each year brought a different breeding plan and set of goals

Hopefully you will catch a break in the weather soon. My first hatch is coming off today. 6 eggs set in the hatcher Wed night and 6 eggs pipped this afternoon

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Egghead

In undergrad school, I had an engineering professor that preached constantly "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail"...no doubt that holds true in breeding as well.

That's odd, one of my engineering professors would just blurt out "Lawyers! It's those d*** lawyers." I'm not sure how relevant that is to breeding nor was it relevant to the course but one of his favorite expressions none the less.


Sad I had to go to college to learn to be Civil.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Well....it's day 21 and the first chick of 2014 has just hatched!!! In my "cooler hatcher" that Fred and I both built!! 5 more to go

Let the 2014 season begin!

Will try to post a pix later once it has dried and I'll explain the breeding pen it is from