The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[Fred's Hens]

Similar idea. I am using these in my hatcher this year.

 

[CoopDeDoo]

I am relying on all you experts to help me solve a mystery

I would have put money on the fact that I only had 2 Silver Penciled Rock eggs make it to lockdown - yet I have 3 of these:



I can get better pics if needed.The little one in the back looks like one to me but the other two are lighter. The other eggs that hatched are BBS JG and Salmon Favs so I am a bit stymied! Hatched 4/6/14.

 

[normanack]

Can you leg-band day-old chicks? Their legs are so tiny. Or do you keep them in separate groups out of the hatcher?

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Normanack, do you toe punch? If so, leg bands won't be needed for a while

 

[Fred's Hens]

Everybody has their own way of dealing with chicks. I hatch in batches. I'm done with Ricky Bates/Ron Fogle Reds, and some Rocks under that certain cockbird.

When I get around to using the next Rock cockbird,

there will be a distinct difference in age between the two offspring. No confusion. More Reds, More Barred Rocks, some White rocks, etc.

I'll leg band them when they come out of the brooder. This is just my way. I keep it really simple.

 

[racertomtom]

I toe punch out of the hatcher, almost always multiple pens at once. When the house burned to the ground in '05, I struggled a bit with no records.

Excuse my ignorance, but I'm playing catch up again and following Fred's out-cross with interest. I assume "ringlet" refers to E.B. Thompson's Imperial line?
What is GSBR?
Maine line?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Tom,

For those who may not know Tom Wheeler, he is a long time breeder of Barred Rocks and some of us on this thread have birds from his handiwork. Anyhow, it is generally thought that E.B. Thompson's Ringlet line lived on with Ralph Sturgeon and then with Frank Reese of Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch. (GSBR) If these birds kept without any outside additions is beyond my ability to know. Others may know many more details than I.

The so called Maine Line has many "forks" and some of it is pretty cloudy. There are a couple really good breeders in the Canadian Maritime provinces and in Maine and stock has crossed the border up there more than once. aoxa is a member here and has excellent birds from one of these flocks or forks or whatever you wish to call it.

Guy Roy is another northeast breeder who has my respect. Whenever I've seen his work, I see a lot I admire.

Tom, some 4 years ago, I got a trio out of the New England area that were reported to be the "Maine line", but specificity is pretty hard to come by. I do know they were project birds and had been outcrossed to a White just the generation before. So, that pretty much catches y'up and that's about all I know.

 

[DMRippy]

These are my hatching baskets. I use egg cartons for the eggs.... well egg trays cut to 6, 9 and 12 counts. (the plastic ones, cut with a dremel tool to size)








As for marking, I leg band so I can SEE what I am looking for and I also toe punch/cut to mark breeds just in case they lose the bands. I learned the hard way I needed to do both.

 

[racertomtom]

Thanks Fred, I'm familiar with Guy and Frank, and it certainly looks like you have your project under control.

Personally, I'm coming back from two years of tragedy as far as the flocks are concerned. In some cases I'm breeding from culls this year. Luckily my culls aren't as bad as they were when I started. I'm following a comment one of my mentors Shelby Harrington told me. "The bloodlines are set, if you raise a hundred birds, you can't help but raise a couple of champions." I intend to test that theory and hopefully I won't wind up on the feed dealers Christmas Card list.... again!

 

[Fred's Hens]

I dunno, Tom, whether the project is headed where it needs to go or not. These chicks will be an indication. One hatched over night and should have a few more during the day today. I'm off to get some tires from my tractor and seed potatoes and onion sets today. This is still a small working farm. Tonight, I'll set the last 20 eggs from the first cockbird.

Have to let the females clear out for a couple of weeks. Then, I'll use the second cockerel for some single mating in May.