The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[normanack]

How many eggs do you usually set from a sigle mating? She will either be with the cock or by herself. Please don't take this the wrong way, it just seems a little mean that she would stay by herself for a long periof of time, even if it is just a couple of months. If the cock is not to rought I guess he could stay with her. I don't plan to keep many cocks and have been thinking about matrilenial breeding lines, but the lack of egg production from a breeding pen would be a problem, especially if I was trying to respond to a hen that just went broody.

Thanks

I was prepared to put a hen or two which lay non-brown eggs with my breeding pair until a second breeding hen arrived to keep them company.

 

[Fred's Hens]

bee i got the brother i think to this guy he is a stud actually i named him stud larry flyntt

Beautiful male. You have White Rocks eggs in the incubator right now?

 

[bigjohn752000]

oh yea im ready its hard to wait lol they at 14 days right now

 

[Fred's Hens]

I was prepared to put a hen or two which lay non-brown eggs with my breeding pair until a second breeding hen arrived to keep them company.

This also works well. You wouldn't be the first do this. The eggs are obviously distinquishable. Good plan.

 

[mithious]

I solved, I think, my broody raising problem with the Standard American Dominique's. I have an all broody coop/run also. This line is supposed to go broody. More like a bantam would. Kinda hard to mistake a rose comb for a single comb

I start my birds getting used to being separated, at a young age. It will imprint and I see less stress from the birds, when we "practice" first, young. I handle the birds a ton and I do believe they think I am just a big, ugly looking chicken

I was reading through this thread and found the posts about the cock's and aggression. I want to thank all of you for your posts. They gave me much to think about and some ideas on how to handle my one adult hatchery BR cock that has periodically flogged me. I am watching him and seeing there are certain things that set him off. It's all around his girls and perceived threats...on his part and since the girls are paying the feed costs and such, I need them until I grow out what I now have.

So thanks again for all your ideas and thoughts! It IS helping my situation. I think he and I are learning together. I normally would've just culled him, but for this summer, he is the only grown cock I have for free ranging, so really need him! He's just about a year old, and no other cock, to put him in his place. I am beginning to think it's more just confusion on his part than genetic?

Even if he was one of my really great birds, I would hesitate to breed him though. That being said, I am rethinking that whole issue and will see what comes out of this newest lot. That is what I have heard all my life anyways. Correct me if I am wrong.

I only remember one cock, as a kid, that flogged me and my Dad culled him immediately. He really hurt me. My Dad was the one that told me it was genetic on the male's side.

Any more thoughts on this?

 

[Beekissed]

The male above is the one that I kept back for breeding myself

Forgive me for being stupid here, but are you Ken? If so, I owe you a debt of gratitude a mile wide....not enough words to cover it, really. Can I throw you a hug?

I'll try to do him justice, though I'm a rank amateur on all counts. I'm just tickled down to the ground and can't stop looking at this bird...I catch myself just sitting and staring at his moves, his feathering...he's just captivating to watch. Then, when you see him next to these pullets and you finally get to see what has been missing...their feathers are so similar, the size, the width of the hips and the depth of the chest. He's the missing puzzle piece and they are now a matched set.

It's incredible. It's even more incredible that they seem to know it and they are hanging around together and his first breeding was with my favorite of the two...the largest and the one with the best tail and chest, albeit with a little more cushion than the other. She has the widest tent and is just thick from front to back, just like him. I love it!

 

[speckledhen]

Quote: My experience has supported that so far. When you breed from easygoing males, you usually get easygoing, non human aggressive males. Nothing is 100% guaranteed, of course, and there's always that couple that are unexplainable, but if you breed from the meanest rooster you have, don't be surprised if he throws nasty tempered sons. I cannot stand nasty males, won't keep them. The only bird we've ever eaten here was a 25 week old cockerel who was showing aggression toward us and it was ramping up. The day he flew off the roost at my husband was the day his fate was sealed.

 

[mithious]

My experience has supported that so far. When you breed from easygoing males, you usually get easygoing, non human aggressive males. Nothing is 100% guaranteed, of course, and there's always that couple that are unexplainable, but if you breed from the meanest rooster you have, don't be surprised if he throws nasty tempered sons. I cannot stand nasty males, won't keep them. The only bird we've ever eaten here was a 25 week old cockerel who was showing aggression toward us and it was ramping up. The day he flew off the roost at my husband was the day his fate was sealed.

This hatchery cock is only the second one I have experienced after thousands and thousands of birds. Dad did caponize all our cock's that were culled for meat. Wish I had learned that when he was still alive. Makes for a much more peaceful meat yard!

Back to breeding, how many of you have used the wing banding and what did and didn't you like about it vs the leg bands? I am trying to decide which way to go and is it true it has to be done at about 2 weeks? or is there some leeway?

Thanks in advance

 

[LindaB220]

The reason for developing an eye for what is right, is you are going to have to pick your best birds to breed to each other. Than you will have to hatch and pick from those, your best. ( closest to the SOP )

The hardest part, for kids especially, is the culling. In order to get those good birds that are closest to the Standard, you have to hatch quite a few chicks and pick from them, the best and cull the rest. Some are kept for layers, some for meat, some for the stew pot, as you will be culling all ages. That is the hardest when first getting into breeding.

Lots of the older breeders did do some writing on breeding and different breeding plans and methods. There are many. I don't recommend flock breeding, as that is what the hatcheries do and they end up with mutts very quickly. It takes many generations to bring them back. But there are many different ways to breed that will bring success.

I do hope you keep it up. You did a lot better than quite a few people I have talked with, over my lifetime, on your first try, that never ended up breeding.

Best of luck to you and keep asking if you need help. Maybe start a thread on new breeders that need help learning?

Oh, do they still allow for taxes on the text books, "equipment" er birds, buildings, ect and so on? Like I said, it's a great teaching tool that is fun for the whole family and the kids love showing. ( a field trip?

)

I love all three posts you just sent. I'm a newbie also and will need what I'm researching now. Good work. Thank you. Linda

 

[racertomtom]

Back to breeding, how many of you have used the wing banding and what did and didn't you like about it vs the leg bands? I am trying to decide which way to go and is it true it has to be done at about 2 weeks? or is there some leeway?

Thanks in advance

I've never actually used the wing bands, not too popular on the show circuit. I rely on toe punches to identify the pen/lineage of the hatch right out of the hatcher and add that to the lineage charts. (toe punches are free) The only time I band birds is when they are selected for a breeding pen. Then they will be given a colored and numbered aluminum leg band. The color will represent the hatch/ lineage, the number will belong to the individual and that info will be added to the charts.