The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[Yard full o' rocks]

A BR x BR would never throw a yellow chick, would they?  Because I only have one brown egg layer in my flock, and its my BR hen...and the one BR rooster, yet the egg I just hatched from them both is a yellow chick.  

2 thoughts come to mind

1. Are you sure they are pure barred rock?
2. White rocks are a result of "sports" from barred birds....so that could be a possibility

 

[Sweetpea3829]

2 thoughts come to mind

1. Are you sure they are pure barred rock?
2. White rocks are a result of "sports" from barred birds....so that could be a possibility

No, I'm not positive they are pure. Awhile ago, I posted a picture of both the BR roo and the hen here on this thread. The Roo has quite a few faults and could very well be a mutt of some sort. The hen looks more pure to me.

So it might be a White Rock chick then?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Folks, let's just cut straight to heart of the matter, shall we? If you get Barred Rocks or any other variety of Plymouth Rock from a bin at a feed store you cannot expect that the birds are little more than scrubs. That is what Bob Blosl used to call them. I know it's hard for folks new to Standard bred poultry to understand but chicks mass produced by the hatcheries and re-sold at feed stores are generally way, way off. They lack the size, proper shape, distinctiveness of color, barring or pattern features associated with the Rock. There are not likely 6 folks in the United States that have breeding stock of quality Columbian Rocks. Partridge and Buff Rocks are no better off.

Just because a feed store tapes a sign on a bin selling chicks said to be Columbian Rocks doesn't make than even close to what that variety is supposed to be. Same with Partridge Rocks, Buff Rocks, Silver Penciled Rocks, etc. These birds of high quality are extremely rare and those varieties need folks willing to work for years and years and years to restore them to what they should be. In most cases, they are little more than mutts posing as the real deal.

99% of the birds sold as Barred Rocks have so much Dominique and Leghorn mixed in them to zoo up egg production and mass produced for so long that if they birds were not speckled a bit with cuckoo in black and white, no one would peg them for a Barred Plymouth Rock. Most of the females shown on BYC has no barring at all, just some messy, random cuckoo, to say nothing of proper size or type.

It takes a good foundation of stock and a lots and lots of work to keep these birds in proper Rock form. Remember, these breeds are man made, they are not species. The pilgrims didn't find them wandering the woods of the new world. Without dedicated folks working hard to maintain these breeds and varieties, they fall apart into mutt-ville and scrub-dom in fairly short order.

That's what this thread is about. Folks working, sharing and encouraging each other in the preservation and building up of true to standard bred Plymouth Rocks.

 

[Sweetpea3829]

I just want to say...mine didn't come from the feed store. I hatched these birds myself, from eggs given to me by a neighbor. Granted, he may have gotten his chicks from a hatchery, but I'm not sure.

Not saying that mine should be of higher quality, just that they didn't come from a bin.

Is this not the correct place to ask the question I asked? Should I have started a thread?

 

[tigercreek]

I just want to say...mine didn't come from the feed store. I hatched these birds myself, from eggs given to me by a neighbor. Granted, he may have gotten his chicks from a hatchery, but I'm not sure.

Not saying that mine should be of higher quality, just that they didn't come from a bin.

Is this not the correct place to ask the question I asked? Should I have started a thread?

There is another Plymouth Rock thread that is friendlier to beginners who have a different agenda here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/273471/plymouth-rock-thread/6130#post_13329228. enjoy your rocks........stan

 

[Fred's Hens]

You can always start your own thread. It is a great way to center the focus and conversation on your own birds.

 

[dartfreak75]

So are you saying since my birds are "scrubs" I shouldn't participate in this thread?

 

[Beekissed]

Fred, lost my best WR girl the other night...dead off the roost. Liver disease. Currently have two Del broodies and am picking the most dedicated one to set, will delay her for awhile until I can get some fertilized WR eggs from the other hen. I let The Rock to the flock last night and he's been breeding steady today. I know there are recommended time for breeding and all that but don't want to hold this broody off too long, so am just going to wing it for now and worry about doing it right later. Need some WR chicks YESTERDAY.

 

[Fred's Hens]

So are you saying since my birds are "scrubs" I shouldn't participate in this thread?

Not at all. This is the best thread for learning about great birds.

As I said, your birds look healthy and well cared for and you've done a good job caring for them.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Fred, lost my best WR girl the other night...dead off the roost. Liver disease. Currently have two Del broodies and am picking the most dedicated one to set, will delay her for awhile until I can get some fertilized WR eggs from the other hen. I let The Rock to the flock last night and he's been breeding steady today. I know there are recommended time for breeding and all that but don't want to hold this broody off too long, so am just going to wing it for now and worry about doing it right later. Need some WR chicks YESTERDAY.

Bee, we were in a similar place with some Nelson Reds we had. Only got two females from immyjay54 and one didn't survive to adulthood. So, we're going to hatch every egg our remaining female lays in May. She's laying well, 24-25 eggs a month. If we can hatch out 80%? We'll be OK. You are in a similar situation.