The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[Fentress]

feet apart, strong wide head, a good depth of breast helps to create the desired gravy bowl underline, good width down the entire length of the body and spread in the tail. Those are the basics that I look for and it sounds like you are on your way to understanding that. The faults should be rather obvious and if your not sure, the folks here can help with that.

 

[Fred's Hens]

No bone in the shanks means no bone anywhere else, including skulls. With males standing together, and no females to confuse, look down at the forest of legs. Who's got skinny legs? He gone.

 

[chicken pickin]

No bone in the shanks means no bone anywhere else, including skulls. With males standing together, and no females to confuse, look down at the forest of legs. Who's got skinny legs? He gone.

This tip is very helpful.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Chick Photo Bomb

For those of you who like this sort of thing. These chicks are 3 weeks old today and 4 weeks old today. Hatched exactly one week apart.

Yes, I seperate the pullets from the cockerels as soon as I can sex them, which for me, is just about when the fuzz dries in the incubator. When you've bred a breed and a particular line of that breed for a long, long time, your familiarity with the traits, including sex, comes naturally to you with each passing year.

So with that introduction, here are the pullets. Hopefully the different lighting setting will provide some different photos to view. The lamp is merely a 90 watt, regular red, spot light. Not particularity hot at all. Not needed this time of year, of course. For those who are also breeding your own "fork" of this line, I suspect you're already saying, "Yup. Those are our females. There's a particular, pleasing look to the females in this line." Makes ya kinda smile.

 

[Fred's Hens]

The females look a bit like mottled Black Javas. This isn't too surprising, given that many historians believe that's what in the origins of this breed. All that historical arguing aside, if there is indeed Black Java in the Barred Rock, your 4 week old females are gonna show it, mimic it anyhow.

Here's the males in their brooder. Lots of crisp, bright zebra stripes on all those little sargeant wings. Feathering lags behind the females, of course. The down is quite grey in the light, the legs are stout, and the little combs are already pinking up and transparent. Ten little rascals right there. Some are 3 weeks old and some are 4 weeks old.

 

[normanack]

Unless it's just chance, they stand like cockerels already.
edited to add: the bottom photo. Please don't tell me those are girls.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Some small K's assume a posture very early on. You're right. But since some pullets also act up and act out, I don't put a lot of stock in behaviors alone.

The chicks are sexed and segregated in the photos above.

 

[Beekissed]

Fred, how soon are you able to identify the sexes of the Whites? I'll admit I've been fooled by these heirloom WRs when I try to determine it by legs, combs and feathering early on as these males seem to be slow to show sexual traits and some of the females have some mighty thick legs and huge size as young chicks.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Fred, how soon are you able to identify the sexes of the Whites? I'll admit I've been fooled by these heirloom WRs when I try to determine it by legs, combs and feathering early on as these males seem to be slow to show sexual traits and some of the females have some mighty thick legs and huge size as young chicks.

I am not very good at IDing the sex of Whites very early, to be honest. I too have guessed wrong. So, I basically give up and just wait it out. Ken Weaver is a whole lot better than I at sexing them at a reasonably young age. No way a White is as easy to sex early, at least not for me and I've been staring at them for almost 55 years.

 

[Beekissed]

That sure eases my mind...in other breeds I can pretty much see male and female as little chicks but these WRs have me stumped. The breasts are so heavy early on that they don't even get that male stance that one sees so often in chicks and young birds. Level to the ground when they stand and walk, each and every one.