What is the Breed Standard of the Barred Plymouth Rock?

[Fred's Hens]

One of the purposes of "fellowship" or developing relationships among various breeders is precisely that good friends are made. Sometimes, when you need to reach out to someone for an injection of your very line, you may want a bird from someone who has kept the line you have also kept in parallel, but has been separate from you for 8 to 10 generations.

Sometimes, your line may have a weakness you just struggle with, such as lack of a decent tail. Maybe someone has been producing good tails on their birds and a private conversation with that person may yield some good results and maybe a cockerel can find a new home, eh?

Maybe he can provide just want you need to make some progress with your own birds.

 

[alana124]

Yes! Fellowship and developing good relationships among various breeders. I never think of those things when on the forum because I say to myself, well hey, it's just a forum, we're scattered; we're faceless entities. I need a rethink.

 

[Fred's Hens]

In Defense of Breeders

It is often popular here to bash breeders as being arrogant or self-absorbed in their own sense of importance or vainglory. In truth? Wherever there are imperfect people, in any endeavor of life, you will find such folks and breeders are no different. But if it is unfair to taunt all fanciers and paint them all with the wide brush of one's own imagination.

The commercial industry, which controls 98% of all the birds on the planet, only want skinny little egg machines, hybrids that they get from the Hubbard, Hi-Sex, and ISA type strain developers of the world. The meat industry is likewise dominated by versions of the CX and 98% of all birds eaten are these quick to market birds. The commercial industry has no use for any other chickens of any other kind save these two extremes of chickendom.

The small, retail hatcheries produce birds for the small holders and a huge portion of their sales are also selling these same egg machine layers and/or CX type broilers to the smaller operators.

So who really cares about the 200-300 other breeds and varieties? Frankly? No one, but those breeders.

That's right, the breeders. If you have followed this thread over the past year or two, you've seen spectacular Silver Penciled, Buff, Barred and White Plymouth Rocks shown. Who has these birds? Who alone breeders these birds? Who has preserved and still preserves these gorgeous, true examples of the breed? Nobody but the dedicated fanciers, the breeders. Do these breeders own a 1000' long poultry building? None I know of. Shocking? But breeders, most breeders I know? They are BackYarders. That's right, they are BackYard Chicken people.

Do the big commercial poultry conglomerates have such birds? Of course not. Do the mail order, smaller retail hatcheries have these birds? No way. They have birds that are "similar" or that are said to "represent" (think substitutes for) the true versions, but they don't have, don't breed them, and don't sell them.

Can you buy such true examples of the glorious Plymouth Rock at a feed store near you? Of course not. So, instead of taking aim at breeders, why not thank them for the work they do. The breeder is the only person who stands in the way of these birds extinction.

We may need to promote a "Kiss Your Breeder Week". For either we kiss these breeders in appreciation or we can kiss all these breeds goodbye.

.

 

[topdog24]

I am fairly new to BYC, but have raised chickens and been around them all my life, my JR High School 4H club RIR's captured a blue ribbon at the local fair and livestock show, But i am not a breeder YET, as i near my retirement age, I have a burning desire to really get serious about becoming a dedicated Breeder, after all, I never plan to quit working, but just not work in the public sector. I would appreciate any help in finding pure bred BPR stock to get started with, I have 19 BPR that i got locally, I can tell by looking at them that they are not Heritage BPR , some more than others, Any help or information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Fred's Hens]

Contact Matt1616 here on BYC. He's close to you. There are others as well.

 

[topdog24]

Contact Matt1616 here on BYC. He's close to you. There are others as well.

Thanks a bunch, I will do that

 

[Strader]

It looks as though when I was reading up on the standards ( the amount of points on the rooster comb should be Six ) My Barred Rock is beautiful on everything but appears to me to have seven points, which may cost it up to 8 points or could even be disqualified in the show arena? was wanting to show it. Any judges out there? that would know this info?

 

[Chris09]

It looks as though when I was reading up on the standards ( the amount of points on the rooster comb should be Six ) My Barred Rock is beautiful on everything but appears to me to have seven points, which may cost it up to 8 points or could even be disqualified in the show arena? was wanting to show it. Any judges out there? that would know this info?

There should be 5 points and then the Blade.
Each extra point is a 1/2 point deduction.

 

[Strader]

Is it common to have more than the five points required? had two beautiful roosters born from supposed show quality line that turned out like this?