Plymouth Rock (Plymouth Rock) – a versatile breed of chickens, equally suitable for both eggs and meat. The bird does not require special care and is widespread in farms in America, Europe and Russia.
History of the breed
The breed was bred in the 60s of the XIX century by the farmer Worcester, in the United States in the city of Plymouth. The word rock was added to the name of the city, which emphasized the good health of the bird. The 5 best breeds of that time participated in the selection: black rooster (Spain), as well as hens – Javanese and Dominican (USA), decorative Kochinkhin (Indochina), Langshan (China). Thanks to the selection of these birds, a disease-resistant, unpretentious, highly productive breed has turned out.
The Plymouth Rock was officially recognized in 1910 by the American Poultry Association.
Over time, the birds crossed the ocean and gave the world three main lines of their breed: American, European and Russian. Americans and Europeans prefer the meat of white chickens, considering them more valuable, so they focus on breeding them.
In Russia, at the beginning of the last century, the striped plymouth rock was taken as the basis for breeding new breeds of birds crossed with domestic species. In the USSR, mainly meat chickens of the white line of Dutch origin were bred. Later they were crossed with the Cornish breed for the production of broilers.
Characterization
Good health, unpretentious care and excellent productive properties have made this breed popular among poultry farmers. The Plymouth Rock has a dense plumage that fits well to the body. The European breed of birds is somewhat denser and larger than the American one. Breed standards define the following appearance:
- slightly massive elongated body with a straight back fit;
- the wings are tightly set to the body, have a classic size;
- short fluffy tail;
- rounded, protruding chest;
- the small head has a comb in the form of a leaf with 4-7 small teeth;
- the front of the head is red;
- short but strong orange or rich yellow beak;
- oval earrings of red, almost scarlet color;
- standard neck with a dense fine feather;
- shiny eyes can be red or orange, the color of orange;
- mustard yellow paws are endowed with powerful claws.
The marriage of the breed is considered to be a drooping crest, white paws, dull earrings, a dark beak and a brown plumage color.
Color
Despite the fact that the breed contains 8 varieties of color, the world is bred mainly white and striped. The remaining 6 colors are less popular: black, grouse, yellow, fawn, hawk, blue.
Striped have the correct edging in the base color of the feather, which makes their color look like a decorative one. Black Plymouth Rocks are very beautiful, their rich deep tone is decorated with a green tint. The purity of the white color is very important – yellow down is not allowed in the breed standards. Rare chicken color looks especially decorative. Chickens have golden yellow plumage. Each feather is edged with a contrasting black piping.
Character
Birds are usually calm and balanced, even roosters are not aggressive. They quickly get used to a change of scenery, a new chicken coop, other owners. Curious but not very active. Large body and small wings do not allow them to jump or fly up.
This feature is taken into account when installing the fence – there is no need for too high a fence.
Productivity
The breed has a meat-and-egg orientation, but most often they are bred to obtain carcasses. Birds quickly gain muscle mass. An adult rooster gains weight up to 5 kg, and a chicken – up to 3,5 kg. Poultry meat is of high quality, juicy and tender.
By 5-6 months, chickens begin to lay. For a year, each individual gives from 170 to 190 eggs. The white variety is the most productive, its egg production is 20% higher than that of hens of any other color of this breed. The eggs are quite large, weighing about 60 grams.
Pros and cons of the breed
Plymouth Rocks are known and loved all over the world, they have a lot of valuable qualities, that attract poultry farmers:
- strong immunity, healthy, vitality;
- unpretentious in maintenance and care;
- non-aggressive, calm, with a balanced character;
- easily get used to climate change and conditions of stay;
- highly productive, have tasty tender meat;
- good laying hens, large, high-quality eggs;
- chickens are excellent hens and caring mothers.
The disadvantages include the immobility of the bird. Also, a rather late plumage of chickens is considered a disadvantage – at one and a half months. The process can be adjusted with additional vitamins and microelements introduced into the baby food.
How to choose?
If you have to choose day old chickens, their sex can be determined already at this age – you just need to look at the whitish spot on the head. In future hens, it is clear, bright white with clear boundaries, in males it is pale, as if blurry.
When choosing a bird, you need to carefully look at its appearance, as rejected individuals often enter the market. The rejection looks like this:
- the head is disproportionate;
- tapered back;
- elongated legs, very light, almost white, may be feathered;
- drooping, littered comb;
- whitish sluggish lobes;
- very dark beak;
- fuzzy, poorly defined plumage color or brown shade on them.
Content
Plymouthrocks are a healthy, easy-to-care breed of chicken, but proper management will make them even more productive. In order to get eggs and meat of good quality, it is necessary to properly organize the place of residence and walking of birds, monitor their nutrition, vitamin supplements and health.
Housing
Plymouthrocks are kept either on an industrial scale, in large, special bird shelters, or at home, for the needs of one yard. Given the large size of the bird, a spacious chicken coop is built to keep it.
Although chickens are unpretentious and adapt to any conditions, certain requirements for a chicken coop should still be observed.
- In the poultry house it is necessary to monitor the temperature regime. In winter, the thermometer should not fall below 12 degrees, and in summer it should not rise above 25. Violation of this regime will affect the egg production of birds. At elevated rates (+30 degrees), chickens stop laying. Drafts in the bird house are unacceptable.
- The coop must be dry. Dampness affects the health of chickens, leads to joint diseases and infectious diseases. To maintain a dry microclimate, a well-thought-out ventilation system is necessary.
- The systematic egg production of Plymouth Rocks is ensured by good illumination. To do this, the room is equipped with lamps of warm yellow light, protecting them with shades. All wiring is out of reach of chickens. If there are windows in the chicken coop, they will become an additional daylight source. Lattices will protect glasses from accidental breaking by birds. Feeders and drinkers should be especially well lit.
- The chicken coop is equipped with comfortable perches and perches.
- Straw or sawdust is suitable as a flooring, they are changed as needed.
- Birds love peace and are afraid of sharp and loud sounds. The chicken coop should not be arranged near the fence, behind which the freeway passes. The best place for birds is a quiet backyard.
Place for walking
Next to the chicken coop, an aviary or a fenced area is being prepared for walking the bird. Plymouthrocks are inactive and do not need too high a fence. Many owners of the place where chickens are kept in the fresh air are equipped with sheds. This creates additional shade and protects the birds from the rain. Polycarbonate is often used as a material. The aviary can be equipped with street lighting.
Food
Despite the fact that Plymouth Rocks are unpretentious and eat everything they are given, their healthy appearance, stable egg production and taste of meat depend on proper nutrition. Therefore, the diet of Plymouthrocks should be taken seriously.
The bird can be fed with whole and crushed grains. (barley, corn, wheat). Cereals should make up 2/3 of the total diet. The rest of the food is supplemented with food waste, vegetables and herbs (nettle, knotweed, sainfoin, colza, amaranth).
In winter, in order for the bird to rush better, they give it warm and soft food. You can steam the compound feed with vegetables.
Today, farmers have a choice whether to continue to feed the birds with grain, as our ancestors did, or switch to ready-made compound feed from the manufacturer. If a decision is made to introduce compound feed into the diet, you should study its composition and choose the best option. This is a safe and convenient form of feeding. Some of its species are designed for chickens, others for egg-laying chickens, and others for meat.
The composition of feed most often includes:
- ground grains;
- cake of plants such as soybeans, sunflowers and legumes;
- vegetable fats;
- complexes of vitamins and minerals, salt;
- meat and bone meal or limestone product.
This composition can be supplemented with other beneficial substances, such as chalk, antioxidants, probiotics. Compound feeds are always balanced, they have everything that a bird needs. It is only necessary to select the product individually for your livestock. For example, if birds have problems with immunity, they choose vitamin compositions, a lack of muscle mass – protein ones.
Compound feed is divided into age categories.
Laying hens are fed twice a day. The first feeding is done as early as possible, as chickens are early birds. In two doses, the bird should eat approximately 120 g of feed. The scope of the allowable is 75-150 g per day. Overeating for a laying hen is just as harmful as undereating. An obese plymouth rock will stop laying eggs.
If the birds are just entering the egg-laying period, you can feed them three times a day, slightly increasing the dose. Feeders should be filled to 2/3, chickens simply rake the overflowing feed. The product in granules can be sprinkled on the floor without using the feeders, this makes the Plymouth Rock active.
Breeding
To create optimal conditions for breeding chickens for 30 layers, it is necessary to have 7-8 roosters in the hen house. One-year-old birds are selected in the breeding flock. The best hens and the most caring mothers in Plymouth Rocks are representatives of the striped species. To get a large batch of chickens, you can connect incubators.
Plymouthrock has a high percentage of egg fertility (97%) and stable offspring viability (90-96%). These are the best indicators in the world of birds. The chicks are born healthy, strong and grow fast despite the late fledging (at 6 weeks of age).
One-day-old chicks are placed in a clean, dry box equipped with a warming lamp. In the first days of life, babies are provided with round-the-clock coverage. The ambient temperature during this period should be 30 degrees. With age, the temperature in the room with chickens should be reduced to 20 degrees.
Nutrition in newborn chicks is the same as in adults, only grains and feed need to be finely ground. Babies add cornmeal, cottage cheese, eggs and some finely chopped greens to the diet. After two weeks of age, meat and bone meal, yogurt are introduced into the feed.
Chicks are given crushed grain from the fourth week of life. On the fifth week they are released into the aviary, during this period, chopped grass is already more actively added to the diet of chickens. Starting from 6 or 7 weeks, the young are transferred to whole grains. When the chicks are 8 weeks old, their diet becomes common with adults.
During the growth period, vitamins and minerals are added to the feed.
By crossing the Plymouth Rock with the Cornish breed, broilers are bred, which can already weigh more than one and a half kilograms a month and are suitable for slaughter and meat production. In such an alliance, large chickens with ideal meat forms are obtained.
Properly raised chickens tolerate the winter period well, provided that the chicken coop is insulated. Thanks to the dense plumage, adult birds can be walked even in frost, but the air temperature should not fall below -5 degrees.
Reviews
Judging by the reviews, the breed is quite popular with farmers. Here are some of them:
- Tamara: “I have been breeding the breed for a long time, I am very satisfied. They begin to rush from 5 months. Before Plymouth Rock I tried different types of birds, but this breed was the only one that impressed me. I keep it free-range, the meat is tender, tasty, reminiscent of broilers.”
- Ksyusha: “Plymouthrocks grow up instantly, in three months, consider adult chickens, about one and a half kilograms of weight. With good care, the birds do not get sick. Interestingly, Plymouth Rocks recognize the owner and become attached to him, becoming almost tame. To get both eggs and meat at the same time, there is no better bird than Plymouth Rocks.
- Zinaida: “I live in the suburbs. We decided to have chickens for domestic use, but such that there would be both meat and eggs. We settled on Plymouth Rocks. They cost a lot, since they could not get the kids, they bought five-month-olds. But they were satisfied, there are eggs, delicious meat and a decorative bird – the color is striped, very beautiful.
Plymouthrocks are a beautiful, versatile bird breed that is suitable for both large farms and small chicken coops. It is easy to breed, the birds are not demanding in care, they have good egg production and tasty meat.
For information on how to choose and care for the Plymouthrock chicken breed, see the following video.
