Barred Plymouth Rock:
The Barred variety of the common backyard Plymouth Rock chicken is a very popular breed on farms and homesteads across North America. This hardy and resourceful little chicken produces many large light brown or slightly speckled eggs and is sizable enough to provide a good carcass for the table. Friendly, curious and excellent foragers, these hens have been a mainstay of country life for many decades.
The breed was developed in New England in the middle part of the nineteenth century, and first exhibited in 1869. Our barred rocks at Riverbendfarm are a production strain bred for their ability to lay. Each of our hens have laid regularly throughout 2013, one of the coldest winters in many years. These hens are extremely hardy with regards to temperatures and did well in temperatures lower than -20 Celsius for several weeks. With the arrival of spring they began laying an average of an egg a day for 5-6 days, occasionally taking a day off to rest.
These birds are great independent foragers and our rooster will round up all of his hens and head for the trees when they are ranging. They love to scratch and hunt for treats in the blackberry bushes and along the edges of the forest. The rooster is calm but very vigilant and will warn his girls if anything at all seems amiss. Links:
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According to Wikipedia:
"Several individuals claimed its invention, using crosses of Dominiques, Black Javas, Cochins, and perhaps Malays and Dorkings. John C. Bennett (1804–1867) has been credited with either creating or popularizing the breed. Plymouth Rocks were bred as a dual-purpose fowl, meaning that they were valued both for their meat and for the hens' egg-laying ability. The first Plymouth Rock was barred and other varieties were developed later. The breed became popular very rapidly, and in fact, until World War II, no breed was ever kept and bred as extensively in the United States as the Barred Plymouth Rock. Its popularity came from its qualities as an outstanding farm chicken: hardiness, docility, broodiness, and excellent production of both eggs and meat. Plymouth Rocks are large, long-lived chickens. Some varieties are good layers while others are bred principally for meat. They possess a long, broad back; a moderately deep, full breast; and yellow skin and legs. The hens have a deep, full abdomen, which is a sign of a good layer. The face of a Plymouth Rock is red with red ear lobes, a bright yellow beak, bay-colored eyes, and a single comb of moderate size. Their feathers are fairly loosely held but not so long as to easily tangle. The chicken's bottom feathers are soft and downy, like baby chicks feathers. In terms of temperament, both roosters and hens are calm and will get along well with people and other animals such as pets. The hens often will go broody if in the right environment, and are good mothers." |