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11/30/11 |
             
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At Bellwether Farm, we have been raising Partridge Plymouth Rock chickens for about a year now. Partridge Plymouth Rock chickens are a less well-known color variation of the more familiar Barred Plymouth Rock chickens (or sometimes just called "Barred Rock" chickens), which are black and white speckled. The Partridge Plymouth Rock chickens are brown and black speckled (actually their feathers are brown with black penciling along the edges), and the hens have copper-colored neck feathers, giving them a look very much like partridges.
Plymouth Rock chickens are a fairly rare breed of poultry, listed on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy's conservation priority list in the "Recovering" category (see American Livestock Breeds Conservancy - Breeds Information for information about endangered poultry breeds). They come in several color variations (including partridge, barred, white, buff, silver, blue, and black). They are described as a large (7 - 8 pounds), very hardy dual-purpose breed of American origin. They lay large brown eggs, and are good setters/brooders. Partridge Plymouth Rock Rooster * Partridge Plymouth Rock Hen * * Paintings reprinted courtesy of Department of Animal Science, Oklahoma State University
Last year, we ordered a bunch of Partridge Plymouth Rock day-old chicks from Nature's Hatchery in Naperville, Illinois (see their web site at http://natureshatchery.homestead.com/). The chicks arrived in June 2009, and were kept in the house in a tub for a few weeks until they were old enough to be put outside. When we ordered the baby chicks, it was assumed there would be some losses, so I ordered 4 cockerels (rooster chicks) and 22 pullets (hen chicks). However, there were NO losses, and I soon realized as the chicks grew to full size, that I had bought too many! So I gave away 2 young roosters and 9 young hens, leaving me with 2 roosters and 13 hens. This is the size of my current chicken flock, as I've had no losses to this day, thank heavens. (Click on the photos below to enlarge, then click the "back" arrow on browser to return).
Sheep shed with chicken room. In redesigning the 4 x 10 chicken room, I added 6 nesting boxes (2 rows of 3 wooden boxes, purchased from Rural King farm store for about $10.00 each) along the back wall. I also built a wide roosting ladder sloping up the back half of the room and resting on the end wall. I filled the floor and the nest boxes with pine shavings, and hung a chicken feeder from the ceiling on a long cord. The room also has electricity, and I mounted a worklight on a timer, so that during the shorter days of fall and winter, the light would come on early in the morning, and again in late afternoon/early evening, to give the hens at least a 14 hour day all winter for their laying to continue. I also bought a heated base and a galvanized waterer, so that they would have unfrozen water all winter. (Click on the photos below to enlarge, then click the "back" arrow on browser to return).
At first, I put the young adults away into the chicken coop every night, worrying that the many nearby hawks and owls would prey on them if I left the door open. However, soon I realized that: 1) the chickens were putting themselves away, 2) the entry door was rather small and low to the ground (birds of prey weren't likely to get that low to capture the chickens), and 3) the sheep that were living in that same small field were probably deterring any type of varmints from getting in and marauding the chickens. Additionally, the entire area is within a 5-foot high perimeter fence built of field fence, protected by electric wires on the outside, and reinforced with 3-foot high chicken wire on the inside. So basically, the chickens put themselves to roost at night and get up and out in the morning whenever they are ready. That is one more task I don't have to worry about!
Partridge Plymouth Rock Rooster at Bellwether Farm 08/15/10 The roosters are a beautiful multi-color combination of red, brown, gold, and a jade/teal green color, with a touch of blue. They remind one of Rhode Island Red roosters. I have found that the hens are sweet and gentle, and the roosters are mean as the dickens, and are rather savage to their hens. Most of the hens have fairly raw skin along their upper backs where the roosters have held them while mating. As of 05/05/10, we have just hatched a group of replacement chicks in an incubator, and we plan to get rid of two roosters as soon as it is certain that there are a few replacement cockerels among the hatch. The hens seem to be easily broody, and I think they would be a good breed to raise their own chicks. However, we will see how the recent incubated hatch does. Hopefully if these incubated replacement chicks do well, then we will avoid having to separate brooding hens and find new spaces for them to hatch and raise babies. The chick incubator hatch is fascinating to watch! Here are photos of one of the chicks being born in the incubator on 05/05/10, and about 2 hours later after the chick is dry and fluffy:
Later (after drying and fluffing) The Partridge Plymouth Rock hens lay a large light brown egg, and are prolific layers. I gather chicken eggs each morning and again each afternoon. From the group of thirteen hens, I am getting between 7 and an amazing 19 eggs per day! As I mentioned earlier, the hens are fairly broody -- by this, I mean that they tend to sit on their nests and protect their eggs, pecking at my hands when I reach under them to collect the eggs. I talk to them sweetly and gently, and always thank them for their eggs. Not sure if it helps, but it seems like the right way to go (ha!) These eggs are absolutely the best tasting farm eggs I have ever eaten. I cannot imagine going back to the drab tasteless grocery store eggs, after having feasted on farm fresh eggs!
Partridge Plymouth Rock Chicken Eggs, May 2010 |
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This site was last updated 08/15/10
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In early summer
as soon as the chicks were old enough, they were moved to a 50 x 50 foot
corner pen within my perimeter fence, to live as free range chickens along
with a small group of sheep. The pen has a nice 10 x 14 foot sheep
shed there, with a 4 x 10 foot poultry house room at one end. The room
is safe from predatory birds and other varmints, as it has screening on all
window and door openings, and the entry door can be closed at night.
That room became the chicken coop, and I redesigned it slightly to fit the
chicken nesting habits.%20P1010054%20(Small).JPG)
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