The Plymouthrock chicken breed has been known since the middle of the 1910th century, its name comes from the American city of Plymouth and Eng. Rock – rock. The main features were laid down in the process of crossing the Dominican, Javanese, Cochin and Langshan breeds of chickens with roosters from Spain. It wasn’t until XNUMX that the Poultry Association of America officially formalized the breed.
Plymouthrocks spread in Europe, then came to Our Country. The , American and European lines are distinguished, since the selection was carried out with the selection of the given characteristics.
Appearance
Once upon a time, Plymouth Rocks were widespread in Our Country, then the livestock almost disappeared. Now farmers are trying to revive the Plymouth Rocks, as they have valuable qualities. What the breed looks like, look at the photo.
The description of the breed includes the following features: shiny eyes, legs and a rich yellow beak. In laying hens, the comb has a leaf-like shape with uniform teeth; in roosters, the comb is larger with 4-5 teeth.
The torso and chest should form a rectangle, if they form a triangle, then this is a sign that the chicken is a poor laying hen. The back is wide, strong. Roosters have a short tail, tail feathers are sickle-shaped. In chickens, tail feathers almost do not differ from integumentary feathers, they barely protrude.
The main color of the striped Plymouth Rocks is black, turning into a greenish tint, which alternates with a soft grayish color. Roosters have a 1:1 black to gray ratio, while hens have a 2:1 ratio. Therefore, it seems that the hens are darker. Ideally, each feather should end with a patch of black. On the flight feathers, the stripes may be wider, although it does not look as organic as on the body, but such a width corresponds to the world standard.
Poultry farmers involved in the selection of individuals for a tribe should be attentive to the appearance of chickens and roosters. Laying hens and roosters of 12 months of age or a little earlier are selected for the breeding herd.
Productivity
Plymutrock is a breed of meat-and-egg chickens. Weight of chickens up to 3,5 kg, roosters up to 5 kg. Eggs are 170-190 pieces per year.
Therefore, there is no need to make high fences. Poultry farmers love to breed Plymouthrocks for quality meat and a considerable amount of eggs.
Striped plymouth rock chicks with a dark matt coloration. And a characteristic white spot on the head, according to it, at the age of a day, the sex of the chickens is determined. In males, the white spot is blurry, fuzzy, pale. In chickens – bright, with clear edges. The viability of the offspring is more than 90%. A high rate is a characteristic feature of the breed.
Plymouthrocks do not suffer from any specific diseases that are characteristic only for this breed. Resistant to diseases, but if this happens, then the diseases are the same as those that affect other breeds. It is worth taking action if you find:
- Changes in behavior. Plymouth Rocks sit more, move little;
- Birds eat poorly, lose weight;
- Profuse loss of pen;
- Frequent frothy bowel movements;
- restless behavior.
Be sure to conduct a careful daily visual inspection of the bird. There may be less obvious symptoms that are messengers of serious diseases. All this is a reason to contact the veterinarian. About plymouthrocks, see the video:
Amrox breed
It happens that under the guise of Plymouth Rocks they sell the Amrox breed. In fact, it is very difficult for a non-specialist to distinguish one breed from another. Amrox was bred from the Plymouth Rock Striped breed by directional selection in order to increase its productive value and vitality. Amroks can be found in private farms, due to their meat and egg orientation, they fully satisfy the requirements of poultry farmers for their products.
Chickens weigh up to 3,5 kg, roosters weigh up to 5 kg. Laying hens produce up to 200 eggs per year. The eggs are light beige in color. The shell is strong. The average weight of eggs is about 60 g. The character of the breed is calm, balanced. The bird is heavy on the rise, extremely reluctantly rises to the wing. Chickens hatch eggs on their own, which makes it possible in private households to do without an incubator.
The safety of young animals is up to 97%. This is a very high figure, is a hallmark of the breed.
The striped Plymouth Rocks inherited their distinctive coloration from the Amroks. Only the stripes are wider and not as pronounced as those of the Plymouth Rocks. The difference between the breed is that even downy feathers have a black and gray stripe. Roosters are not as brightly colored as chickens.
On poultry farms aimed at mass production, amrox is not bred, but is used as a base for creating crosses. Hybrid breeds have specific properties: they have a meat direction, egg, less often universal. The breed has no cons, but only positive characteristics:
- High survival rate of young animals;
- Universal orientation;
- Non-aggressive character;
- Good adaptation to new conditions;
- Not picky about food;
- High performance for manufactured products.
All this makes it possible for beginner poultry farmers to engage in the cultivation and breeding of the Amrox breed without any special risks.
Cornish breed
In production, the Plymouth Rock breed is used to breed interbreed hybrids. Crossbreeding with other breeds gives excellent results. For example, as a result of crossing Plymouth Rocks with the Cornish breed, meat-oriented broilers appeared.
Interestingly, the Cornish were bred due to the interest of the English nobility in cockfighting, by crossing with Malayan chickens. But the newly bred specimens lost their aggressive disposition and became unsuitable for cockfights. But they retained their qualities to successfully gain meat mass in the breast. The breed did not find application for a long time, since it carried very few eggs. Through directional breeding, the breed has been improved and is currently used as a genetic material for creating crosses. The orientation is exclusively meat, although the Cornish bear 100 – 120 eggs per year.
Conclusion
Breeds of chickens of a universal direction are suitable for keeping on household plots. Plymouthrocks are able to provide a family with high-quality meat and eggs, while they have a high degree of unpretentiousness in nutrition and conditions of detention.