Breed chickens Plymouth Rock has been known since the middle of the 19th century, its name comes from the American city of Plymouth and Ang. Rock is a rock. The main signs were laid in the process of crossing the Dominican, Javanese, Cochin and Langshan breeds of chickens with roosters from Spain. Only in 1910 did the Poultry Association of America officially formalize the signs of the breed.
Plymouthrooks spread to Europe, then came to Russia. Allocate the Russian, American and European line, since the selection was carried out with the selection of specified characteristics.
Appearance
Once upon a time, plymouthrocks were widespread in Russia, then the livestock almost disappeared. Farmers are now 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 body and chest should form a rectangle, if they form a triangle, then this is a sign that the hen is a bad laying hen. The back is wide and strong. In roosters, the tail is short, the tail feathers are sickle-shaped. In females, tail feathers almost do not differ from integumentary ones, barely protruding.
The main color of striped Plymouthrocks is black, turning into a greenish tint, which alternates with a soft grayish color. Roosters have a 1: 1 ratio of black to gray and 2: 1 for chickens. Therefore, it seems that the chickens are darker. Ideally, each feather should end with a section of black. On the flight feathers, the stripes can be wider, even if it does not look as organic as on the body, but this width corresponds to the world standard.
Poultry breeders engaged in the selection of individuals for a breed should be careful about the appearance of chickens and roosters. Layers and roosters 12 months of age or a little earlier are selected for the breeding flock.
Productivity
Plymouth rock is a breed of meat-and-meat chickens. Chickens weigh up to 3.5 kg, males up to 5 kg. 170-190 eggs are carried per year.
Therefore, there is no need to make high fences. Poultry farmers love to breed Plymouthrocks for quality meat and a fair amount of eggs.
Chickens of striped Plymouthrocks, dark matte color. 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 cockerels, the white spot is blurred, indistinct, pale. In females, it is bright, with clear edges. The viability of the offspring is over 90%. A high rate is a characteristic feature of the breed.
Plymouthrocks do not suffer from any specific diseases that are characteristic only of this breed. They are resistant to disease, but if this happens, the diseases are the same as in other breeds. It is worth taking action if you find:
- Behavioral changes. Plymouthrocks sit more, move little;
- Birds eat poorly, lose weight;
- Profuse loss of feather;
- Frequent foamy bowel movements;
- Restless behavior.
Be sure to conduct a close visual inspection of the bird every day. There may be less obvious symptoms that are heralds of serious diseases.All this is the reason for contacting the veterinarian. For Plymouth Rocks, see the video:
Amrox breed
It so happens that under the guise of Plymouth Rocks they sell the Amrox breed. In reality, it is very difficult for a layman to distinguish one breed from another. Amrox bred on the basis of the striped Plymouthrock breed by targeted selection, in order to increase its productive value and vitality. Amroks can be found in private farms, due to their meat-and-meat 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. Layers 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 breed has a calm, balanced character. The bird is heavy to climb, extremely reluctant to climb the wing. Chickens incubate their eggs on their own, which makes it possible to do without an incubator in private households.
The safety of young animals is up to 97%. This is a very high figure and is a distinctive feature of the breed.
The striped plymouthrocks inherited their distinctive color from the Amroxes. Only their stripes are wider and not as clearly pronounced as in Plymouthrocks. The difference between the breed is that even down feathers have a black and gray stripe. Roosters are not as brightly colored as chickens.
On poultry farms aimed at mass production of products, amrox is not bred, but is used as a base for creating crosses. Hybrid breeds have specific properties: meat, egg, less often universal. The breed has no disadvantages, but only positive characteristics:
- High survival rate of young animals;
- Universal focus;
- Non-aggressive character;
- Good adaptation to new conditions;
- Not picky about food;
- High performance in terms of manufactured products.
All this makes it possible for novice poultry farmers to engage in the cultivation and breeding of the Amrox breed without 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 Plymouthrocks with Cornish breed, broilers of meat orientation appeared.
Interestingly, the Cornish was bred thanks to the interest of the English nobility in cockfighting, by crossing with Malay chickens. But the newly bred specimens lost their aggressive disposition and became unsuitable for cockfighting. But they retained their qualities of successfully gaining meat mass into the breast. The breed was not used for a long time, since it carried very few eggs. Through targeted selection, the breed has been improved and is currently used as genetic material for creating crosses. The focus is exclusively on meat, although the Corniches carry 100 - 120 eggs per year.
Conclusion
Breeds of chickens of a universal direction are suitable for keeping on private farms. Plymouthrooks are able to provide families with quality meat and eggs, while they have a high degree of unpretentiousness in nutrition and living conditions.
