Plymouth Rock Chickens Guide for Best Care
Meet America’s favorite breed—Plymouth Rock Chickens. Homesteaders love these black and white birds for their hassle-free lifestyle, distinctive appearance and sweet spirits.
Additionally, the breed offers you the best of both worlds with their healthy egg production rates and meaty bodies.
These factors make it the ultimate poultry package for anyone interested in diversifying their farm or backyard flock. They are considered a perfect dual purpose bird!
Nevertheless, it is always helpful to begin with proper guidance which is why I am sharing the top tips for raising Barred Rocks!
Here are some important things you should know:
The Origins
This American-born breed made it first appearance in Boston in 1849. There’s no record of the predecessors until its reappearance in a poultry show twenty years later.
Plymouth Barred Rocks are one the all-time favorite white and black chicken breeds. They were introduced in Massachusetts at that time as a cross-breed of black java hen and barred cocks.
Plymouth Rock Chickens earned standardization status from the American Poultry Association by 1874.
Barred Rocks are considered the OG (Original Classic Style or Old School) of Heritage Breed of chickens.
These chickens became popular amongst homesteaders for their meat, eggs and docile demeanor.
Over the years, their fame diminished as commercialized chickens entered the market. Post World War I paved the way for other breeds like Leghorn Chickens and Cornish Cross Chickens.
Plymouth Barred Rock chickens’ hardiness and owner-friendly persona ensured that they continued to receive attention from private farms.
These days, they hold significance for regular homesteaders and backyard farmers alike.
Hardy Birds for Homesteaders: Appearance and Temperament
Plymouth Rock Chickens are big birds that weigh around 7-8 lbs. They feature a distinctive black and white pencil-striped body and featherless legs.
They have a single red comb, red ear lobes, and brownish eyes; their beaks, shanks and feet are yellow. This yellow skin color is what makes for a wonderful roast bird.
Plymouth Rocks are available in multiple plumages, each named after their colored feathers. Popular varieties include barred rock and white rock chickens.
These are followed by:
- Silver Plymouth Rock Chickens
- Penciled Plymouth Rock Chickens
- Partridge Plymouth Rock Chickens
Hens stand out from the cocks with their wider stripes and darker bars. Having a relatively heavy body allows these chickens are able to withstand winters without trouble.
They are equally active in warmer climates though they might need extra shade and air on hotter days.
These tough birds have a sweet temperament, and they are not as noisy as other breeds. They cluck around happily scratching up bugs and seeds.
This aspect makes them a neighbor-friendly variety for backyard farming.
Homesteading Tip: Bantam Chickens might be a suitable option for you if you’re short on space.
The Guide: How to Raise Plymouth Rock Chickens?
If you are impressed by these birds’ curious spirit and speckled appearance, we suggest bringing them home.
If you want chickens to lay eggs as well as provide meat, these dual-purpose chickens won’t disappoint.
Here are some things to consider while you prep your home for their arrival:
1) Low Maintenance Coop and Feeding Schedule for Your Flock
Plymouth Rocks are excellent foragers and work well as free-range chickens. This means you don’t need to micromanage their feeding schedule.
Aim to supply them with an adequate amount of nutritious, protein-rich feed and water when they are young.
Older chickens can peck around the land to feed on insects, plants, and other natural bounties available on the premises.
They must also have a good quality maintenance feed available at all times to keep egg production high as well as maintain their overall health.
Keep a standard supply of grains and feed in stock to meet proper nutritional standards and flock satisfaction.
In addition to this, these meaty birds need sufficient space to roam around inside and outside the coop.
Make sure to offer adequate floor space, perches for roosting as well as appropriate nest boxes for your egg layers.
These birds aren’t great flyers, so you won’t have to install tall fences to keep them safe.
Moreover, they only need attention during extreme conditions.
Otherwise, they can withstand hot and cold environments relatively well.
2) A Friendly Breed
These birds are friendly, not flighty around familiar faces. It’s why raising them from a young age makes them the ideal choice for families.
Your spirited and sweet flock will be enjoyed by family members of all ages. These factors make them a no-fuss breed for beginners.
Plymouth Rocks are often crossed with Blue Plymouth Rocks to created the Sapphire Gem Sexlink breed. Sapphire Gems are a lovely pearly gray color.
3) Egg Production vs. Broodiness
Plymouth Rock Chickens can lay eggs throughout the year. They have a healthy egg production rate (~4 eggs/week). These eggs are large and light brown with a smooth shell.
Plymouth Barred Rock chickens can lay approximately 200+ eggs in a year during favorable conditions. The egg-laying rate declines as they grow older (often around the 3-year mark).
You can help increase their egg laying rate by providing your girls with a nutritious diet. In addition to this, to help your to help ensure that your egg layers don’t stop laying in the winter season consider adding supplemental lighting.
Adding additional light along with a light timer in the darker winter months will help keep your flocking laying.
Also, make sure to have plenty of fresh water (not frozen), lay mash or pellets and scratch grains!
Offering scratch grains as supplement feed helps reduce boredom especially during cold winter months as well offer extra energy to keep your birds warm.
What if you plan to breed Plymouth Rock Chickens?
I’ve heard mixed reviews about the broodiness of this breed. Some say that the mother hens will go broody and are good sitters.
Others imply that Plymouth Rock Chickens showcase inconsistent brooding behavior.
Therefore, I recommend investing in an incubator to hatch your fertile eggs to increase your flock size.
Is This Chicken Breed the Right Choice for You?
In the end, Plymouth Rock Chickens are an incredible addition to any homestead of backyard poultry flock by providing you with tasty meat and eggs.
These factors make them a popular choice for many family-oriented farms.
Aside from their terrific temperament, you will find their low-maintenance lifestyle advantageous.
These birds need a clean and safe coop to settle in and thrive on your farm. This makes them a cost-effective and manageable breed for small farms, backyard farmers and homesteaders.
Looking for better egg layers or brooding breeds? You can read our guide on the Best Egg Laying Chickens & What They Have to Offer before bringing a feathered flock home.
