Plymouth Rock

I Love Plymouth Rocks! They Rock!

Despite these being such a popular breed of chicken, its pretty hard to get them where I live in the Northern Territory in Australia. My partner brought me back a dozen from Melbourne (with two other breeds as well) and I hatched 8, however I had two that died later on. Of course, 4 roosters and 2 hens was the results so I kept one hen of each of the breeds that my partner brought back, an Australorp and a Faverolles. The growth of the Plymouth was in the middle of the two other breeds, the lorp being the biggest, quickest to grow and the first layer and the Faverolles being the smallest however the Plymouth was the last to lay. So I see the Plymouth as a slower maturing bird basing her off the other two breeds that grew up together.

The appearence always catches visitor's eyes. Everyone wants her, or wants to get one like her. And then they see her jump on my lap for a pat and they start offering prices for her!!

"Oh my kid will love a chicken like that!!" a man even told me, but heavens I wont sell her.

Her docile nature is even more attractive than her visual appearence. Most of my chickens will puff up and growl if I go to pat them in the nest, and some even if they see me walk pass but my Plymouth will let me pat her and give her mealworms. Her eggs don't seem to be anything to brag about, just a regular brown egg with a few fine specks (the Australorp beats her again there) but she is a regular layer, unlike the Faverolles, and a few other breeds I own like my Araucanas, Light Sussex and Leghorn (she's a bit old) and she doesn't go off and hide them like my Old English Game and Silkie. She hasn't gone broody but plenty of people I know who own them have told me they have sat, so I guess it's only a matter of time I guess.

They are fun to enter into the shows! Since they are popular, they get their own catagory at the poultry show rather being lumped in the soft feather catagory and there can be a lot of entries. The niche breeds aren't as fun as sometimes I can be the only entrant in one catagory, so I have no idea if my bird is any good without chasing up the judge to find out. But with plymouths you will know by just one show if you have the goods!! The roosters are magnificent, the hens look so large and heavy, they just look like the most perfect chicken and the public that go to the shows always oooh and aaahh at the plymouths barring.

Easy to maintain. The plymouths seem to do a fair bit of foraging around. If you do any digging in the garden or moving of green waste they will be at your feet getting anything from roaches, crickets, termites and even baby rats. They just get right into it, while the other breeds kind of stuck to the sidelines waiting paitently for the bugs to come their way. The Australorps are like the Plymouths in that aspect as well. They love their mealworms and are a great breed to teach tricks with them as treats. Very intelligent and worth the time if you have it, or children.

A heavy bird also makes it a bonus if you plan on using them for meat when they finish laying, however I am more than happy to keep mine as pets after they retire "work".

Not hard to sell chicks of this breed. They sell like hot cakes.

Another pro is their tolerance to the hot tropical weather I live in. I was being told that they thrive in cold climates, myself being more used to Mediterrainean breeds but she seems to have no troubles. She doesn't pant constantly like some of the other breeds I have. So don't be shy to get one if you are living in a hot climate, but the small comb will be fine for a cold climate as well.

Just try and think of something wrong with this breed!!

Glad I picked-up two of these girls! The reviews have me stoked! The chicken hobby is new to me and I LOVE it! I have (4) Americauna hens and a double-breasted turkey, and can't wait to add the Rocks to the flock! The reviews make for excellent reading!

We love our black barred Plymouth Rocks! What they lack in good looks, they make up for in personality.

I currently have 5 Barred Plymouth Rocks who are 3 or so months old and they are soooo sweet! When I pick them up they're generally calmed down. I've also got one White Plymouth Rock full grown and she gets us an egg a day on average. A great breed to have whether for production (eggs and meat) and/or for pleasure.

As an average suburban chicken keeper, I have to say the Plymouth Rock is a great edition to my small flock. This chicken is very protective of the smaller hens and seems to be very aware of aerial predators. Although my Plymouth Rock is quite stubborn in the mornings, she's usually just silently foraging in the backyard. I recommend that you free range these chickens though; I've tried keeping her enclosed and she can't stand it, large or small run. Plymouth Rocks can be used for a variety of purposes. Even though I'm not going to be eating mine, I can see that these birds would make great chickens to eat after they are past their laying days. They're laying is definitely satisfactory, producing 1 or 2 medium sized light brown eggs every two days. Plymouth Rocks also make great pets for children and adults alike, especially when they've matured (my BPR pecked a lot when she was young - she grew out of it now, and she's a much more docile). If anyone is thinking about starting a suburban backyard flock (or really any flock at all), I recommend considering Plymouth Rocks.

Great all around chicken. Wonderful with the kids, even the roosters are sweet and can be carried around like pets. Lay better than any other breed we have had including the Rhode Island Reds. I can say nothing bad about them.

I have 3 white ones, at one a time had 4 but my dog got overly excited with one. Great addition to the coop. Eggs are almost always there when I come to collect. These guys are survivors through and through, even during one of our worst winters our ladies hunkered down and endured. Even in times of extreme heat and drought I can rely on these birds to survive even when water gets low. I will defiantly keep these birds in my flock! Only complaint is these girls aren't the sweet hearts every one claims them to be. At least mine aren't. Mine wouldn't come around for all the mealworms in the world. Despite that they're great birds!

My 4 girls.

We have a barred rock, and so does our neighbor. We've noticed that both are the top of the flock, and they are both very protective. If we come out of the house, she comes running up like "hey, what are you doing out here? You better feed me, and if not, go away". Its really funny. My husband will walk outside just to make her do it. But that being said, she's not mean to the other chickens, just bitchy. The pushes everyone around. We inherited a RIR from another neighbor, and she is downright mean. We thought Rocky (our barred rock) was mean until we had her. The barred rocks are also known for pecking our feet. If we go out in sandals, she is sure to peck a toe. When I would set out our baby in the yard (on a dog bed, so she wan't playing with the chicken poo), Rocky would come up and try to peck her. So we've learned that a gentle kick is often in order so that she gets the idea of what is ok and what isn't. That being said, she is an excellent layer of very large eggs.

We got six of these when we started out with chickens (planning on getting more), they were great. They are heat and cold tolerant, friendly, curious, and docile. they lay very well, have good breast meat, hardy birds towards sickness, and a very fun bird. Everyone should have a couple of these in their flocks.

In my flock, my two Plymouth Rocks, Waddles and Nugget are awesome. They both are super friendly, meaning they pull at my hair! they love it when I hand feed them. Sadly Nugget is four months old but still the size of like a two and a half month old. To me that's a great thing that makes her cute, but to the other hens and roosters they take advantage of her size and playful and nice nature. She is probably the last chicken in the pecking order (behind one rooster, three hens, and another rooster) who doesn't really have anyone who is nice to her except for sometimes one of the roosters, Scrambles, will be nice. They either ignore her because it's not a challenge or bully her. I always feel bad for her because of that. Besides that, she is a wonderful girl who will jump on my lap. Waddles is very friendly and big, but still get bullied a little bit. She's like the fourth one in the pecking order. Not everyone above her bullies her, probably two of them do though but not very often. She isn't really mean to Nugget, but sometimes is. I overlook the bulling and they are awesome to have in my flock/family!

I had one Plymouth Rock hen. She was old. I rescued her with 5 others off the side of the road. Some cruel person must have dumped them their, people can be so terrible. The 6 hens had mites, and they were just a mess! So I took them home and medicated them. However a few months later she died. Her name was Doodle. I loved her. She was so unique, and had quite a personality. The first time I hand fed her, she came up pecked, jumped back, and kept doing that. It looked like she was dancing! She was a good layer for her old age. She didn't lay much, I don't eat eggs, so I didn't care! The only reason she didn't lay much is because of her age though. She would lay about 2 eggs a day. I am not sure of her age, but she could have been like 6, she seemed old. After she died (she got sick) I cried. She was such a sweet unique hen who could never be replaced. I do like this breed a lot!

I love my BR's. They are friendly as can be and great layers. They'll let you pick them up as long as you want (and as long as you have food). I highly recommend them!

I have 2 and they are nice and pretty

I have a pair of white Plymouth rocks that I purchased from a breeder. And I love them! I have always liked LF chickens and these are huge. I have only ever owned 1 HQ cockerel and he was a way smaller than even the pullet I have, both of which is full grown. So one reason i really like them is their size, they are huge! I did not like my HQ cockerel he was mean and liked to sneak attack, but my cockerel purchased from a breeder is a sweet heart and I love the pullet even more. They have great personalities. I would recommend getting them from a breeder versus a hatchery. They are also pretty good layers. And if you are looking for a dual purpose bird they would be a great choice. I would definatley recommend them to either a beginner or an experienced owner.

I love my pair of Plymouth Rocks (1 roster 1 hen) they are great birds. they follow me around like little kids. only get flighty when they are in need of a little more attention. but i love them over Americana. this bird was given a bad name due to her aggressive behavior.

I have Silver Pencil Plymouth Rocks, and I really love them. They are active, mostly quiet, and the hens get down to business and lay eggs nearly every day. The roos tend to protect the hens and are at least alert, but I've seen them run for their own life when something threatens. In other words, they're chickens.

I love these birds, and I hope to always have them.

The are very active foragers, and they will eat anything and everything they can. They devastated my strawberries this year eating them every time they were let out until I had to keep them in so we had strawberries for the family. They will clean up all the bugs in a pasture or field. They don't tend to be fliers, so they will not be as able to get away from predators as some breeds.

My hens are broody, but incomplete brooders, so they set eggs for about 16-18 days, and then they seem to get tired and quit. I'm probably not going to allow them to set any more.

I've had my barred rock girl for about a year now. She's the sweetest chicken in all of my tiny flock (4 girls). She'll often come sit next to me when I'm outside and even falls asleep on my lap at times. She's like a feathered cat! She's so docile and loves to be held and pet.
From the day she started laying, I get an egg nearly every day and on certain days, I'll even get two. I've gotten double yolk eggs from her twice. She seems to be head of the flock and will sometimes order the other chickens around. I have a herding dog that will try to keep them all in line though. If you're looking for a layer that will double as a feathery friend, I'd definitely recommend one of these gals! She was my first chick purchase and I'm quite pleased with her.

Probably a little early for a review, but I'm enjoying these girls so much, had to put in a plug for them. I bought 6, 1 week old chicks, 4 months ago - 2 Australorps, 2 Buff Orpingtons, and 2 Barred Plymouth Rocks. I brooded them in my bathroom for 6 weeks and handled all daily. I really love all of them, but if I were to pick a favorite breed of the 3 so far judging on personality (as they haven't started laying yet), it would be the Rocks. They are the most social, sweet and comical of the 3 breeds so far. One is named Hatty as she loves to climb up on my shoulders, then sometimes on my head. The other is Ruckus, as she'll be standing stock still, and suddenly runs in every which direction just for fun, stirring up the rest of the pullets. Of the Orpingtons - one is extremely sweet while the other is very shy and timid and avoids me like the plague. The Australorps are a close second to the Rocks, but just a little more "serious" in personality, and not quite as social - but still fabulous birds.

I purchased 2 barred Plymouth rock chicks as part of a mixed flock in April 2011. At the end of the first year, I had to cull one BPR as it was bullying its flock members. The worst bullying was at night; it would relentlessly peck any bird that attempted to roost next to it. The whole flock abandoned one coop in favor of an alternate coop to get away from the bully. The other BPR, however, has been a GREAT bird, reliably producing 5 eggs per week (current age 27 months). (purchased from Healthy Chicks and More)