Heritage Plymouth Rock Chicken

The Plymouth Rock chicken, often referred to as the Barred Plymouth Rock, is a popular heritage breed of chicken that has a long and esteemed history in the United States. We have been impressed with their overall beauty and just an all around nice bird. This is a classic chicken that is so well known and remembered. We have been keeping them for a bit to see if they were a fit here on our farm. We look for overall temperament, hardiness, and hatching quality of the chicks. all breeds we select have to go through a rigorous process before being selected.

We have heritage birds vs hatchery quality birds. What is the difference? Heritage type birds are carefully bred and selected for the breed qualities and strive to meet the APA standards of perfection. Hatchery birds are bred for quantity so production is first. Heritage birds are larger in size, overall better looking bird and all breed attributes are considered.

Here is some information about the Plymouth Rock chicken:

1. Breed Characteristics: Plymouth Rock chickens are known for their distinctive black and white striped feather pattern, which is called “barred.” The feathers are black with white bars across them, giving the birds a classic and attractive appearance. They have yellow skin and legs, with red combs and wattles. The breed comes in both standard (large fowl) and bantam (small fowl) sizes.

2. Temperament: Plymouth Rock chickens are known to have a friendly and docile temperament, which makes them popular among backyard chicken keepers. They are generally calm and easy to handle, making them suitable for families and beginners in poultry keeping. They are also great on homesteads, farms, and honestly any situation!

3. Egg Production: Plymouth Rock hens are good layers of brown eggs. They typically start laying eggs at around 6 months of age and continue to lay consistently throughout the year however, all hens are different, so the number provided is just a general statement. The breed is known for its reliability in egg production and can produce around 200 to 280 eggs per year, depending on individual factors and management practices.

4. Dual Purpose: Plymouth Rock chickens are considered a dual-purpose breed, meaning they are valued for both their egg-laying abilities and meat production. While they are not specifically bred for extreme meat production, their meat is considered of good quality and flavor.

5. Hardiness: Plymouth Rock chickens are known for their hardiness and adaptability to various climates. They can tolerate both hot and cold weather conditions reasonably well, which makes them suitable for a wide range of environments. We have all temps and conditions here in Vermont and overall they have done very well.

6. Preservation: The Plymouth Rock chicken breed has been recognized and preserved as a heritage breed, which aims to conserve historic and culturally significant breeds of livestock. Several organizations, such as the American Poultry Association (APA) and the Livestock Conservancy, work to promote and preserve Plymouth Rock chickens and other heritage breeds. The Plymouth Rock is on the Livestock Conservancy list as a recovering.