Update on blue rock project

As some of you know, Ive been breeding my blue rock rooster to barred rock hens to try and produce more blue rocks, with hopefully better egg laying capabilities. Im growing out about 10 blue girls. They havent been easy to get, I seem to have the knack of hatching roosters. So with getting a lot of roosters, and black pullets, which Im selling, Ive only gotten about 10 blue girls to add to the herd. This is some of the oldest ones. Im getting some very good type with them, some not so good. Im getting some really nice lacing on them, which I dont have on my "pure" (for lack of a better term) blue rock hens. These are some of the oldest blue/barred girls, I think they are close to 3 months old.

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They are stunning! Have you noticed a lighter and darker blue form?

Im getting all different shades of blue, from very very dark to very very light. All seem to have lacing of some sort. Im really happy with them.

I don't usually read this forum, but your title caught my attention. I have to say those are some very pretty birds!

Beautiful.

They are lovely. Now I wanna know about the next generation! Did you let your roosters grow long enough to get an idea what they look like all grown up?

No, I havent kept any roosters. I have a few people who took some of the blue barred roos to play with, to cross back with barred hens, but I havent kept any. I want to lose the barring in the 1st generation and get back to blue. Im using the barred hens to get new blood infused, plus better laying capabilities.

I just love the left hen in the first picture. Such a delicate shade of blue....wow, I'm very envious!

Did the barring stay with them then? I have barred rock hens and of 9 roos hatched out only one was barred -he was all barred but the wingtips- everyone else came out black+some recessive color trait -mostly spangles, I think (I'm considering the ones from black sex-link hens as 3rd gen- they had more black)

I've been wondering what a BR crossed with my mottled Java would be like. Probably spangly. The other cross I wonder about for my BR is with my red frizzle roo. I might get red/barred frizzled chicks. That would be cool!

One way to find out!

Hey there Fla_chick! At the risk of showing my ignorance, just what is a blue rock (rooster) ? I have looked at your pic's and the girls are beauties. But I must admit I am a little confused about the breed. I so enjoy the breeds and what different owners are doing with their flocks. Fill me in and keep the pic's comming. Thanks very much for sharing. Haystack

Haystack, it is just a color of a Plymouth Rock. Most people only know of the barred rocks, but plymouth rocks also come in white, buff, black, blue....Im thinking thats all, but theres frost on the ground right now and my brain is froze. Orpingtons and wyandottes also come in blue, as in other colors. Im sure many other breeds come in blue, also.

Fla_chick: Thank you for the info. What you told me was what I sorta, kinda thought, but I could not find any info on them so I wasn't sure. When your not sure It's always best to go to the source. Thanks and keep the pic's comming they are gorgeous. Haystack

Could we see a pic of the roo?

Actually, I now have 2. I have my blue roo who is the father to all the babies so far, and a splash roo that Ive decided to keep that is only about 6 months old. But he's thinking he's big!

http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL2087/9176722/18979413/343259469.jpg

http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL2087/9176722/18979413/343259461.jpg

!!!wrong thread!!! How'd I do that!!! sorry...

This message was edited Dec 8, 2008 7:30 PM

That second one is very nice. Is that all the tail he will get? My 3 roos have long tails. Especially my game cock.

Thats all the tail he's gotten. Im hoping breeding with the barred hens will give the babies a little more tail. The splash has a better tail carriage, which is one reason why Im keeping him. Its like baking...a little bit of this, a little bit of that, add it all together and hopefully produce a masterpiece. Or get something I have to throw out. Who knows?

Neat thing about Chickens I guess? You don't have to wait human generations to get the mix right? Horses cannot produce as many offspring to get such fast results....

Perhaps that's the reason we don't do humans....wooops again...bye now.

Well....I was thinking on what I'd like to add to some horses, but by the time you get it all in there, my future Grandkids would be grandparents...

We're much better off with chickens. I don't have the patience or the genetics for that length of project!

You can eat the reject chickens in 1 meal. A reject horse would take way longer than that to eat. And a reject person........ I ain't even going there.

And they make good dumplins even after they're done layin', humans and horses, now...

Both of those Roosters are out standing, but, that second one is stunning in my mind. Fla_chick you should send a pic of him to BackYard Poultry magazine.