Plymouth Rock

Barred Plymouth Rocks or "Barred Rocks", as they''re called, are one of the most popular dual-purpose chickens on small farms today. Their heritage is unclear with reports of different crosses, but what is clear is that they're very friendly, great layers of large brown eggs and able to withstand cold weather quite nicely. Though they tolerate confinment, they're most happy when they get to range freely. All varieties of Plymouth Rock aside from the Barred and white varieties are relatively rare.

(Origins/History)
Class: America
Type: Large Fowl & Bamtam
Size: Heavy (7-8 lbs)
Rarity: Common
Purpose: Dual
Recognized Varieties: Barrred, White, Buff, Silver Penciled, Partride, cdumbian, Blue, Black

(Suitability to Backyard Life)
Hardy in Winter: Yes
Bears Confinment: Bears Well
Especially Docile: Yes
Setter/Broody: Yes
Personality: Smart, Plucky and Docile

(Fancy Feautures)
Comb Type: Single Comb
Crested: No
Feahered Legs: No
Number of Toes: 4

(Egg Facts)
Egg Laying: Very Good (4/wk)
Egg Color: Brown
Egg Size: Large





http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/Plymouth-Rock-B85.aspx

Hello

Hello sorry about posting slow lately!! My computer decided to stop working a while ago and tomorrow is my birthday! My computer is working fine now happy to say!!!!! Hope you guys are having a great week and sorry again!!

Candling Eggs

This article is from the magazine Backyard Poultry By: Ron Kean, the Answer Man.

        Candling is really nothing more than shining a bright light through the egg to visualize its contents. The first important key is to work in a dark room. The next key is to have a light focused into a fairly small beam. Some people will use a small flashlight. If it's a bright one, this can work pretty well. Another method that is commonly used is to make a box with a small hole cut into it. A hole about 1 inch in diameter or smaller should work well. The box needs to be able to handle some heat. Wire a light bulb inside this box and you're set. A 40-watt bulb (or less) will work just fine. The actual candling can be done in a couple of different ways. If you're looking at partially incubated eggs (to determine fertility/viability), it's usually easiest to shine the light near the large end of the egg. You can usually see a spider web of blood vessels if there is a developing embryo. If you're looking for eating quality, you can gently spin the egg in your hand. This will causes the yolk to move inside the egg, and you can see if any dark spots are present. The yolk will look like a darker shadow, and the chalazae may be visible. These are normal. After doing a few, you'll get more familiar with normal vs. " adonormal." Most spots of blood (or tissue) in the egg will not be developing chicks. They are from the hen's body while the egg was being formed. Still, many people like to remove these. Finally, it can still be difficult to candle dark brown-shelled eggs. Gathering eggs frequently and keeping gathered eggs cool will help a great deal to prevent a "surprise" in your omelet!

Dutch Bantam

Dutch Bantas are "true antams", meaning there is no standard-size version of the breed. These fancy little guys come in a ton of varieties like partridge, Golden Duckwing, Silver Duckwing, Blue Ducking Cukoo, Blue Golden, Self Blue and others. Dutch Bantam hens are very good setters/drooders and make good, protective mothers.

(Origins/Histoy)
Class: Single Comb Clean Legged Other than Game Bantam
Type: Bantam
Size: Bantam
Rarity: Common
Purpose: Ornamental
Recognized Varieties:Official: Blue Light Brown, Light Brown, Silver. Unofficial: too many to list!

(Suitability to Backyard Life)
Hardy in Winter: No
Bears Confinement: Bears Well
Especially Docile: Yes
Setter/Broody: Yes
Personality: Friendly but prone to nervousness

(Fancy Features)
Comb Type: Single Comb
Crested: No
Feathered Legs: No
Number of Toes: 4

(Egg Facts)
Egg Laying: Fair (2/wk)
Egg Color: Light Brown
Egg Size: Tiny (bantam)



http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/Dutch-Bantam-B142.aspx

Determining age

This is from the book Raising Chickens for Dummies.

It's hard to tell an adult chicken's age. Hens continue to lay well and roosters are fertile for about three years. After that, there's only a slight chance that the birds will be able to reproduce. Some hens lay sporadically for many years. A chicken's average life span is about 8 years, so you could be buying unproductive birds if you aren't careful. That may be okay if you're only looking for yard birds, but the birds should be priced lower than younger chickens.

Aged chickens have thick, scaly skin on the legs. The spur is long and wickedlooking on roosters. When a hen quits laying, she may develop a big spur too.

Hens that are laying have deep-red, glossy, moist-looking combs and wattles. They have widely spaced pubic bones and a moist, large cloaca ( the area where waste and eggs are passed ). When hens are old or not laying, their combs and wattles look dull and dry. Their pubic bones seem close together, and the cloaca looks small and shriveled. Roosters also tend to have duller combs and wattles as they age.

5 Types of Feathers number 3

This is from the book Raising Chickens for Dummies.

4. On the Legs: Chickens thigh are covered with soft, small feathers. In most breeds, the feathers end halfway down the leg, at the hock joint, In some breeds, however, the legs have fluffy feathers right doem to and covering the toes. 

5. On the Tail: Roosters have long, shiny, attractive tail feathers. In many breeds, the top three are four tail feathers are narrower and many arch above the rest to the tail. These are called sickle feathers. Hens have tail feathers too, but they are short and plainly colored, and they don't arch.

5 Types of Feathers number 2

This is from the book Raising Chickens for Dummies.

2. On the belly and midsection: The belly and remaining body areas of the chicken are covered with small, fluffy feathers. In many cases, the underside of the bird is lighter in color.

3. On The Wings: There are three types of feathers on the wings. The top section, closest to the body, consists of small, rounded feather s called coverts. The middle feathers are longer and are called secondaries. The logest and largest feathers are on the end of the win and are called Primaries. Each section overlaps the other just slightly.