According to reports, the parents of the first Black Rock Chicken came to the British Isles in a roundabout way. They first came from the US to South Africa, then to the Arbor Acre farm in England, and finally to Scotland, where they have been carefully raised for many generations.
These birds are hardy, easy to care for, good layers, and naturally curious, which makes them popular with both experienced chicken farmers and people who have never raised chickens before.
This is a “sex-linked” hybrid of Black Rocks. In contrast to traditional breeds, this means that the chicks’ looks are related to their gender. It is usually very hard and takes a lot of time to tell if a hatchling is male or female, but it is important if you want to separate future hens and roosters.
History of Black Rock Chicken
One type of chicken that is called a “sex link” is the Black Rock. Sex-link chickens are different because the hatchlings of male and female chickens can be easily told apart by their color. Sex-link chickens are famous for laying a lot of eggs with good shells throughout their reproductive years.
At birth, red sex-link chicks are brown and black sex-link chicks are dark. Both types of male hatchlings have a white spot on their heads that makes them stand out. If you want to breed a black sex link, you should cross a certain type of New Hampshire or Rhode Island Red Rooster with a Barred Plymouth Rock hen.
People say that the first stock came to England from the US via South Africa. Around 1950, Peter and Margaret Siddons bought the first parent animals and began raising Black Rocks on their farm, which they called the Muirfield Hatchery. For many years, they worked to make this one-of-a-kind strain better. In 2010, the birds were taken care of and raised by Eddie and Calm Lovett, a father and son.
Many poultry tenders stick to traditional types that are famous for producing good eggs, living a long time, and other traits. This is because hybrids can have traits that are hard to predict. Black Rock chickens are some of the most “traditional” hybrids you can buy. They have a family background that goes back about 150 years. So, both people who have never raised chickens before and big-time farmers like them.
All real Black Rocks are born at Crossley Poultry Farm, but some authorized dealers can also help you find them. Get in touch with the Muirfield Hatchery if you think a store might be selling a different cross breed under the Black Rock umbrella.
Black Rock Chicken Appearance
In fact, the Plymouth Rock can be Barred, Buff, Silver-Penciled, Columbian, or Blue. But for now, we’re only going to talk about the white version of this breed.
The Black Rock’s combs are yellow when they hatch and turn bright red when they get mature. Their legs stay yellow. As soon as the combs start to change, fresh eggs every day won’t be long after.
It’s impossible to believe how white the Black Rock is. This is the chicken that lived on the farm of my great-great-grandmother and helped make breakfast.
These are the chickens in the drawings of old, rough farmhouses. The chicken chores have been their job for a long time. During the winter, the Black Rock is often one of the fluffiest chickens in the flock.
Black Rock Chicken Size
It is a bit bigger than what most people think of when they think of a White Rock chicken. They get to be about 8 pounds when they’re fully grown, which is just right for the dinner table. They look bigger than they are because of their fluffy feathers, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are still the right size for the holiday dinner family.
Black Rock Chicken Egg Laying
The Cornish Cross is perfect for meat lovers. When it comes to eggs, the Black Rock is queen. If these birds are healthy and happy, they can lay almost an egg every day. This is the hen for you if you like the warm color of a big brown egg. You can be sure that the brown eggs you buy at the store came from a Black Rock if you already buy them.
When it comes to egg-laying, the Rock and the Rhode Island Red are the most productive. The Rock lays well over 200 eggs per year.
The Meat of The Black Rock Chicken
The Black Rock is famous for laying eggs, but she’s also a great chicken to have around for dinner. The amount of meat she gives off is just right because she is a bigger breed. So, it is quite clear that the Rock is a dual-purpose breed
Hardiness
The Black Rock chicken was bred to live in cold regions, so it is very hardy in the winter. The bird stays warm with those soft feathers when it’s cold outside. What about this kind of chicken? It has just one comb, so it’s more likely to get very cold.
For people who live in places where it gets below zero, they can keep their chickens in well-insulated coops and put Vaseline on their combs to help keep them warm.
Hens will keep laying eggs all winter long as long as they are happy and have everything they need to do well because the Black Rock is a cold-hardy breed.
The Temperament of The Black Rock
Strong, handy, and clever…It gets worse after that. The Black Rock, with its lovely fluffy Black feathers, is also a nice hen to have.
The black rock hen is calm and nice, and she won’t mind stopping by to say hello while you do your morning chores. Because they are nice and calm, this breed is more likely to be picked on and bullied by birds that are more aggressive.
This means you should keep a close eye on your group when you add White Rocks to make sure they do well with other birds that are more assertive than this sweet breed. There is a right way to bring a new chicken into your group.
The Black Rock seems to be a good mother, but she doesn’t get broody as often as some other farming breeds, like the Orrington. When she does, though, she pays close attention to her clutch. She will protect her chicks very well if she is left to raise them by herself.
The Black Rock chicken is a great all-around chicken with an interesting American past. There was a time when the Livestock Conservatory thought this heritage breed was “threatened.”