The Red Rock chickens is a unique multi-purpose bird. It was first bred in the United States around World War II. This heritage breed really made its mark. It went on to become a popular pet chicken for many many owners.
Now, do you want to get a Plymouth Rock chicken?
This guide tells you everything you need to know about these pretty birds, including how well they lay eggs, their personality, their health, what they need in a coop, and much more.
How the Red Rock Chickens Became a Popular Dual Purpose Breed
Our country’s Red Rock hens is one of the oldest chicken breeds. Before the end of World War II, this heritage breed was seen from coast to coast. But after the war, it really became a star chicken.
People back then liked Red Rocks over many other chicken types, like the Rhode Island Red, because they were strong and hardy. This is because their main job was to always provide meat and eggs for the troops and their families.
The government even told people to keep Red chickens, and many homesteaders were happy to do so.
Unfortunately, as egg and meat production became more industrialized after the war, these chickens that could do more than one thing just couldn’t keep up with the fast production standards of the poultry industry, even though they were the foundation breed for the broiler industry.
The Red Rock hens didn’t die though. Instead, they became America’s favorite backyard chicken because they are soft and have unique colored feathers.
The Appearance of the Red Rock Chickens
It is the Red Rock hens if you see a big chicken with feathers that are spotted and legs that are bright yellow. People notice this type of chicken because of its unique color. It always stands out in a flock of chickens. You’ll never miss them in your chicken coop or yard again if you have a rock chicken.
Eggs from Red chickens grow quickly, which helps them do well in cold weather. You should be able to clearly see the pattern of wide, parallel dark and light bars across their bodies because of the way they are colored.
In both hens and roosters, the bars are usually the same length across the neck, breast, wings, and tail.
The Difference Between Red Rock Hens and Roosters
A typical hen and rooster chickens can be distinguished from one another based solely on the color of their feathers. The red rock chickens, the gender differences are a little more pronounced.
The width of these bars should be the same as the width of the black bars on Red Rock hens. Because the black-to-white bar ratio is bigger in females than in men, they look darker or more grey.
Red Rock hens are easy to spot, but let’s look at how to tell them apart according to the American Poultry Association breed standard.
The Red Rock Chickens Breed Standard
In the 1860s, they were first called Rock Chickens, but it wasn’t until 1874 that the American Poultry Association (APA) added them to their breed standard.
The APA says that the Red Rock hens is an American bird. However, in Great Britain, the breed is popular as a large, heavy bird with soft feathers.
A Rock chicken has a single comb with five tips, and the lobes and wattles of its ears are bright red. Their beaks look like horns and are yellow. Their skin and legs are also yellow, and each foot has four toes. If you follow the breed standard, these chickens will have “reddish bay” eyes instead of dark eyes.
How to Sex Red Rock Chicks
If you look at the top of a hatchling Red Rock chicks, you can sex it 80% of the time. The white patch on the heads of females is smaller than that of males.
Another way to distinguish between hens and roosters that are barely a week old is by the color of their feathers. Hen’ wings are dark, while boys’ wings have white bars on the tips.
The Plymouth rock rooster has a lighter bar across its dark feathers that stands out more. This is the reason why the guys look so much lighter than the females.
Also, you watch YouTube tutorials to learn how to tell a Plymouth chick’s sex.
Do Plymouth hens lay eggs well? How good is the meat they sell? Let’s try to find out in the next part.
Is Red Rock Chicken Good for Eggs?
Yes, eggs taste great in Red Rock hen. During the Second World War, the Rock hens were the most famous breed of chicken for both meat and eggs. They also got a good name for being great layers during that time.
Their eggs are big and brown, ranging from dark to light brown. The shell can be smooth or have spots on it.
It can be hard or take a long time to clean all the eggs that you hatch. This review of the best egg cleaner will help you do it quickly and easily.
How old are Red Rock chickens when they start laying eggs?
The Red Rock hen, like the Barred Rock and other types, will start laying eggs between 6 and 8 months of age. The bigger Red chicken likes to lay eggs much later than other breeds, which can lay eggs as early as 16 weeks.
They were also replaced by breeds like Rhode Island Reds, which laid eggs more often and at younger ages because they laid eggs more slowly.
For how long do Red Rock Chickens lay eggs?
A Plymouth Rock hen can lay eggs for up to three years, so it can do two things at once.
After that, she will slowly stop laying eggs.
Give your Plymouth Rock hen a healthy layer feed to make sure she lays good eggs. Layer feed has the vitamins, minerals, and protein that chickens need to make eggshells that are strong.
If your chickens don’t go outside to find food, give them grit that they can eat whenever they want. Grit helps plants stay healthy and breaks down food.
With good food and a clean, roomy coop, some chickens might even keep laying eggs well into their eighth year!
Conclusion Of Red Rock Chickens
This American breed of chicken is the only one that looks and acts like it. Red Rock chickens are different in how they look, how they act, and what they are used for. These meat and egg birds are significant in history because they provided food for many people during the Second World War.