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Chicken breed APA Recognized Large

Plymouth Rock

Classic American dual-purpose breed known for barred, white, buff, partridge, silver penciled, Columbian, and blue varieties.

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Variety gallery

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Primary use

Dual purpose

Eggs

180-240 eggs/year

Egg color

Brown

Broodiness

Moderate

Notable traits

Hardy brown-egg layer
Good meat frame
Calm temperament
And several useful color varieties.

Use in a cross

Use this breed as a sire or dam in the public cross predictor.

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Varieties

Plymouth Rock varieties

Variety-specific images keep the library accurate when one breed name covers several different appearances.

Variety image pending

Barred

Color: Crisp black-and-white barring

Best-known Plymouth Rock variety with bold black-and-white barring on a broad American dual-purpose frame.

Traits: Broad blocky body, yellow legs, single comb, and crisp barred plumage rather than soft cuckoo striping.

Variety image pending

White

Color: Clean white

White Plymouth Rock variety with clean white plumage on a broad yellow-legged utility body.

Traits: Broad dual-purpose frame, yellow legs, single comb, and clean white plumage.

Variety image pending

Buff

Color: Rich even buff

Buff Plymouth Rock variety with rich buff color over the classic broad Rock frame.

Traits: Broad blocky body, yellow legs, single comb, and even buff plumage.

Variety image pending

Partridge

Color: Red-black rooster; brown-black partridge hen

Partridge Plymouth Rock variety with a more colorful rooster and a richly patterned partridge hen.

Traits: Broad Rock body, yellow legs, single comb, and rich partridge patterning especially on the hen.

Variety image pending

Silver Penciled

Color: Silver ground with black penciling

Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock variety marked by crisp silver-and-black penciling.

Traits: Broad Rock frame, yellow legs, single comb, and deliberate silver penciling rather than lacing or mottling.

Variety image pending

Columbian

Color: White body with black hackles and black tail

Columbian Plymouth Rock variety with a mostly white body plus black neck and tail markings.

Traits: Broad utility frame, yellow legs, single comb, white body, and defined black hackle and tail accents.

Variety image pending

Blue

Color: Even blue-gray

Blue Plymouth Rock variety with blue-gray plumage on the classic Rock body.

Traits: Broad American dual-purpose body, yellow legs, single comb, and even blue-gray plumage.

Variety image pending

Black

Color: solid black plumage with green sheen

Black Plymouth Rock variety with solid black plumage with green sheen while preserving the parent breed's distinctive broad American dual-purpose body, single comb, yellow legs, and calm utility carriage.

Traits: Emphasize solid black plumage with green sheen. Preserve broad American dual-purpose body, single comb, yellow legs, and calm utility carriage. Keep rooster and hen sex differences appropriate for this variety instead of reverting to a generic chicken.

Quick stat summary

Weights: Hen 6.50 lb | Rooster 8.50 lb

APA status: APA recognized breed

Sexing traits: None noted

Comb type: Single

Egg size: Large

Origin: United States

Planning notes

Genetics and sexing notes

Auto-sexing: None recorded for purebred chicks.

Sex-linked: None recorded.

Temperament: Calm and useful. Friendliness is generally listed as High. Activity level is generally Moderate.

Rooster handling: Roosters are often manageable when well handled, but individual selection still matters. Do not keep aggressive males just because they match the breed type.

Reference profile

Breed depth notes

Extra breed details used for identification, breed-library accuracy, cross prediction, and better image prompts.

History and standard notes

History: Classic American dual-purpose breed developed for farm utility, brown eggs, and useful meat qualities. Barred Plymouth Rock is the most iconic variety. In the RanchOps library, Plymouth Rock is tracked as a dual purpose breed with roots tied to United States. Its brown egg profile, body type, and temperament notes help separate it from similar-looking breeds in flock records and cross predictions. For visual identification, focus on Broad rectangular American dual-purpose body. Its carriage is best described as balanced, sturdy, calm, and moderately upright.

APA: Recognized breed with multiple color varieties including Barred, White, Buff, Partridge, Silver Penciled, Columbian, Blue, and Black depending on standard context.

Type and structure

Large fowl: Recognized large fowl.
Bantam: Plymouth Rock bantams are recognized in selected varieties.
Earlobes: Red
Body type: Broad rectangular American dual-purpose body
Carriage: Balanced, sturdy, calm, and moderately upright

Visual identification

Rooster

Roosters should have yellow legs, single comb, broad chest/back, and variety-correct color. Barred males are lighter overall than barred females.

Hen

Hens should be broad and practical with yellow legs, single comb, and strong variety pattern; Barred hens should show crisp barring, not random cuckoo.

Chicks

Barred Rock chicks are dark with a head spot; sexing by spot/leg wash is only approximate and line-dependent.

Common confusions

White Plymouth Rock is often confused with White Leghorn or White Cornish; Rocks are broader dual-purpose birds with yellow legs and single comb.

Image guidance

Keep the broad rectangular dual-purpose frame, yellow legs, and single comb. Barred pattern should be crisp black-and-white barring.

Cross predictor notes

Barred Plymouth Rock contributes barring that is useful in sex-linked crosses when paired correctly. Rocks add utility body and brown-egg production.

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