Plymouth Rock at a glance
| Egg production | 200–250 eggs/year |
|---|---|
| Egg color | brown |
| Size | large; hen weight 7.5 lb |
| Temperament summary | Curious, calm/docile |
| Housing class | large chicken |
Strongest documented traits
Temperament
Very calm and easy to handle
calm/docile
Source confidence: High
Cold tolerance
Excellent cold tolerance
cold-weather recommendation / over-winters well
Source confidence: High
Beginner friendliness
Excellent for first-time keepers
USU beginner recommendation
Source confidence: High
Dual-purpose value
Excellent dual-purpose breed
meat and eggs
Source confidence: High
Broodiness
Often broody
good mothering / historically broody
Source confidence: Medium
Things to consider
These are traits that may be a drawback depending on what you want from your flock. Individual birds can vary.
Foraging
Poor forager
Source confidence: High
How the planner uses this breed
The flock planner does not rank Plymouth Rock from a single overall score stored in the database. Instead, it weights individual traits differently for each household. Cold hardiness matters more in harsh winters; heat tolerance matters more in hot climates; docility receives additional weight when children will handle the birds; and housing size can prevent a breed mix from being recommended even when its preference score is strong.
Sources used for this record
- Utah State University Extension: Managing Chickens From Chicks to Peak Egg Production
- Mississippi State University Extension: Choosing the Right Breed for Your Backyard Flock
- Mississippi State University Extension: Poultry Beginnings: Raise Your Own Backyard Chickens
- University of Minnesota Extension: Caring for chickens in cold weather
- The Livestock Conservancy: Plymouth Rock Chicken
Last database review: 2026-10-03. Trait values are normalized to a 1–5 planning scale; see the methodology for how uncertainty is handled.