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Barred Rock

Very tame nice breed that gives you big beautiful brown eggs. They aren't that loud and the...
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General Information

Breed Purpose
Dual Purpose
Comb
Single
Broodiness
Average
Climate Tolerance
All Climates
Egg Productivity
Medium
Egg Size
Large
Egg Color
Brown
Breed Temperament
Kind, Skittish
Breed Colors/Varieties
Barred (black and white)
Breed Size
Large Fowl
APA/ABA Class
American
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Barred Rock Rooster​

The Plymouth Rock a.k.a. Barred Rock is a very popular duel-purpose American breed, known for their excellent laying ability, general hardiness, and calm good nature which makes them a good choice for small backyard flocks and homesteaders.

Chickens called "Plymouth Rocks" were shown as early as 1849, but that flock disappeared and later strains from several different breeders combined to form the foundation of today’s Plymouth Rock breed. Mr. D.A. Upham of Worcester, MA is credited as being one of the primary influences on the breed, he first exhibited his birds at the Worcester, MA poultry exhibition in 1869. His birds are generally acknowledged to be the ancestors of the breed we know today.

A number of different breeds are reputed to have gone into the formation of the Plymouth Rock, including Dominique, Brahma, Black Java and Cochin. The breed gained a great deal of popularity quickly and the Plymouth Rock became the most popular farm chicken in the United States up until WWII.

The original color of the breed was Barred and early in the breeds history the name "Plymouth Rock" implied a barred bird. Barred varieties remain the most popular color today. As more color varieties were developed, the name Plymouth Rock became the designation for the entire breed, which can now can be found in other colors including White, Buff, Partridge, Silver Penciled, Columbian and Blue.

The Barred Plymouth Rock was one of the breeds used as the foundation for the commercial broiler industry in the united States in the 1920's and the White Rock is still often used as the female side of the Cornish Rocks or Cornish Cross type commercial broiler cross.

They are single combed, quite winter hardy, and the hens are good layers of brown eggs. They are occasionally broody and make good setters and mothers.

The Plymouth Rock breed was recognized by the APA in 1874 and is on The Livestock Conservancy's Recovering list.

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Barred Rock chicks

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Barred Rock Juvenile (pullet)

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Barred Rock hen
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Latest reviews

BarredRock412
Pros: Great with kids, friendly, aware of predators, quiet.
Cons: Eats more than our two RIRs combined, often gets pecked on by others.
I love my barred rock. We bought her off craigslist from a breeder when she was about four months old. She's great with kids, loves being picked up and has never attacked, and absolutely LOVES people. Her feathers are extremely soft and she has a lot of fluff. She is very trusting and will fall asleep in my lap. The only time she is ever loud is if she sees a predator, she will squawk loudly and hide when she sees anything in the sky- airplanes, crows, literally anything. She doesn't even trust the family dog. She is a great layer but eats so much... it's shocking how much of a foodie she is. Since she is so docile, she is at the bottom of the pecking order and gets pecked on by the others. If you're looking for a family-friendly bird and great layer, I would highly recommend the barred rock.
Purchase Date
August 2020
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kbroom
kbroom
These Barred Rocks are so beautiful. I'd love to have those. I'm still in the decision stage. So far, I think I'll start out with just two babies. I'm still working on their coop. I have the actual core, but I must fence in underneath the back upstairs deck. It will be 20X20 X10. That should give them plenty of room. I was going to let them be free range, but after watching some videos, where a man said, "If you're going to be free range, just understand that you're going to have some dead chickens," I decided to keep them in a large cage. Their coop will be inside.
DesertGrrl
Pros: - Very gentle and calm birds.
- Makes cute sounds
- People friendly
Cons: - Don't do well in hot weather/climate.
- EATS A LOT OF FEED
My Barred Rock is totally awesome!
Does well with my other chick.
Very chill and laid back and loves sitting on my shoulder nicely.
She doesn't bite and is overall an amazing bird.
She will run up to me if I'm near the coop.

The Bad:
- My Barred Rock is very intolerant to hot weather (mostly black feathers is probably why) and will pant and have wings out (I live in the desert, but my Delaware does fine in this weather).
- Eats a lot of food almost non-stop.
They have a huge appetite for food.
Purchase Price
Free. Was a gift.
Purchase Date
Sept. 26, 2020
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RosiePosey
Pros: Great layer, easy keepers, larger sized.
Cons: Aggressive
We keep free-range chickens that just go in the coop at night so it's important to us to have a fairly protective rooster. Oreo is a fantastic protector of his ladies and treats them all well. He's fought off the neighbor's cat, a fox, and a hawk so far that we've seen. The downside to that is he sometimes thinks he needs to fight us off too! Somedays he's sweet and will eat out of your hand. The next day you round a corner or get out of the car and he's flapping up at you trying to get you with his spurs. The hens are aggressive with the other girls in our mixed flock too. The leghorns can hold their own but nobody else wants to be near them. They do lie a good sized egg consistently and for our purposes, they work. I probably wouldn't recommend this Roo for a more pet-type boy nor the hens for a mixed flock that is cooped as they may beat up the other girls.
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IslandRockFarm
IslandRockFarm
Same happens with us! They are great producers but they are mean hens. We had to move a couple hens to a different coop because they would bully, feather pluck, and wouldn't allow them to eat. This happened though after a mink attack where some hens died, and may have shifted the power dynamic.
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Sealizrus19
Sealizrus19
My hens are mean bullies too. Will probably never get more again...
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Comments

we2hens
We have about 40 barred rock hens. They are very friendly, quiet birds....unless you have treats and they think they should have some. One hen in particular, comes to my patio door and if I have the shade pulled up and the door open she will stand up tall and look in and start "telling" me that she would like something tasty to eat. :)
 
TabbyG
Thanks for your review - I've been looking at adding a few of these lovely ladies to our flock. I think you just gave me the extra push to snag a few!
 
poopnroost
I love my bared rock I knew from the first day I got her she was going to be a sweetie pie and so her name is sweetie pie ..She is about 6 months old and she is always gentle and inquisitive always looking to see what Im doing ..I have her with RI reds RI whites 2 silkie show girls and a rooster breed unknow as of yet thinking he may be a maran ... But she is the best hen I own ... I just love her i would recomend this breed if you have little ones that help in the coop they seem very friendly and never seem to peck ...
 
FeistyPeepers
Our very 1st chicks that caused us become chicken math victims (LOL) are some of my favorites! I agree with you they're awesome. Our hens are the sweetest & honest;y only our 2 light Sussex hens are as calm as our Barreds. We have not had even one minute problem with them. We have 2 roos (technically cockerel) Mr Smiley & Sweet Pete that get along well together and they get along well with everyone else. I loves my boys and they are so gentle with me. When my DH sets one of them on my lap & they stretch their head real close to eyeball me & see it's really me the Mama Hen
they nestle down relax & let me cuddle with them. Neither have ever pecked me & I can rub their combs, chins & even their beaks. I'd bet if you spend time with them daily, yours will be as affectionate.
 
LAChickens
I have three "warmth" roos from Ideal Barred as well. I was against this initially but they have really grown on me. Two are very sweet and friendly but one is twice the size of the others and very mature for his age. He's standoffish. I have 5 grown BR hens and they are lovely, calm and curious birds. They make up the backbone of my laying flock at present. Love them!
 
proudchickiemom
That is great. My hen is about 22 weeks old, and is still the biggest, and in my opinion, the most beautiful. She hasnt started laying yet :( But Im sure she will start soon. She goes and sits in a box everyday, and then when I walk in, she hops down and looks from me to the box, like she wants me to look for the invisible egg she layed. She is a great bird to have
 
Chickengirl47
I love Barred Rocks to! They are very pretty! My Barred Rock girl is very nice and lays an egg almost every day. I also have one RIR.
 
Tough Old Bird
they are supposed to be of a very agreeable temperament; I will be getting my 1st BR's in the spring, if all goes as planned. They're recommended for beginners and those with kids. Of course, I can't speak for kinsey's birds.
 
Tough Old Bird
How did you break your little Barred Rock of her broodiness? I'll be getting BR pullets this spring and the whole broody thing sounds a little intimidating!
TOB
 
Undimere
It happen to be a cold, snowy day when I realized she was brooding. I found her hoarding 6 eggs, mind you, I don't have a rooster. I let the 4 hens out, as usual and when she refused to get off the eggs, I carefully picked her up and placed her outside the coop while I cleaned it and gave them fresh bedding. It was 26*F and took me about 30mins to get my monthly chore done. When I was done, I allowed her into the coop where I have sand but not the roost where I keep the nestboxes and warm bedding. The cool sand and cold temp helped to bring her body temp out of broody setting.
I have read that taking away the warm bedding helps the broody hen to lower her body temp back to normal. Some might find it cruel, but it didn't seem to affect my BR in any negative way.
 
Tough Old Bird
Thanks for the detailed tips. I've heard to dunk their bottom's in cold water, which would have the same effect, but would obviously be more distressing. Someone else suggested suspending a wire cage off the ground and keep your broody in their for a couple of days...again, to cool off the hen, literally. Sounds like your plan worked great. I'll keep that in mind! Thx.
 
Undimere
coffee goood =) By the way, I have read that the wire cage idea works pretty good.
 
Tough Old Bird
Well, I'm sure I'll have an opportunity at some future point with a Ms. Broody. Will definitely keep your experience in mind. Take care!
 
ArmFarm
I used the wire cage a lot when I had game hens. It took a few days, 3 - 5 days, with the game chickens. I have Barred Rocks and Golden Comets now and none of them have gone broody. I've had them a year now and love them!
 

Item information

Category
Chicken Breeds
Added by
dylan729
Views
208,840
Watchers
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Comments
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Reviews
235
Last update
Rating
4.26 star(s) 244 ratings

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