I bought four day-old Barred Rock chicks at a local feed store in Chico, CA. Since we are limited to two hens and NO roosters in our neighborhood, and the chicks were straight run, I played the odds hoping for at least a 50/50 chance of getting two girls. Well, we got three, and one cockerel. Hand raised, they are fairly tame birds, and at 10 weeks were moved outside since their brooder became too small to accommodate them. It only took two weeks for them to figure out to return to the coop at dusk, so they are pretty smart. They aren't so keen on the chicken tractor we built, but after three weeks we allowed them to free-range as the orchard is completely fenced off and predators seem few and far between. They will come to you if you bring them a treat, and follow you around the yard until something else catches their interest, and they wander off. They are very flock minded, and tend to stay together while foraging. They are attractive birds, and constantly preening themselves or each other. Haven't noticed a particular pecking order yet, I've observed no aggression from any of them toward each other, they get along fine at 17 weeks of age. They do like to scratch the ground a lot, but haven't discovered the garden, or they are ignoring it since the ground is currently covered in fallen peaches. As for broodiness, we will see once egg production starts. Haven't noticed unique personalities yet, with the exception Alice is more shy and the last to explore on her own. I would consider them perfect first choice chickens for a flock, providing it is a small one. As others have noted, they can be mean to other breeds that are less dominant.