The white stripes can only be that thick in males as they can have two copies of that gene while females can only have one.
Well shoot. Now I can notice how much darker the other barred rock is. I wasn't planning to keep any roos but this one is one of the more friendly chicks.
That’s a pretty common trap we fall into. Even at a very young age males tend to be bolder and more curious than females, traits that one day could make them a good flock master. But that gives them personality so naturally we are drawn to them.
Females can have those traits also at that age but males tend to have it a lot more. That doesn’t mean the females will not be really friendly once you socialize them.