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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

CountryChic63
So I have 2 barred rocks in my brooder. I try to hold each chick daily, and interact with them, however most act like I'm going to kill them. I have 3 totes as brooders, chicks are separated by age, so they are 2 weeks, 3 weeks and 4 weeks. My question is, even though they don't seem to calming down at all, once they're in the coop and THEY get to chose to come up to me vs ME holding them against their wishes, will they become a little less scared of me?
Also, I see a big difference between the chicks we ordered from Ideal vs the ones that we bought at Tractor Supply & Rural King. The ones from the stores seem traumatized and much less trusting. They also fight a lot. What's your thoughts?
 
Chickielady
This is the PLYMOUTH barred rock, there are many colors of the Plymouth, including white, black, buff and silver penciled among others.
The Plymouth Rock is an awesome breed, strong and healthy and gentle in general.
I would love to see this article be titled "Plymouth Rock" instead of naming it a color variation of the breed.
 
cherylwillard1
CountryChic63 said:
So I have 2 barred rocks in my brooder. I try to hold each chick daily, and interact with them, however most act like I'm going to kill them. I have 3 totes as brooders, chicks are separated by age, so they are 2 weeks, 3 weeks and 4 weeks. My question is, even though they don't seem to calming down at all, once they're in the coop and THEY get to chose to come up to me vs ME holding them against their wishes, will they become a little less scared of me?
Also, I see a big difference between the chicks we ordered from Ideal vs the ones that we bought at Tractor Supply & Rural King. The ones from the stores seem traumatized and much less trusting. They also fight a lot. What's your thoughts?
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My barred rocks were skittish as chicks, too. I think it's a survival mechanism. Now that they have started laying, they're very calm and easy going, even friendly. They still resist being picked up, but once I calm them down, they will sit on my arm and "talk" to me. I ordered mine from Cackle Hatchery and am very happy; I haven't lost a single one to disease or predation.
 
HAPPYCHICKENLADY17
CountryChic63 said:
So I have 2 barred rocks in my brooder. I try to hold each chick daily, and interact with them, however most act like I'm going to kill them. I have 3 totes as brooders, chicks are separated by age, so they are 2 weeks, 3 weeks and 4 weeks. My question is, even though they don't seem to calming down at all, once they're in the coop and THEY get to chose to come up to me vs ME holding them against their wishes, will they become a little less scared of me?
Also, I see a big difference between the chicks we ordered from Ideal vs the ones that we bought at Tractor Supply & Rural King. The ones from the stores seem traumatized and much less trusting. They also fight a lot. What's your thoughts?
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MINE WERE SKITTISH AS WELL, BUT ONCE THEY STARTED LAYING THEY LOVE TO BE CUDDLED
 
HAPPYCHICKENLADY17
BlackHackle said:
The Barred Rock is actually a variety of the Plymouth Rock breed. This breed includes the Barred Rock, the Partridge Rock, the Columbian Rock, the Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock, the Buff Rock, the BBS Rock, and the White Rock.
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Like i said i have 4 barred rocks and 2 white plymouth rocks, love all..now that they are laying very easy to handle...the white are very very chatty....always have something to say......when they were little they did not like to be handled at all......just wait til they get older they will love you just as much
 
HAPPYCHICKENLADY17
CountryChic63 said:
So I have 2 barred rocks in my brooder. I try to hold each chick daily, and interact with them, however most act like I'm going to kill them. I have 3 totes as brooders, chicks are separated by age, so they are 2 weeks, 3 weeks and 4 weeks. My question is, even though they don't seem to calming down at all, once they're in the coop and THEY get to chose to come up to me vs ME holding them against their wishes, will they become a little less scared of me?
Also, I see a big difference between the chicks we ordered from Ideal vs the ones that we bought at Tractor Supply & Rural King. The ones from the stores seem traumatized and much less trusting. They also fight a lot. What's your thoughts?
Click to expand...
i have 4 barred rocks and 2 white plymouth rocks....love them all
 
CountryChic63
We had a beautiful barred rock rooster, but after he attacked me viciously several times, and then he was beating up 2 of the 12 hens that drew blood, I decided to get rid of him.
I was surprised he wasn't a typical rooster. He hogged the food (especially the treats) and he didn't seem alerted when the cats or squirrels were close. He did crow 24/7 though.
I raised him from 1 day old and handled him daily. He seemed to expect my extra attention when I walked into the coop or fenced in yard. But then suddenly he started flogging me up at my face non-stop. I tried separating him from the hens until he calmed down, which he did. But he continued the floggings almost daily. Since we have grandchildren around that enjoy helping me, I decided he would be too dangerous. Since our fenced in yard is totally enclosed I don't plan to buy another rooster.
 
cherylwillard1
CountryChic63 said:
We had a beautiful barred rock rooster, but after he attacked me viciously several times, and then he was beating up 2 of the 12 hens that drew blood, I decided to get rid of him.
I was surprised he wasn't a typical rooster. He hogged the food (especially the treats) and he didn't seem alerted when the cats or squirrels were close. He did crow 24/7 though.
I raised him from 1 day old and handled him daily. He seemed to expect my extra attention when I walked into the coop or fenced in yard. But then suddenly he started flogging me up at my face non-stop. I tried separating him from the hens until he calmed down, which he did. But he continued the floggings almost daily. Since we have grandchildren around that enjoy helping me, I decided he would be too dangerous. Since our fenced in yard is totally enclosed I don't plan to buy another rooster.
Click to expand...
I only have female rocks, but my wyandotte roo is gentle and a good "husband" to all the females. He's never aggressive, but definitely alert and protective. And he let's them eat first. So maybe you spoiled your roo and he didn't know how to be a chicken? I don't know, just speculating. Either way, you don't need a roo for eggs, that's good! :D
 
cherylwillard1
Chickielady said:
This is the PLYMOUTH barred rock, there are many colors of the Plymouth, including white, black, buff and silver penciled among others.
The Plymouth Rock is an awesome breed, strong and healthy and gentle in general.
I would love to see this article be titled "Plymouth Rock" instead of naming it a color variation of the breed.
Click to expand...
That pic is a wyandotte rooster, not a barred rock. Maybe you posted the wrong pic without realizing? I love my rocks, they're sweet and gentle and not timid like the wyandottes.
 
Clarity1210
I loved my barred rocks. They were alert and sweet tempered, and excellent garden workers. When I was digging or weeding they'd scratch alongside me, but never messed with the plants. And whenever I'd come across a grub or beetle they'd answer my call quick as lightning, and gobble it up. They were definitely sharper of eye and more attuned to me than my other breeds. Looking forward to more in the future...
 
HAPPYCHICKENLADY17
HAPPYCHICKENLADY17 said:
I HAVE 4 BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK HENS AND I LOVE THEM....ALWAYS RUSH TO SEE ME WHEN I OPEN THE GATE TO GO IN
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BUT one of them recently hurt her leg, broke it or just a tendon , my little charlotte is a trooper....vet put her on anti bio just in case of infection, but there have been no signs, leg not bruised or swollen and still warm to the touch, we have her in a large dog cage so she can get some rest and be free of predators since i am afraid to put her on the roost yet..she does still lay those beautiful eggs...we love her dearly and hope she makes a speedy recovery
 
M
I love this breed but somehow ended up with a really mean and nasty Rooster. I've never had a problem before he's dangerous for me as he is much larger than any other Rooster I've had, guessing there's some mixed breed in there, anyone else have this problem? I do have another Rooster but he's an Icelantic and much smaller, they barely tolerate each other, he to can get aggressive but I expected that from him. I'd hate to have to cull Him, I'm just re-starting my Small farm here for meat and egg birds, so I need a good Rooster, is there anyway to change his behaviour? LOL, I kinda already know that answer but you never know, someone might have an idea, I'd clip His wings and keep Him in the fenced in area but he protects the Hens and he needs to be able to protect himself. I live in the Country , in the bush pretty much, so we have predators in the sky as well.
Thanks Oh B.T.W. I am in Muskoka , Ontario Canada
 
HAPPYCHICKENLADY17
Clarity1210 said:
I loved my barred rocks. They were alert and sweet tempered, and excellent garden workers. When I was digging or weeding they'd scratch alongside me, but never messed with the plants. And whenever I'd come across a grub or beetle they'd answer my call quick as lightning, and gobble it up. They were definitely sharper of eye and more attuned to me than my other breeds. Looking forward to more in the future...
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they were my very first chicks, they were easy to raise...love them dearly,
 
BoppiesHens
nova022 said:
We named our BR Spike because he seemed so boyish when we first got him. He stood up tall, charged and chest butted the other chicks and really seemed to be the boss. We now get 6 eggs a week from a very pleasant easy going pullet who gets along with everyone, but we still call her Spike.
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I hope the one I think is a he is also a she...I’ll know in about 6 weeks...or so!
 

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Category
Chicken Breeds
Added by
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