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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

MyPetNugget
It's the same with my BRs! Nugget L-O-V-E-S loves to discover and try new things! Always the first to try a new food, even when others are doubtful. I am also very happy we got BR's.
 
patmick
I have a BR rooster who is magnificent and LARGE. Just gorgeous when he shakes his ruff it is like a swirling skirt of Spanish dancer. He is protective of his hens and always on the look out for predators. He dances around the hens to round them up and knows when they are all in the coop at night. If one goes missing he seems disturbed and makes funny noises and crows. He has fathered 4 chicks so far. He does attack my husband who always has to watch his back when he is in the garden. He doesn't attack me and in fact seems friendly but doesn't get too close...not a cuddler at all. I have a female too. She is a good layer and has a mild personality.
 
hellbender
You must have gotten some real duds! It's not my breed and I will likely never own one but I'm very familiar with them. The ones I've been around (several friends have them) are real go-getters as foragers and lay 4 to 5 eggs per day as three and four old hens.

So what, if they aren't 'pets'? that's what dogs and cats, are for! I'll never understand why people get a dual purpose bird and expect the dad-burned thing to leap through fire hoops and "stand on it's hind legs" !!!!!!!!
 
Adorkable
Their small eggs and meh production were part of why I got rid of them, but if they had been more pet-like I would have most likely kept them around. I enjoy having friendly livestock around. It just makes life a little more pleasant. Leaping through fire hoops would have been cool too.
 
hellbender
That's a good come-back. lol I don't think is expected to lay more than 4 eggs per week, after their first bit molt but their eggs should be respectable in size.

Come over th the 'Dark Side' and get Turkens/Naked Necks! They lay far better than reported and are friendly to a fault. I have over 450 layers and nearly 50 cocks/cockerels.

Some folks think they are ugly but they are really beautiful and will brood if you let them...You've had the rest now get the best...lolol My family has bred these fine birds for more than 70 years.
 
Adorkable
muwahahaha hi again!

I'm actually really fond of Turkens. I've been researching the breed for the past year or so. I think they're friggin' adorable I'm hoping to add some to my flock possibly next year. I'm a little concerned about the cockerels hurting them while trying to breed cause of their lack of neck feathers. I'm sure you know how rough inexperienced cockerels can be. Do you or your family have a website or sell fertile eggs?
 
hellbender
We have no website and have never shipped eggs. If you ever get seriously interested...send me a PM.
 
BriskRooster
i might be getting barred rocks, don't know yet, need to decide between Andalusian's or barred rock's.
 
BriskRooster
also when its dark and if they are sick of you they mght not know what you are and just inpulsivly peck you.
 
DuckRaiser
If you want a sweet chicken and a chicken that lays about two eggs a day in winter, get Barred rocks!
 
DuckRaiser
WHAAAAAAAAT?!!?! Mine are so very sweet! Mine love to be held and pet too! They walk right up to me!
 
Starfire669
That's really strange, my Barred Rocks hop up on my shoulder and talk to me. They are very tame, outgoing, and curious. My Barred Rocks are my favorite of my flock.
 
juststruttin
Were they from a hatchery or a breeder? I had some Easter Eggers a few years ago from Meyer hatchery and they were super calm, sweet and laid a beautiful blue egg. Then a couple of years later I got some from another hatchery and they were, scrawny, skittish and they laid brown eggs.

I no longer get birds from hatcheries for several reasons which I will not go into here but one reason is temperament. If you get birds from a breeder you can ask if they breed for temperament. It is a good idea to ask about the temperament of not only the boys but also the girls. Sometimes one gender in a line has a different temperament than the other.

To me, temperament is just as important as type since my family and kids live among the chickens and mean birds just will not be tolerated.
 

Item information

Category
Chicken Breeds
Added by
dylan729
Views
209,008
Watchers
56
Comments
403
Reviews
235
Last update
Rating
4.26 star(s) 244 ratings

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