These birds have been the easiest I've ever raised! They lay large brown eggs almost every day and are friendly and docile. When we had encounters with predators, strangely enough we never lost a Plymouth Barred Rock, even though they had an equal ratio with another breed that was taken out all except for one. I would recommend this breed especially to first-time poultry owners, but is a great bird all around if your not looking for anything too exotic.