Anyone show Barred Rocks?

[speckledhen]

He's a good looking guy, Kate. One of these days, I may get some more hatching eggs from you. I love the two girls I already have from your crew! They're so beautiful and sweet and excellent layers, even though their eggs haven't reached full size quite yet. And their barring is much better than Ivy or Lexie's.

 

[helmstead]

Thanks Adam...Mister is a real cuddle butt with his ladies! Cyn - you know the drill...ask and ye shall receive! Flattery isn't necessary!

 

[speckledhen]

Ain't flattery if it's true, hon! Besides, I have a sweet little Ameraucana pullet in that brooder just waiting for you. I just am not sure which one is the girl, yet, LOL! Actually, I think I may have three girls, just enough.

 

[tx_dane_mom]

Ahhh I didn't subscribe to my own topic! So far behind

Ok...got to get pix, had to pick dad up from the airport, and I feel like crud...I wonder if I can get a decent pic a nite...I will go try...
Kristi

 

[Pinenot]

I have Bantum Barred Rocks out of Show stock and we have young ones right now. Our hen took reserve hen last year the fair and will be showed more this year.

This is what I know:
The bars must be strait and slinder. You don't want barring to be big or deep.
No black feathers.
The males are always lighter. I could tell the day they hatched what they were and I was right.

I am hopeing to sell eggs this spring.

 

[tx_dane_mom]

The day they were hatched!?!? Wow...that's skill. How long have you been raising those?
Kristi

 

[Pinenot]

They come out a silvery grey where as the females look almost black, their so dark. When they are dry, the boys will have on top of the head an area that is light silver.

 

[speckledhen]

The headspot on males is usually blotchier and more irregular and larger. On females, the spot is smaller and more defined, USUALLY. That plus the lighter overall color of the males. Females most of the time have a black wash of color down the front of their legs, too. Those things together will give you a pretty good sexing tool. There are exceptions to the rules, but that's why I like my Barred Rocks. They can be sexed by less than a week old, in most cases. Here is a document about that very thing:

Historical Document
Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station

SEX IDENTIFICATION IN PUREBREDS
BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCKS

It had long been recognized that the size of the light head
spots in Barred Plymouth Rocks varied in the two sexes. The
males tend to have larger headspots and the females to have
darker colored legs. However, this method has not been sufficiently
accurate to be of much commercial value.
Quinn and Knox (1939) attempted to separate the sexes of
Barred Plymouth Rocks by means of the intensity of the black
pigment in the down and legs. In different lots of chicks they
report 83.5, 86.1 and 91.8 percent accuracy.
Jerome (1939) describes a method of sex identification in
Barred Plymouth Rocks based upon the regularity of the outline
of the head spot rather than the size of the spot. Those chicks
having headspots irregular in outline and scattered in appearance
are males while the females tend to have headspots with
more regular outlines. The author claimed an accuracy of 90
percent or better when considering only the headspot and 95
percent if the color of the legs was included in the consideration.
The Canadian Department of Agriculture (Anonymous 1941)
issues an excellently illustrated bulletin describing the method.
It is stated in the bulletin that the method “is widely practiced
in Barred Rock chicks by commercial chick sexers.” Sex identification
is based upon outline of head spot, color of legs and
shade of down color. There are several types of male and female
head spots some of which are shown in Figure 1.​

 

[tx_dane_mom]

Ok, here are my guys. And, PLEASE, tell me truthfully what you think. I kind of think I may just need to wait until they are full grown to tell.
Kristi

This is my 'pick' roo:

These are 2 different cockrels (I have 4 total)

Here's some of my girls:

And I have more, but I think that's enough

Kristi

 

[tx_dane_mom]

I personally think the cockrel in the middle is too 'blotchey' and will be one of the 2 I sell. My girls just seem too dark, but I will start to study them more individually I guess.
Kristi