Barred Rock thread!!

[DoubleMM]

Can't a girl get a little privacy!

 

[msroser]

Betsy the Boss Lady



Fiesty little Feathers, who protects us all from blue jays (she hates them with a passion)

These two have formed a girl gang, and they pick on my only older hen Belle, unfortunately.

 

[chickiebaby1]

Got my first BR egg yesterday!!! Now if the other 10 will just get started I will have lots and lots of eggs.

 

[yooper coop]

Had a bad experience with our 3 month old Barred Rock pullet named Malibu this weekend. (She's named Malibu because we got her from a nice store called Malibu Feed Bin where they have great chickens for sale)

When we got her, she was one month younger and therefore smaller than the two red sex link pullets we already had.  She was immediately bossy, but never aggressive toward her bigger 'sisters'.  The three of them have always gotten along.  Never any pecking. Malibu always lets us touch her and pet her.  She's more docile than the red sex link pullets.

Then we got two buff orpingtons, who we have kept in a separate coop because we were worried about them being pecked.  They had some old pecking wounds on them when we got them from the feed store.  The buffs are about a month younger than our barred rock Malibu, and they have never been together with Malibu.

For the first time, we tried free ranging Malibu and the two buffs together in our backyard this weekend, and as soon as Malibu could, she attacked the buffs like she wanted to kill them.  I immediately pulled Malibu off the buffs (incurring a nice gash on my hand - need to wear gloves next time!).

I know there are a lot of variables here (age difference, established pecking order, etc.), but has anyone else had 'bad blood' between their barred rock hens and buff orpington hens?

 

[yooper coop]

My buffs are very docile, my buff rooster keeps my barred rocks in there place, get a rooster to keep the girls in line.

 

[ChickensARGreat]

Thanks, Yooper Coop! We wish we could have roosters, but Alhambra California doesn't allow them.

We recently had some success with expanding the 'engagement zone' when the barred rock and buff orpingtons interact. The buffs outran the barred rock, and it was getting dark, so all the birds wanted to go home to roost. The barred rock has her own coop shared with two golden comets (they get along fine) and the two buff orpingtons have a coop all to themselves.

So they're sort of tolerating each other now. I've gotten lots of good socializing tips from great people here on this site!

 

[DoubleMM]

Thanks, Yooper Coop! We wish we could have roosters, but Alhambra California doesn't allow them.

We recently had some success with expanding the 'engagement zone' when the barred rock and buff orpingtons interact. The buffs outran the barred rock, and it was getting dark, so all the birds wanted to go home to roost. The barred rock has her own coop shared with two golden comets (they get along fine) and the two buff orpingtons have a coop all to themselves.

So they're sort of tolerating each other now. I've gotten lots of good socializing tips from great people here on this site!

Is there a way you could slowly introduce them. Separated but within sight of each other for a period of time? I find there is less "I'm gonna kill the new guy" reaction when they can finally touch each other.

 

[siobhan47]

Here are my little Barred Rock babies.
Three black and two yellow (I didn't realise the chicks would be yellow??) and the two grey ones are Araucanas.
They're so cute and fluffy. Have one very proud (surrogate) Mama Chicken!

 

[mama2molly]

Adorable!!! But, I didn't think they came in yellow chicky fluff???

 

[MommaHen77]

MY PIC OF MY BARRED ROCK GIRLS THEY FALLOW ME AROUND LIKE A DOG