All these pictures of the beautiful Barred Rocks really bring back the memories. That was our primary "utility" bird on the farm growing up. My grandparents raised them by the hundreds in central Kansas, predominately from the 50's to the mid 80's. I wonder if Frank Reese would remember them. I know I remember his name from all the way back then.
When I was growing up, I really could not be bothered at all with my grandparent's Plymouth Rocks. They just held no appeal for me whatsoever since they were basically the "workhorses" of our farmyard, both for meat and egg production. I was much more into the more ornamental birds (Silkies, Bantam Cochins, and of course my ducks). As they say, hind sight is 20/20 and I have kicked myself over and over again for letting their line die out. I just never would have thought 20-25 years ago that a bird so well established would fall so far so quickly (not to mention how much my thoughts on the birds would change). Anyway, beautiful birds everyone! Some of them are almost carbon copies of the Barred Rocks I remember from years ago.