Barred Rocks with no bars?

[Bawkinghen]

This barred rock is over two weeks old now, along with her sister who looks almost identical (got them from the feed store). Problem is, their feathers re growing in totally back. Everybody else's barred rocks at this age that I've seen are already starting to look like barred rocks. Am I going to end up having black chickens? . Are these even barred rocks or did something else get put in a bin marked barred rock pullets?

 

[keesmom]

It's not a barred Rock. Probably an Austrolorp.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Reminds me of Forrest Gump, that wise philosopher who said, "Picking chicks from feed store bins is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."




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[popsicle]

Did she have a white spot on the back of her head? If not, she will not be barred.

She looks like a Black Australorp to me.

 

[Bawkinghen]

Well shoot! I already have two black austrolorp hens. Good thing I like them. Wish I had known what to look for. I can say that everyone who got chicks from this bin marked barred rocks all got austrolorps then because they all looked the same.

 

[donrae]

Did she have a white spot on the back of her head? If not, she will not be barred.

She looks like a Black Australorp to me.

This....barred birds will have a white spot on the head.

It's possible it could be a black sex link, but it just looks more like an Aussie.

 

[Bawkinghen]

Yeah...neither of the chicks I've got have the spot. I just trusted the signage. Somebody thought they knew what they were doing when they put the sign on the bin. It was full of black chicks like these and little yellow chicks and the sign said Barred Rock Pullets and Cornish. I knew to pick the black ones, but I didn't know beyond that. Boo...oh well. Two more black chickens that I won't be able to tell apart...lol. My austrolorps are the only birds in the flock that don't have very good distinguishing features so I usually call them both by the same name. My eight year old says he can tell the difference. Maybe I'll see if one of my friends wants to trade a barred rock for an austrolorp...