Barred Rocks

[Jashdon]

We have three Barred Rock hens (or maybe they are still pullets?) that are around 7 or 8 months old. Two have the standard black and white pattern but the third has quite a bit more white than black. Is this just genetic diversity at work or do you think she might be crossed with something else? Sorry, no pictures besides my avatar pic, but you can see that she has quite a bit of white compared to the other Barred Rocks on her right. Our camera is being fixed. Just curious...

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

I cant really see the pic all that well. If it has barring but more white than black then it sounds like it might be a show type. Did it feather in slower than the others? Good barring comes with slow feathering.

 

[Jashdon]

Hmm, I don't know about that because we didn't raise her from a chick. We bought her at about 7 months... She is a lot more friendly that the others. She comes running up to you when you walk in the run and you can just pick her up with no fuss at all. The others act like we are warewolves or something.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Do you think that you could enlarge the pic and put it on photobucket or something?

 

[MissPrissy]

Are you sure it is a barred rock? What type of comb does it have and what color are the feet and legs?

 

[Jashdon]

Here are some pictures I found. Her feet and legs are yellow and comb is still developing. I'm not really sure what to look for as far as the comb goes.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Hmm, she doesnt really have a fine barring like I was expectng. It almost looks like a barred rock x columbian type cross, it has more white than I was thinking. Maybe cross her back to a barred rock or deleware rooster to see what you get.

 

[speckledhen]

That one is a crossbreed of some sort. Definitely one half of the equation is BR or Dom, depending on the comb type. My friend Kate had some cockerels from a Cochin/Silkie over Barred Rock hen that looked almost identical to that. In the last pic, even the darker one with her head up in the air looking to the right, seems a bit weird. The head and neck are really coarse and thick to be a BR pullet. Here's one of my BR pullets when she was 8 months old for comparison:

 

[Jashdon]

Wow, I wonder if the guy sold us much younger birds. You Barred Rock looks much bigger and more developed at 8 months. I'll have to ask him. We are heading up to look at some more birds tonight.

 

[speckledhen]

Yours look like my 13 week old Barred Rock's sizes; heck, at 8 months, they'd have been laying already. The pullets in this pic are 12 weeks old: