Can you teach me about Barred Rocks?

[SillyChick]

Hello!

I have 2 Rhode Island Reds, but I'm beginning to think they're Barred Rocks......but they still have the red tip on their beak........oh well.........I'll just wait when more colors show up!

I tried to search the web for info on Barred Rocks but I can't find any site that has enough info. Can you teach me about them? How strong do they lay? How's their meat quality? Behavior? Are they good pets? etc.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Gracie_Chickie]

I have 13 chickens. 2 of them are Barred Rocks. The BRs are the friendliest, most curious chicks I have. They are about 16 weeks old, so haven't started laying yet. I haven't eaten any of my chickens...yet.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

These are Barred Rocks :

I used to think they were Dominiques so I can understand your confusion!! Darlene

 

[arlee453]

Hmmm.... ScrambledEgg - my barred rock and dominiques don't look anything like your two.

Mine have black and white stripes - your's are pure black and the hen pure white?

Also, what's with their stiff carriage? They look like statues they are so still.

Now, those critters in the background do look more like my guys, but I do think you are mistaken about those two in the front...

 

[Scrambled Egg]

LOL!! My friends at work think I am a lunatic for having decorations outside my chicken pen!! I told them my chickens like all the comforts of home too!!! Darlene

 

[speckledhen]

RIRs and Barred Rocks look nothing alike as chicks, not in the least, so I doubt you have Barred Rocks. If they're black with a white spot on the head, they're BRs, but if they're "strawberry blonde" to reddish, they're RIRs

Mine are very sweet, funny, friendly, great layers, all of them. That's the norm for Barred Rocks, but there can be individual differences, as Carri says below.

 

[CarriBrown]

Here are two BRs I gave to my dad. These birds aren't typical BRs... they are high strung, and as my dad puts it, "These birds are crazy!"

 

[SillyChick]

Hmmm............my chicks aren't black.................they're brown; yes, strawberry blonde.....very strawberry blonde......they also look nothing like those pics(no offense there; they're very nice birds!). The red tip on their beaks are getting darker as time goes........let me show you some pics:

Oh, and I'm only using a camera phone here and it isn't quite good on the colors; they're much browner in real life than these pics:

oh and did I mention they're only chicks?

They don't like their yogurt.........

Dust bathe..........aaahhhh..............some privacy please?

What do you think?

 

[KingsCalls]

Barred Rocks are mostly pretty docile birds. The best rooster I've ever had was a Barred Rock. Some make good broody's, some don't. Most all lay well. It will take the pullets a while to begin laying as they are not the fastest chickens to mature. They are fairly hardy birds(they do real well with the weather here in east Tn.) Eggs are on the large side. As far as meat goes,I could not tell you about that as I have never ate any. They are not hard on the feed bill as they can pretty much forage for themselves if allowed to. The pattern on B Rocks helps to camoflauge them from predators during the day. All the eggs I've tried to incubate did very well and the chicks are very hardy also. They are one of the best chickens I've ever owned(neck and neck with Orpingtons)

 

[peeps7]

One of em looks like a buff orp and I'm not sure what the other one is.