Is this really a Barred Rock?

[Hinotori]

I bought this girl as a barred plymouth rock along with five others at the feed store. The others all look the same except they have bright yellow legs with the grey wash down them. This girl has pink legs with a grey wash on the front.

I know she's a hatchery bird. Is she actually a hatchery rock even with the pink? Or is she a hatchery marans or dominique?

She's 17 weeks old now and such a sweet heart. Poses for the phone and everything.

 

[BusyBlonde]

She looks like a BR to me!

 

[bloom_ss]

Looks like one to me.

 

[hdowden]

looks like br 100%

 

[speckledhen]

She could be a Marans or she could be a BR with bad leg color-we've seen some of those from hatcheries of late. Her barring is much more like a Barred Rock than Marans. Of course, if you believe hatcheries mix up their breeds, she could be a cross, but the barring is most definitely that of a BR. The leg color? Well, not correct for BR, but still... BRs are my breed of choice, raised many of them, from hatchery stock, to progeny of hatchery stock to show quality type and never had one with legs that color.

 

[Zonoma]

I'm with speckledhen on this one. That chicken looks an awful lot like hatchery Cuckoo Marans but her barring is all BR.

 

[Fred's Hens]

What passes for a BR in most hatchery stock is well.... to be charitable... far less than true to type. I'd consider non-yellow legs to be a serious deficiency in being true type. I've noticed that the BR is suffering from poor breeding almost as bad as the RIR that are coming from the hatcheries. It is not as if these birds are not nice or even good layers, It is just my personal gripe that asks "Just how far from the standard can such birds go?" Just go to Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch or KathyinMO to see what a BR should look like.

I notice hatchery say things like "represent the breed". Hmmm OK.

Frankly? She'll probably be a great bird for you. Enjoy her. She is very pretty.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Her barring does look like BR, Marans barring is more "messy". Yellow legs are recessive to white legs, so all it would take is one in the breeding flock to not be pure for yellow legs and you can lose it fast.

 

[speckledhen]

Even my hatchery BRs had nice yellow legs, even better than my show lines, but I've seen some that did not.

 

[Hinotori]

Thanks all. Those legs just confused me a lot.

Eventually, I'll order some eggs from a breeder. I like the tiny little barring on the show stock better, and my hubby decided he really likes the look of the barred rocks.

They remind me of the razzle dazzle paint on british WW2 ships. I have a hard time seeing these girls in the weeds sometimes, and hope that works against hawks, too.