I have gotten 3 Barred Rocks, they’re 9 weeks old and the sweetest, friendliest birds. All 3 will sit on my lap or arm and snuggle in for pets. We have one girl Mabel, who’s so curious and funny. When transitioning to the coop from brooder ( brooder was inside ) we’d take them to the coop in a tub for a few hours, then gather them up to bring back in. Mabel jumped on top of the tub to “supervise” until all girls were inside the tub then she’d jump into the tub herself. She’d repeat the process when going back into their brooder as well. Just love her. Love this breed. We also have Gold Lace Wyandottes and those girls are the fighters seems to be. We have 3 Black Jersey Giants and equally sweet as Barred rocks but are very shy and quiet.
I also have this breed of chicken. One of my chickens, Grandma is a brown Plymouth Rock (which can be mistaken as a Barnevelder). Unlike other Plymouth Rocks, Tony seems to be more anxious.
Pros: Friendly to me
Great layers
Cold hardy
Do not mind being held
Cons: Can either be really sweet or not very nice all in one minute
Loud
I have two barred rock hens in my flock. They both do not mind being held and sometimes that is the way I get them to "tone down" their volume. They were the first to lay of the flock and consistently lay where they are supposed to. I really love them and their personalities most of the time. However, they are not consistent. My poor littler than them speckled sussex is scared of them because one minute they want to be "friends" and the next overly peck her multiple times. They do the same thing to the three silkies.
Cons: Some have health issues related to egg laying.
I love my Barred Rocks. They are sweet birds that can be very friendly with handling. They are able to withstand the -20C temperatures in my area over the winter. The only con that I found, in the case of my flock, is that a few did develop laying-related health issues. I still plan on getting more in the future despite that.
I have a couple Plymouth Rock hens and a rooster. They are funny birds, the hens follow me around and talk to me a lot and don't mind being picked up. They do peck at my feet a lot and will peck me in the back when I'm sitting on the ground. My rooster is a complete jerk and attacks from behind for no reason. He will be going to freezer camp soon.
Pros: Good pest control, very sweet, gets along with others well, friendly, large, good layer, soft
Cons: Not diligent about threats, was the last to start laying out of my flock
I had a very sweet barred rock in my first flock, I loved her, she was so friendly and followed me around the yard I’m not sure if this was just my chick, but she was pretty mean as a baby.She got along well with the others but she just hated me from 0-2 months old and then began warming up to me.
Pros: Beautiful, huge, gentle, gentle with flock mates, not human aggressive; tolerates touching, coddling, and being picked up
Cons: Very lazy, slow growing, bland personality, doesn’t have a “spark of intelligence,” poor free ranger, not diligent
I got a show quality barred cockerel and he’s mild and very lazy. He likes to sit a lot and enjoys it at shows because he gets to sit. But as our biggest rooster he also feels like he has to police things and rule in the cages he’s put in. So he pecks bantam roosters that are fighting occasionally but is disturbed by their energy levels. He never fights with the others, and doesn’t mind being petted or picked up at all, he’s just detached from human interaction. Not friendly but tolerates being touched more than most of the friendly ones. He takes forever to grow his feathers.
Pros: Super freindly, live a long time, not apt to go broody,
Good layers.
Cons: If you want a small chicken these are not it. 5.5 + pounds.
My first chickens where barred rocks. Only one survived of the 3 (novice chicken keepers fault, aka me/my parents) and at present she is still alive, 9 years old, lays once a month do to old age, and in great health. Very pretty, freindly birds. Mine has never went broody but she had the mothering instinct and raised a chick. They make great first chickens.
I did a LOT of research before getting my first chickens and I chose to start with Barred Plymouth Rocks. I absolutely love them! Hoping to get more next year!!
Pros: -Cold and heat hardy
-Great egg layers and meat birds (dual purpose)
-Friendly; docile
-Do well with other breeds , and bantams
-Easy to sex at young age
-Cool feather pattern
Cons: -Roosters seem to do a poor job of... you know.. mating (in my experience)
Barred Plymouth Rocks are an amazing starter breed.
They were one of the first ones I've had, and I enjoy breeding them yearly to get more and more. They are the first ones that run up to me if I go to the coop.
Cons: My first one was not so smart... but I have my theories why
I have heard they can bully others, but mines the opposite. Is bullied by others
Can be skittish.
I’ve enjoyed having my two barred rocks a lot. The first one I got with my original flock. I feel a bit sorry for her. A few days after we got her (as a chick) she fell into the toilet. (The brooder was in the bathroom, and we were examining the chicks. So she fell into the toilet, and then into the trash can. I think we must have accidentally given her a concussion. Poor thing. We had her for 1 year, before a hawk, ferret, it some predator ripped her up. Don’t worry, we buried her in the forest, where she deserved to lay eternally. Rest In Peace Tilly. The next one is still alive (thankfully!) this one is 8 weeks old currently. She is a little skittish, but overall a great bird so far. Her name is Cornflower.
Purchase Price
First was 3.00, I think the same was with the second.
Pros: Easy to sex at a young age, cold hardy, lays tons of eggs, roos are protective, easy to find
Cons: A little shy
I was able to tell the gender at a young age for my birds, which I liked. In my opinion, they are cold hardy (living in an area where the highest is 80 degrees F and the lowest is -20 degrees F)- although sometimes I have to put vaseline on their combs.
They lay TONS of eggs which is great for me, and my one roo is very protective
A few of my girls are shy and skittish which makes it hard to catch them.
Pros: I will only talk about the old heritage strains of white rocks.
They thrive on pasture, utilizing everything they eat. They can thrive on feed restriction methods. They produce large to jumbo eggs of pinkish, terracotta, peach brown color and wonderful glossy shells. They have a wonderful golden yellow skin. They produce high density meat even when eating only 50 grams of a 14% protein organic layer feed a day. They also grow with a growth rate of a hybrid layer, very fast, and without having any problems due to the fast growth. Also, do not forget the advantages of butchering a white feathered chicken. Pin feathers won't be easily seen. They are trustworthy broody hens when aged.
Cons: None.
The most balanced old type heritage breed is by far the white Plymouth rock.
My Plymouth Rock was extremely sweet and was always practically begging to be picked up. She also laid lots of eggs and was a pretty dependable layer. She was at the bottom of the flock, however, and was easily bullied and picked on, so that's something to keep in mind if you have bullies. All in all, she was one of my favorite breeds!
Pros: Good layers, cold hardy, some are broody, good rooster, get along with the rest of the flock
Cons: None
Plymouth Rocks are one of my favorite breeds. I have had Barred and White Rocks and have no complaints. They are not an overly broody breed, but I have had a few loyal broody hens. They are great layers, winter hardy, and get along well with a mixed flock. I had one White Rock rooster who was not aggressive and treated his hens well.
Cons: doesn't know his place
throws hens around
messy
bad protector
personally, our rooster is terrible, he's led our hens to die, he pushes them around, he doesn't protect them but he's big. he's not typical of other Bard Rocks, the breed themselves are fantastic but He, is rude.