Barred Rock chickens: America’s favorite backyard egg layer

Breeds
Written By Bri Wyzard
Barred-Rock-chicken.jpg

Barred Rock chickens, also known as Barred Plymouth Rock chickens, may be America’s favorite breed. Developed in the second half of the 19th century, Barred Rocks quickly became the most common chicken breed in America.

“Thanks to good functional traits like high egg production and a meaty body, excellent hardiness, a docile disposition… the breed was an immediate hit.”
— Carol Ekarius, Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds

Today, almost every hatchery sells Barred Plymouth Rocks, and you don’t have to visit many chicken keepers’ flocks before you find some.

Barred Rock chickens are hardy, sweet, and quirky. If you want a bird that lays eggs like a champion, makes you laugh, and follows you everywhere, this is one breed you’ll want to consider.

But are they right for you? In this article, you’ll find all your questions about Barred Rock chickens answered. You’ll learn:

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Have Barred Plymouth Rock chickens?

Barred Plymouth Rock chicken facts

Alternate names: Rocks, Barred Rocks
Category: Eggs & meat
Origin: United States
Egg-laying ability: Good
Broodiness: Low-moderate
Meat production: Good
Cold tolerance: Poor-exceptional (depends on comb size)
Heat tolerance: Good
Predator evasion: Good to exceptional
Foraging ability: Good
Toleration for confinement: Good
Temperament: Docile
Aggression toward flock members: Moderate
Noise level: Moderate

Barred Rock Origins

Barred Plymouth Rocks are an American breed, first developed in Massachusetts, and named after the historical site, Plymouth Rock, where the first pilgrims landed.

Barred Rocks were created by crossing several different breeds of chicken. Although poultry historians don’t know for sure which breeds were used, possibilities include Dominiques, Cochins, Brahmas, and Black Javas.

What do Barred Rocks look like?

Barred Rock feather colors and patterns

Barred Rock chickens have plumage defined by regularly spaced, parallel bars that alternate dark and light. The dark bars tend to be just shy of pure black, and the white bars just shy of pure white.

This barred pattern is created by a gene that prevents pigment from forming on colored feathers. So, dark feathers end up having bars of no pigment (which appears as white).

The Barred Rock roosters carry 2 copies of this barring gene, whereas hens only carry 1 copy. This is why Barred Rock males look lighter than Barred Rock females. You can see in this video that this color difference between males (left) and females (right) is quite obvious by 6-7 weeks.

Barred Rock chickens have thicker, fluffier feathering than a lot of other breeds. My Barred Rock hens look significantly heavier than my Rhode Island Red hens, but it’s an illusion of their dense and fluffy feathering. Really, they are similar in size.

They also have extra cute, extra fluffy butts.

Barred Rock chickens have upright, single combs. Ideally, the combs have five evenly spaced, serrated points, and the middle point is longer than the ends. However, many chickens won’t meet this standard. And I’m glad for that—the variation in my hens’ combs is one of the few ways I can tell them apart.

Barred Plymouth Rocks have medium-large wattles, dark reddish bay eyes, red earlobes, and yellow beaks, shanks, and feet.

Barred Plymouth Rock chicks are mostly black. They have some yellow patches, mainly on their undersides, and they have a small yellow or white patch on the tops of their heads.

Below, you can see a video of Barred Rock chicks.

How big do Barred Rock chickens get?

Barred Rocks come in both regular and bantam (i.e., miniature) sizes.

Roosters: 9.5 lbs
Hens: 7.5 lbs
Bantam roosters: 36 oz
Bantam hens: 32 oz

Here, you can see a video of a Barred Rock Bantam rooster.

Barred Plymouth Rock Chicken Growth

Barred Rock chickens grow their feathers in earlier than many other breeds.

In the slideshow of videos below, you can see what Barred Plymouth Rock chickens look like at different stages of growth:

Are you getting Barred Rock chicks?

Share your photos, week by week!

Barred Rock chickens and egg laying

Egg color: Brown
Egg size: Large
Age of lay: 4-6 months
Eggs/week: 4
Eggs/year: 200

Barred Rock chickens are excellent layers. Many of mine lay through the winter.

Check out the video below to see a Barred Plymouth Rock hen laying an egg.

Some strains of Barred Rocks tend to be very broody, meaning they want to sit on their eggs, hatch chicks, and raise babies. Other strains never go broody—none of my Barred Rocks have ever gone broody.

Barred Rocks who do go broody tend to be wonderful mama hens.

Check out the video here to see a Barred Rock mama hen caring for her chicks.

If broodiness (or lack of broodiness) is important to you, be sure to ask your breeder or hatchery if their strains of Barred Rocks tend to go broody or not.  

Barred Rock meat production

According to The Livestock Conservancy, Plymouth Rock meat is considered “tasty and juicy.”

As a dual-purpose heritage breed, Barred Plymouth Rock chickens take many months, rather than weeks, to reach maturity. The market weight of a fully mature Plymouth Rock chicken is 6-8 lbs.

Here is a video that shows the carcass of a 7-week old Barred Rock Rooster next to a 7-week old Red Ranger (which is a fast-growing meat breed). At only 7 weeks old, Barred Rocks provide only a small amount of meat.

Why would you slaughter a Plymouth Rock chicken at only 7 weeks? The woman in the video says they had to slaughter him because roosters aren’t allowed in their city.

Barred Plymouth Rock chickens: A hardy breed

How do Barred Rocks do in the heat?

Barred Rocks don’t tolerate extreme heat, but they’ll generally tolerate your hot summers as long as they have plenty of shade, cool dust bathing areas, and unlimited cold, fresh water.

The Barred Rock rooster pictured here is trying to cool down by holding his wings out and panting.

How do Barred Rocks do in the cold?

Barred Rock hens are extremely cold-hardy. Unfortunately, the case is not the same for roosters.

Because Barred Rock roosters have very large combs and wattles, they are prone to frostbite. These birds will need extra protection from the cold in the winter.

I recommend hanging Sweeter Heaters over your Barred Rocks’ roosting bars. I hang Sweeter Heaters in all my coops, and my chickens love it—yes, even the cold-hardy breeds! These heaters go a long way in preventing comb frostbite.

You can find small Sweeter Heaters here on Amazon, medium Sweeter Heaters here, and large Sweeter Heaters here.

How much space do Barred Rock chickens need?

Barred Rock chickens are a calm and adaptive breed. This means that they do tend to tolerate confinement fairly well.

But because Barred Rocks are also an adventurous and inquisitive breed, you will need to make sure your chickens have some sort of stimulation in their living space. If you can provide them a run that’s big enough for foraging, they will be very happy.

If, on the other hand, your run is bare of grass, you’ll want to provide something else for them to do. You’ll want to set up multiple places for them to roost on or crawl over or under. And you’ll always need to make sure they have plenty of space and shade for dust bathing. (Of course, that’s true for all breeds.)

Although your Barred Rocks can tolerate confinement, they will certainly appreciate all the space you can give them. These are chickens who were originally bred as barnyard fowl, meaning they were made to spend their days exploring and foraging.

Barred Rocks vs. predators

Barred Rock chickens do fairly well at evading predators, in comparison to many other breeds. Originally bred as country fowl, these birds are smart, alert, and cautious.

Additionally, the barred pattern of this breed is sometimes called “hawk-colored” or “hawk-coloring.” It’s believed that the pattern provides some camouflage for the chickens when seen from above. Theoretically, the pattern should help to protect them from aerial predators, like hawks.

This coloring camouflages best in places with intermittent shading (such as areas with trees). You can see in the photo here why that would be the case.

Barred Rock chicken temperament

Barred Rock chickens are docile, sweet, intelligent, and curious birds. They love to explore and they tend to have quirky personalities.

Barred Rocks love attention, will follow you everywhere, and many insist on frequent handling.

Whenever I go out to my chicken yard to put out feed or do chores, my Barred Rock hens try to perch on my back or shoulders. And whenever I sit outside to visit with my chickens, I immediately have a lap full of Barred Rocks. Really, it’s ridiculous.

Here is a video of a man describing the Barred Plymouth Rock breed, but you can see just how docile the Barred Rock hen is. She doesn’t mind at all being picked up, pointed at, prodded, and pet.

Barred Rocks are incredibly curious chickens. You’ll find that your Barred Rock chicks are the first to try everything new. For example, my Barred Rocks were the first to perch on their electric brooder, the first to perch on their waterer, and the first to fly out of their brooder.

Even as adult chickens, my Barred Rocks are incredibly curious, and, much to my chagrin, they range much further than my other breeds.

Although Barred Plymouth Rock roosters do not have a reputation for aggression, some individuals may be aggressive. Others will be sweet and docile like the hens.

And because they are sweet and docile birds, Barred Rocks tend to be a very good breed for young children. Here you can see a video of young girls holding a very calm and tolerant Barred Rock hen.

Barred Rock chickens tend to get along very well with each other, but they can be a bit pushy with other breeds. They’re not typically highly aggressive, but they can be the “mean girls” of the coop.

Barred Rock chickens and noise

Barred Rock chickens are no more or less noisy than your average chicken breed. Overall, they are calm and quiet, apart from the typical, soft chicken chatter.

Like most other breeds, they can be quite vocal when they have egg-laying on their brains. Here you can see a video of a Barred Rock hen singing the “egg song.” She is likely thinking about laying or has recently laid.

In this video, you can hear some other vocalizations your Barred Rock hen may make in the coop. Chickens often make these slightly agitated-sounding noises when they’re preparing to find a spot to lay an egg.

And here you can hear Cletus, the Barred Rock rooster, tell the whole world where he’s at with his most beautiful crow. Like roosters of all breeds, Barred Rock roosters frequently crow.

Health problems and life expectancy

Barred Rocks are tough chickens. You can expect yours to live at least as long as the average chicken at 5 to 8 years.

The only problem I’ve consistently had with my Barred Rocks is that they get droppings stuck to their fluffy behind feathers in the spring. I think the change in forage upsets their stomachs initially, and they have running droppings until their digestive systems adjust.

I always end up needing to bathe the backsides of some of my hens.

Breeds you may want instead of Barred Plymouth Rock chickens

Barred Rock crosses: Amazing hybrid breeds made for the backyard

Barred Plymouth Rocks are used to make Sex Link hybrids. These are amazing chickens that lay more eggs than Barred Rocks, and the males look different from the females at birth. This means that you can be sure when you order female chicks, you’re actually getting female chicks.

When I buy female chicks, I always end up with a couple of roosters, but this isn’t a problem for me. I have the space and setup to handle roosters. However, in many urban and suburban areas, roosters are illegal. If you end up with roosters and you don’t have the heart to kill them, Sex Links may be the perfect solution for you.

The most common Sex Links with Barred Rock heritage are Black Sex Links. These are chickens made with Barred Rock hens and red roosters (most commonly, Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire roosters). These birds are hardy, docile, and can lay 250 eggs a year or more.

Other docile, egg-laying backyard breeds

If you love Barred Rocks, but you want birds that do even better in the cold, consider the Dominique. This is another dual-purpose American breed. These birds are smaller than Barred Rocks and have Rose Combs, which makes them less susceptible to frostbite.

Another similar breed is the Buff Orpington. These chickens are also dual-purpose birds, and they are typically even more docile than Barred Rocks.

Another breed that’s very similar to the Barred Rock in production and temperament, but looks very different, is the dual-purpose Sussex. These chickens are such sweethearts and excellent egg layers. They come in many different plumage patterns and varieties. The Speckled Sussex is particularly popular and camouflages well.

For more information on these breeds, see my articles:

And if you love the Barred Rock’s personality, but you want a chicken that really has the “wow” factor, consider the Cream Legbar. This breed was created by crossing Barred Rocks with Brown Leghorns and Araucanas.

Cream Legbars are excellent layers of beautiful blue eggs, and they retain the sweet dispositions of their Barred Rock ancestry. And, as you can see from the photo above, they are so cute!

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Bri Wyzard
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