Barred Rock?

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Kbr42
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Re: Barred Rock?

Post by Kbr42 » Thu Sep 12, 2019 11:22 am

I have a little BR, I had 3, one banty Roo, he defended his girls until he was eaten by an owl still defending his girls. I have one of @Killerbunny at the moment. My other little one, who is 8, is not doing well at the moment. She may or may not pull through. They are fun birds. I would recommend them.
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Killerbunny
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Re: Barred Rock?

Post by Killerbunny » Thu Sep 12, 2019 11:47 am

Good luck with your little girl @Kbr42BTW any eggs yet?
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TomK
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Re: Barred Rock?

Post by TomK » Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:45 pm

Killerbunny wrote:
Wed Sep 11, 2019 3:54 pm
Barred Rocks hands down! We had a couple from Freys and they were the sweetest girls. I currently have 2 that are about 19 weeks and they are nice. The roosters that I'm growing out are slow to fill out but very laid back and I can handle them easily. I have rehomed reds in the past because of attitude!.
I hope @TomK pipes up here because I know he is a fan of BRs.
Barred rocks hands down is bang on...i have production rocks 4 yrs old from Bonnie's and they are sweet natured, healthy, and great layers...the RIRs i got from Freys are not great...lousy layers ...healthy birds but I wouldn't recommend them at all... My thoughts are if you want RIRs badly, seek out a serious breeder and get quality stock....just my opinion..... :run:
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Killerbunny
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Re: Barred Rock?

Post by Killerbunny » Thu Sep 12, 2019 8:32 pm

I must say that production RIRs are nothing like the beautiful birds I see at shows, the first time I didn't recognise them. I know @thegawd had showlines of RIRs so he may be able to shed some light.
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:iheartpto:
Beltsville Small White turkeys.
Mutt chickens for eggs
RIP Stephen the BSW Tom and my coffee companion.
RIP Lucky the Very Brave Splash Wyandotte rooster.
RIP little Muppet the rescue cat.
:turkey:

:bat:

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TomK
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Re: Barred Rock?

Post by TomK » Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:50 pm

Killerbunny wrote:
Thu Sep 12, 2019 8:32 pm
I must say that production RIRs are nothing like the beautiful birds I see at shows, the first time I didn't recognise them. I know @thegawd had showlines of RIRs so he may be able to shed some light.
Gill...that was my thinking as well....to be honest, I am not 100% certain that the birds i got are pure RIR....so far off the standard that it has to be a cross of some sort
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Kbr42
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Re: Barred Rock?

Post by Kbr42 » Fri Sep 13, 2019 9:30 am

Killerbunny wrote:
Thu Sep 12, 2019 11:47 am
Good luck with your little girl @Kbr42BTW any eggs yet?
No eggs yet, not even any pinking up of her comb or waffles.
My little girl isn't doing well. I suspect she broke an egg inside of herself about a week ago. I found a broken cracked egg in her nesting box. Fingers crossed.
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KimChick
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Re: Barred Rock?

Post by KimChick » Fri Sep 13, 2019 3:07 pm

In our mixture of hens, I have found the Black Sex-links to be the most calm and the best layers. If I'm standing on or near a rock, or piece of wood on the ground, they will wait for me to turn it over for the bugs underneath.
Our Red Sex-links are very independent and sometimes forage afar. They would be the ones to charge at the turkeys, and are always the last to get rounded up back into the pen.
My Barred Rock-looking barnyard mix (I have 2) regularly give the RSL's and the younger 15 chickens reminders of who's bigger.
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Re: Barred Rock?

Post by KimChick » Fri Sep 13, 2019 3:11 pm

By the way, we have some Barred Rock cockerels that hatched at the end of May. I purchased the eggs from the Spring Lombardy BST.
If anyone needs or wants one, let me know; we will only be keeping one.
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windwalkingwolf
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Re: Barred Rock?

Post by windwalkingwolf » Fri Sep 13, 2019 3:18 pm

I used to have a hatchery barred Rock. She was a gem and I wish I could have cloned her. I wouldn't describe her as "sweet"...she was very food-motivated and had some aggression issues around it (she HAD to be the first one to look in the bucket or taste the fresh food) but was never harsh or cruel. She was second in command seemingly without any need to try to gain or maintain that spot, yet she never picked on anyone weak or ailing, and in her last days her flock returned the consideration. She laid huge eggs but never went broody for me. She was U-G-L-Y, but I found it endearing lol.
I also have a hatchery RIR...I got three given to me last year, and the one I still have is the only one I kept, and only because she has decent colour and I wanted some mahogany in my flock. They look nothing like they are supposed to, and are shaped/sized more like Red sexlinks, but only lay half as much. On the plus side, she is very thrifty and I don't see her from the time the sun comes up until it goes down--she's happy eating grass and bugs and nothing else. She's quite friendly to people and can hold her own in the coop, but prefers to be alone or raising babies. If she's locked in the coop, she is anxious and paces. She hatched and raised 6 this year, completely free-range, and only lost one. She covered them until they were three months old, and two cockerels still sleep with her at night! Red is currently starting to think about round two. She is also one of the reasons I'm not getting any tomatoes this year...as soon as the tomatoes even start to *think* about blushing, there's a Red-sized hole LOL. Only my yellow mini-plums are safe from her foraging.
Red sex-links...I have two and have had a bunch in the past. They are egg-laying machines with attitude. Definitely the most aggressive hatchery choice of the three "breeds". They are bossy drill sergeants, even with their chicks when they finally get around to deciding to brood (not usually before the age of four) and weak chicks don't live long; they keep up or they die. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's hard to watch!
RSL are great if you need eggs for eating and want your birds to live well off of cheap feed, but BR and RIR not so much. Barred rocks are great if you want a friendlier bird that also has a reasonable size for the table. Hatchery RIR aren't much good for either of those things (unless you consider garden produce "cheap"), but they're pretty, thrifty and will raise chicks at a reasonably young age. If you're set on hatchery birds, I'd go with the Rocks--but get them as day-olds if you can. Ready-to-Lays often come with a side of Infectious Bronchitis that will shorten their lives.
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thegawd
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Re: Barred Rock?

Post by thegawd » Fri Sep 13, 2019 4:38 pm

Iv been out if the loop for so long I wouldn't know who to contact for reds. Sorry guys.

But ya got me thinking that I want a Barred Rock Rooster to go with my RSLs. :-)
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