Breed Spotlight: Barred Plymouth Rock

I've been asked a few times about the breeds of chickens I've picked out and why I selected them, so I thought I'd do a few posts about the breeds I own and a little about them. The first up is my Barred Plymouth Rock, Dolly. I knew that I wanted larger breeds so that they would be less likely to fly over a fence and they'd be harder to hurt with two rambunctious kids around. The average weight for this breed is around 7 pounds for a hen. They are also known to be docile birds, which was a big plus for having them around my family on a daily basis. Barred Plymouth Rocks are also non-broody, which means they are not likely to try and hatch their eggs (sitting on them for a long period of time). Since we don't own roosters, I don't want my girls getting depressed that they aren't having any babies hatch. I really have no idea if they get depressed, but in my mind it makes sense. :) We also wanted chickens that lay lots of eggs. I've heard mixed reviews on how many eggs the Plymouth Rock lays, but the majority seem to say around 5 brown eggs per week. They are also cold-hardy, which is good to have for those cold winter months! 

My personal experience with this breed has been a good one. I thought for sure that she was a cockerel for a long time because she developed a redder comb and wattles early on (maybe around 5 weeks) and she was my most outgoing. She was the first to come up to me for treats and to peck at anything that she thought was food. I almost took her back to the hatchery at around week 5/6 because I was so certain she was a male, but decided to wait until she crowed for confirmation because she was one of my favorites. Luckily, she never did and ended up being a beautiful pullet! She's still the first to come running to me when I come outside and she follows me around the yard. She's at the top of the pecking order or my flock, so she keeps the others in line. The bad thing thing with her is she thinks my chihuahua is part of her flock and has tried to put her in it by pecking and running at her. Daisy didn't tolerate this for long and has had a few scuffles with Dolly, so I have to keep an eye on them while they are together. Dolly also scares Pea a little because she's always following the kids around in hopes of treats. Pea thinks she's trying to "eat" her, haha. But despite that, she's one of my favorites and I would recommend her breed to anyone. None of my girls have laid an egg yet, but I am certain she will be my first.

1 week old

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2 weeks old

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4 weeks old

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5 weeks old

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7 weeks old 

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10 weeks old

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12 weeks old

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19 weeks old

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I hope you enjoyed learning a little about the Barred Plymouth Rock and my experience with Dolly! I'll be talking about my Silver-Laced Wyandotte next!