Dependable, beautiful, and brimming with barnyard charm, the Barred Plymouth Rock is like the classic apple pie of the chicken world—timeless, loved by all, and always a good idea. These girls bring a little old-fashioned Americana right to your backyard with their stunning black-and-white barred feathers and easygoing personalities. Whether you’re brand new to chickens or a seasoned homesteader, they’re a breed you’ll want to keep forever.
You will receive (1) bird per quantity ordered.
A starter pullet gives families a jump start on chicken ownership, allows families to skip the need to invest in a heated brooder, and there is less wait time for eggs. Selecting a specific hatch date of a starter pullet is your commitment to pick her up within (6) days of order placement on your choice of Saturday between 8am-5pm or Monday between 5pm-6:30pm . Make sure you select the hatch date desired to ensure your starter pullet is the age you want. For further guidance on what age they can begin to be accimated to outside tempatures, read the section on Considerations of Starter Pullets prior to purchasing.
Feather Colors:
Barred Plymouth Rocks are dressed in nature’s pinstripes, but with a fascinating twist females appear darker with bold black feathers edged in white, while males look lighter with white feathers edged in black. This difference comes from the barring gene: hens have one copy, giving them a darker, richer look, while roosters have two, creating more white between the black bars. Even more interesting? Hens pass a copy of the barring gene only to their sons, while roosters pass it to both sons and daughters. Genetics never looked so stylish.
Egg Gifting:
These hens are generous ladies, gifting 5–6 large brown eggs per week. Under the right conditions, they’ll keep laying well into the winter. No egg droughts here.
Personality:
Calm, friendly, and famously easy to handle, Barred Rocks are perfect for families with children or first-time chicken keepers. They’re highly adaptable, thriving in both hot and cold climates across the U.S., and are just as happy free-ranging as they are in a cozy coop.
History:
The Barred Plymouth Rock, also known simply as the “Barred Rock,” is the most beloved variety of the historic Plymouth Rock breed—one of America’s oldest and most popular brown egg layers. First shown in 1869 and admitted to the American Standard of Excellence in 1874, they were created by crossing a male Dominique with a female Black Cochin or Black Java. The result? A hardy, heavy-bodied chicken with the Dominique’s striking plumage and egg-laying talents, paired with the Black Cochin’s docile, broody temperament. They’ve been a farmyard favorite ever since.
Sexing Method:
Several communities have laws in which roosters are not allowed. Vent sexing as a day old is most common sexing method, resulting in 90% accuracy. While this age group has a higher sexing accuracy, our female coverage applies to all Starter Pullets sold.
Starter Pullet: Barred Plymouth Rock
Most families are attracted to obtaining their chickens from us because we are proud to be completely different than typical feed store/ hatchery industry standards. Industry standard is to sex as accurately as possible and sell as pullets (female chicks) and force customers to accept a >10% chance of an accidental rooster without the ability to accept returns nor refunds. In addition, industry standard is to sell bantams (such as silkies) as straight runs since they are too small for safe vent sexing. We offer multiple sexing options.
Male
If you are lucky enough to have a rooster, our male sexing option is a great way to save money on a wonderful breed.
Unsexed
This option means that the chicks have not yet been sexed and are sold as a straight run. While nature usually averages half girls and half boys in high volumes, families should only order if prepared for >50% possible roosters.
Female Coverage
This is our most economical choice for families seeking a female. We kept city ordinances that restrict rooster ownership in mind. This option is great for families that want to enjoy a backyard flock of ladies. We use traditional sexing methods on the breeds that capable of being vent sexed, home accidental roosters, and issue store credit of original purchased price. To learn more about how we sex baby chicks based on their breed view: How to Sex Chickens.
Depending on the breed, sexing accuracy can range as low as 50% for bantam breeds, 90% for standard breeds, and as high as 95% for auto sexing breeds. Our female coverage option is not a service fee for sexing the chick, it is the cost difference between purchasing a male or a female chicken. We do not believe in grinding males alive nor suffocating them as day olds to enable a profit when selling a stated female chick at ridiculously low prices. Thus, our female pricing takes into consideration the male left behind with each female purchased. Male chicks are typically half the price of a female.
To qualify for rehoming, the rooster must remain in perfect health. If the family decides to return the rooster, a store credit in the amount of original purchase price is provided. As a family, you are welcome to decide to keep any accidental rooster and forfeit the credit.
DNA Sexed Female Chicks
For families that get emotionally bonded quickly and do not want to risk a future discovery of a rooster, we offer DNA sexing. DNA sexing is the only true accurate method of sexing baby chicks. DNA testing is a significantly higher financial investment. In most cases, it is 3x the cost as (1) female sex covered chick.
Balance accuracy with financial investment
The sexing decision is one that needs to be made at time of purchased and the original order cannot be altered once the order is fulfilled. It is important as a family to determine the right balance between sexing accuracy and financial investment for your family’s situation.
We provide as much information on our website as possible to ensure families make an informed decision based on their situation and lifestyle. Some breeds are more accurate in sexing and most families find our female coverage adequate in providing a free home for their accidental rooster (up to $100 savings) and use the store credit towards a replacement or our organic feed. While harder to sex bantam breeds, or families that know they will develop a with strong emotional attachment prefer to invest in DNA sexing.