They are great backyard birds dedicated to delivering lots of brown eggs and have fairly calm temperaments when interacted with from a young age. Alternating dark and light stripes at right angles to the feather’s shaft characterize barring. The striping is distinct, with well-defined edges, and the light stripes are either the same size or narrower than the dark stripes.
A starter pullet provides an opportunity to get a jump-start on a new flock or additions to your current flock! Feather color is not an option. Only order if you do not have a color preference. If feather color is important, we recommend ordering a chick. If you are curious what feather options are possible, check out our Barnevelder page. Starter Pullets will be atleast 6 weeks old and acclimated for outside night time tempatures with an adequate coop for shelter.
Feather Colors: Females look like they are black with white stripes and males appear to be white with black stripes. Females are overall darker than males due to having only one copy of the barring gene. Roosters have two copies providing them with more white in between the black bars, giving them their lighter appearance. Hens pass down a copy of the barring gene to their son only. The Cock passes down a gene to both his sons, and his daughters.
Egg Color/ Frequency: Gifts 5-6 large brown eggs a week
Personality: The Barred Plymouth Rock Chicken is an extremely hardy chicken that thrives in almost all conditions and climates in the United States. Under the right conditions they will continue to lay well throughout the winter. This bird is highly recommended for families. They can be tamed easily and are great for children wishing to handle the birds. History: The Plymouth Rock Chicken is one of the older and most popular layers of brown eggs in the United States. The Barred Plymouth Rock, also known as the Barred Rock, is the most popular variety of the Plymouth Rock, and it is also one of the most popular brown egg layers for small farm and back yard chicken farming in the United States. The Barred Plymouth Rock was first shown in 1869, and it was one of the first to be admitted to the American Standard of Excellence in 1874. Barred Rock Chickens were created by crossing a male Dominique with a female Black Cochin or Black Java to produce a heavy variety of chicken with the plumage pattern and egg laying capabilities of the Dominique and the broodiness and docile temperament of the Black Cochin.
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.