Meet the Barred Rock

November 11, 2026

Barred Rock hen, close portrait in a sunlit backyard

If you picture a farmyard hen, there is a good chance you picture a Barred Rock. With its crisp black and white stripes and easygoing nature, the Barred Plymouth Rock has been one of America's most familiar backyard birds since the 1800s, and it is still one of the best places for a new keeper to start.

A bit of history

The Plymouth Rock was developed in New England in the mid-1800s as a dual-purpose bird: good for eggs and good for the table. The barred variety came first and was included in the American Poultry Association's first Standard of Perfection in 1874. For decades it was the everyday farm chicken across much of the country, and it helped found many of the commercial breeds that followed.

What they look like

Barring: every feather is crossed with alternating dark and light bars. Roosters tend to look lighter overall because their white bars are wider; hens look darker.
Build: a solid, deep-bodied bird. Standard weights run about 7.5 lb for hens and 9.5 lb for roosters.
Details: a single red comb, red earlobes and wattles, and yellow legs and skin.

Temperament

Barred Rocks are known for being calm, friendly and curious without being flighty. Many will follow you around the yard and settle well into handling, which makes them a good choice for families and first flocks. They do well free ranging and are generally comfortable in confinement too.

Eggs

Expect brown eggs in the medium to large range, often around four a week from a healthy young hen, or roughly 200 or more a year. Like most heritage breeds, they lay best in their first couple of years and slow down with age and in the short days of winter.

Hardiness and care

Their size and dense feathering make them very cold-hardy. Single combs can be prone to frostbite in hard freezes, so keep the coop dry and well ventilated.
They handle heat reasonably well with shade, fresh water and airflow.
Hens go broody now and then but not constantly.

Good to know

Chick sexing: Barred Rock chicks can often be sexed at hatch by the head spot. Pullets usually have a smaller, sharper spot and darker legs; cockerels have a larger, more scattered spot.
Sex links: a Barred Rock hen crossed with a Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire rooster produces Black Sex Link chicks, where males and females look different from day one.
Look-alikes: Cuckoo Marans and Dominiques are also barred. Dominiques have a rose comb, while Barred Rocks have a single comb.