Finally picked the barred rock over the wyandotte, no regrets after 6 months

Honestly, I went back and forth for weeks on which breed to start with. Everyone said wyandottes are calmer and better for beginners, but something about those barred rock chicks just looked right. Tbh, my two girls are super friendly, follow me everywhere, and lay almost every day. My neighbor has wyandottes and hers are always hiding under the coop. Has anyone else just gone with their gut on a breed and had it work out?

1 comments

1 Comment

terryrobinson1mo ago

You said "everyone said wyandottes are calmer and better for beginners" and I gotta gently push back on that. Barred Rocks are literally one of the most recommended starter breeds right alongside Wyandottes in every hatchery catalog I've seen. They're known for being hardy, friendly, and reliable layers exactly like you're describing. I think what happened is people lump all rocks together with the more flighty breeds like Dominiques or Delawares, but Barred Rocks have been a staple for beginners for decades. My first flock was all Barred Rocks and they were so chill my kids could pick them up without any fuss. Your gut was right on this one, those two breeds are way more similar than different in temperament.