She is a Barred Rock pullet; approximately 6 months old. I bought her in the spring to add to our backyard poultry menagerie. She's a good little girl and when alone always singing. However, Lucy and Ethel (pictured below) do not like her and will not leave her alone. They are constantly after her to the point that she can not get any rest. When they are out together, she spends the entire time on her roost. It's gotten to the point now that we either put her out for a few hours before the others, or she goes to bed earlier - this way she has time to eat, drink, scratch and dig before she's driven to roost.
We got our first egg from her the other day, but because of the situation we've yet to receive more.
Actually, now that I think of it Lucy and Ethel are a couple O tough nuts. They let Emilie know in the spring who was boss - one of them chased her and peck the back of her leg. As you can imagine Emilie is not fearful of them. They have also taken a similar approach with JoAnne, which blows my mind because JoAnne tends to them most of the time. JoAnne's not as fearful of them as Emie and will try to give them a "what for" when they come at her but she needs to pay attention none-the-less.
The Barred Rock is one of the all time popular favorites and was developed in New England in the early 1800's by crossing Dominique's and Black Java's. Prolific layers of brown eggs, the hens are not discouraged by cold weather. Their solid plumpness and yellow skin make a beautiful heavy roasting fowl. The narrow, clean barring is desirable in appearance. Their bodies are long, broad, and deep with bred-in strength and vitality. These chickens are often called Plymouth Rocks, but this title correctly belongs to the entire breed, not just the barred variety. Whatever you call them, you can't beat them for steady, reliable chickens. Baby chicks are dark gray to black with some white patches on head and body.
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