# This is a barred rock rooster, right?



## milkmaid

We had ordered 3 barred rock hens, but there were 5 of them when the batch came. When they grew up, 2 of them turned out to be roosters. This is one of the roosters. He is a barred rock, right? Or could he be another similar breed?


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## liz

Handsome boy!! Looks Barred Rock to me


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## milkmaid

Here is the other rooster (on the left). He looks kinda different. Is he barred rock too?


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## milkmaid

Thanks Liz! We were posting at the same time.


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## liz

The second looks like he could be a mix


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## Stacykins

Actually, I think both barred males may be mixes, not pure barred rocks. The reason being is their shank color. Plymouth Barred Rocks should have yellow skin/shanks. It looks like both lads have white skin. Yellow skin is recessive, so it wouldn't take much to cover that over.


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## milkmaid

Could they be Cuckoo Marans? I think those have white shanks. These are from Murray McMurray Hatchery, so we figured they would be purebred - but then again, these were "extras" that came with the order, so who knows? :shrug:


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## Stacykins

At first I thought they could be a cuckoo marans (cuckoo and barred are actually caused by the same gene, but other sets of feather genetics cause them to appear slightly different), since the second looks more cuckoo. But it looks like their legs are absolutely clean. I'd think even hatchery marans would have some trace of leg feathering, just not as lush as someone who has bred for stellar leg feathering. My olive eggers (purebred Araucana x black copper marans) have feathers on their legs, for example, just not as dense as their BCM parent. 

Hatcheries make for so much confusion sometimes!


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## milkmaid

Oh yes, their legs are clean. I had forgotten about the feathering.
Thanks!


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## GingersMaMa

milkmaid said:


> Here is the other rooster (on the left). He looks kinda different. Is he barred rock too?


I think he's a rir/barred rock cross ( I had some that looked like him ) :greengrin:


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## Mandara Farm

We've had barred rocks before -- they look like crosses to me too.


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## milkmaid

OK, now I'm :scratch:. Why would they have sent me two cross roosters I didn't order?!


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## LetsGoKids

Hatcheries send roosters to keep the other chicks warm in the boxes. could the roosters be dorkings?


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## milkmaid

^That's interesting; I didn't know that!


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## silverpullet

It is for sure, not a dorking. Dorkings have much shorter stumpy legs, and a 5th toe. 
That rooster that you are not sure of is likely a black sex link rooster. The black sex links are created by a Rhode Island Red rooster and a Barred Rock Hen. when you cross the two you get sex links, which exactly what was said above, cross breeds, but excellent egg layers. The black sex link hens are black with red around their necks as adults, and the roosters retain the characteristics of the mother, the barring, though not as clean as a pure bred barred rock. They are sexed as chicks as the rooster chicks have a white spot on the head and the pullets do not.


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## milkmaid

That's pretty cool! Thanks, Silverpullet! (I like your username too.  )


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## chelsboers

I've ordered through that company several times and the chicks don't always look true to the breed. It could easily be what they would consider a Barred Rock. I know that some of my barred rocks from them looked different from the pictures they show you. They also have a minimum number of chick that they send in the box, so if you order under 5 they will send you a couple extra boys.


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