Reviews by applefalls

My barred rocks had me so worried when I first had them. I was convinced they were both roosters because they were mean, bossy, crowed, and had spurs! Turns out, they are fantastic layers. They just like to rule the roost. Once they started molting (before my other breeds that first year) they were quite humbled and no longer dominate so aggressively. They still rule the roost, but now only the other chickens fear them (not my children).
They are tough girls, though, and since I have no roosters, I'm thankful for the role they play in the flock. They shout 'hawk' and move the other chickens to shelter when birds fly overhead (or planes!) and they peck at the cat to keep her in line. My oldest is currently five years old and still laying.

My Australorp is about five years old and still laying! While she is currently one of my favorites in the flock, she didn't used to be. When she was young, she and her Australorp sister were hard to catch, stayed as far away from humans as possible, and were prone to messy-cakey-butt. This is the only breed I've ever had to bathe.
But now that she's one of the flock elders, she is much sweeter. She comes to me easily, is easy to pick up, and hasn't had cakey-butt in two years. *keeping fingers crossed*

I have a small flock, and I purchase my chickens from mypetchicken.com in small batches. I usually fret over whether or not my chicks are male or female, but with Red Stars, you do not have to worry...the males and females have differing feather colors upon hatching.
I find the Red Stars to be friendly, easy to catch and pick up, and good layers. They are the perfect 'starter' chicken for a family with children.
While I used to agree with the other reviews about them being rather homely looking, I have changed my opinon. I currently have four Red Stars and they are each uniquely beautiful. Some are more orange, some are more white, some are copper. The look so nice when the free range in green grass.