I purchased a dozen exhibition quality barred rock bantams from Dick Horstman in April 2016. Almost a year old as of this writing and I'm 100% pleased. The entirety of the remaining flock (5 hens, 1 rooster) are some of the friendliest birds I've owned. The few I sent to other homes give similar reviews when I see them and everyone who got by extra cockerels last year are on a waiting list to get more of this years hatch when available. They've proven cold hearty as I winter them in an open air hoop coop with no heat, only a huddle box to get out of the wind and we had single digit weather this past winter (below 0 with wind chill) and there were no issue of illness, injury, frost damage, etc.
They are consistent layers for bantams and I get 4-5 eggs/week from each pullet on average. The rooster is friendly, as are the hens, and all can be handled by my 9 year old without issue. They're currently housed with my general flock and get along well with more than half a dozen large fowl hens and a large fowl rooster (my Svart Hona, also a great gentle breed). I'll be moving them into their own coop this spring (building it now) to establish a breeding program, and will be adding another order from Horstman to give some lineage variety to my current stock.
They are consistent layers for bantams and I get 4-5 eggs/week from each pullet on average. The rooster is friendly, as are the hens, and all can be handled by my 9 year old without issue. They're currently housed with my general flock and get along well with more than half a dozen large fowl hens and a large fowl rooster (my Svart Hona, also a great gentle breed). I'll be moving them into their own coop this spring (building it now) to establish a breeding program, and will be adding another order from Horstman to give some lineage variety to my current stock.
