Barred Rock Comb

[ChickensREasy]

I am now up to seven Barred Rock Hens, all supposedly about a year old. I am too new to chickens to be certain of their ages so hopefully I haven't been conned. Anyway two of them have "smushed" looking combs that look a bit like pea combs maybe? They are bright red with no appearance of disease or injury that I can tell. Could they be mixed breed somehow? Their feathers look exactly the same as all the rest. Or is there some other cause? I will try to ad photos later if I have time. It's been 2 weeks with the 5 new ones and I am still only getting about 3 eggs per day, should I be worried that some of them might not be layers? Or is it likely they're still settling in and it's the season? Thanks.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Wonder if you have some Dominiques or crosses also, they look like BRs but have rose combs if you can take a picture of their combs people might be able to tell.
It will take some hens longer than others to settle into their new homes, if they weren't laying over the winter, they will just be starting up now and some may not have started yet. Also, if they are older birds they won't lay as well as they did when they were younger.

 

[BusyBearMama]

Dominique's look like barred rocks with Rose combs for the most part

 

[ChickensREasy]

Well interesting, I intended to have all the same breed but from what you're saying, I guess I must have two Dominiques. How do these two breeds differ from each other? Are the Doms going to be able to stand up for themselves to the BRs? Eggs and production the same?

Do the three pictured all look about a year old?

 

[BusyBearMama]

They're small but they mature early and lay a bunch of medium ish brown ish eggs, they're very sweet birds, yours could be doms or mixes, some people mix them because they see the barring and think its the same bird and its ok if you don't mind a mixed bird, doms like their space and are gentle birds, usually if you let them free range unless you have predators you don't have a problem. They will be a pound lighter maybe if they're relatively pure and it really depends on your rocks, I get mixed reviews on them. We are getting new doms this summer and ended up with some rocks too so we will in theory also be mixing. We might have to build a little coop over by the garden runs to segregate if we have any issues. If your rocks are nice to each other and you introduce easily you might just be fine they're cute whatever they are

 

[BusyBearMama]

They could be a year old, I would guess a dom mix from the picture of the one. Its hard to tell a birds age just looking at it. Ina years time they should have hit laying age lol. I have one mixed breed bird that won't lay if there is any stress, she just stops and then starts back up to daily laying... Dominique's are a bit broody, they're good mothers too but if they seem like they're not laying at all and the birds are getting along and seem ok, once they're really settled in I imagine the laying should pick up. Your birds might be feeling stressed with their new buddies too

 

[BusyBearMama]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominique_chicken

 

[ChickensREasy]

Thanks! If the seller was honest with me...the two rose combs were raised with three of the single combs so they are already very used to each other. But I did have two from before. They have all been together for the couple weeks I've had them. No serious issues but since I read how bossy BRs are I was concerned. I was really hoping to have all large eggs but I guess some medium will have to be OK.

 

[BantamLover21]

They look like Dominique mixes to me.

 

[Wyandottes7]

They look like Dominique mixes to me.

Agreed.