Barred Rocks are a docile, hardy, good egg laying dual purpose breed. A healthy hen will lay can produce up to 200 eggs per year. They usually begin to start laying around 18 weeks of age.

Barred Rocks are considered to have more dark meat than other breeds when processed for meat. They also tend to produce less breast meat than breeds that are specifically breed for that attribute like Cornish Cross, so while they are considered dual purpose, they do take considerably