Barred Rocks tend to die off or get eaten before other birds?

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777funk

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It seems that the Barred Plymoth Rocks do pretty well in terms of growing big but I find that they're the first to disappear in my flocks. At least the first I notice are gone. Are they hawk bait? In contrast, barnyard mutts and reds seem to last. Anyone else had barred rocks as the first to go? I like them since they're big and do well in egg laying. I like the way they look. But they don't stick around long for me for whatever reason. I'm blaming it on hawks but maybe that isn't the case. It's been more than one time that the barreds were early to disappear. I've had many of them on several different occasions and they never last as long as some of the others.

EDIT: to add... I'm referring to partially free ranged chickens (day time and locked up at night).
 
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I've had the best results with Barred Rocks. Before I screened the chicken coop coons got all my Road Island Reds, however I have lost a few barreds to fox lately. The barreds seem to do a little better in the winter.
 
Had a few on the farm as a child, but can not remember how long they lived, good forgers.
I like Australorps because they are good layers, producing ample amounts of extra-large brown eggs each week. It is an Australorp that holds the record for the number of eggs laid in a year! They also can be raised for meat, producing high-quality broilers.
 
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The flashier the plumage the easier it is for predators to see. That said barred rocks aren't that flashy. Maybe they were just the slowest.
And sometimes rather stupid.
 
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