Recent Reviews
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Leghorns are great egg laying chickens. They are friendly to other Leghorns and can easily fly. The only problems is that they are bad in the pecking order and they can make a mess of the yard....
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I will start by saying that I love Australorps. In fact, my very favorite hen is an Australorp. She is such a sweet chicken and just let's you walk right up to her to pick her up. She doesn't run...
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I couldn't get this thing to stop leaking. I even tested it by putting it on a flat concrete surface and it still leaked out the entire 2 gallons. Tried hanging it, tried sitting it on the...
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seem like a good breed, if i had the room i would probably raise a batch of them they seem like they would be a good 4h starter show bird...considering i dont see many of this breed in my class...
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its a feed scooper it cant be perfect but over all when every thing is said an done i love mine its great its starting to show a little wear an tear but its to be expected i have had it for 4...
New and hoping for some advice
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definately get an easter egger or two!! You'd hopefully get a different shade of egg from each one and it would be some hue of blue or green, so even lay pink ones!
buff orpingtons lay light brown eggs and are very docile birds.
1 easter egger (skittles), 1 buff orphington (superman), 1 speckled sussex (boots), 1 california white (spiderman), 1 delaware (dora), 1 black sex link (batman), 1 rhode island red (flower)
1 easter egger (skittles), 1 buff orphington (superman), 1 speckled sussex (boots), 1 california white (spiderman), 1 delaware (dora), 1 black sex link (batman), 1 rhode island red (flower)
easter egges are great, you might also want to look at rhode island reds, they're great layers and super sweet. if it were me i'd stay away from anything with feathes on their feet, they get super nasty!
Mama (and Papa) to 1 RIR, 2 EE, 1 BR mix, 1 Leghorn, 1 Dominique, 6 Unknown chicklets, 2 cats, 1 dog, 1 childish husband, and a partridge in a pear tree. Ok... I'm kidding about the pear tree. It's a fig tree.
Mama (and Papa) to 1 RIR, 2 EE, 1 BR mix, 1 Leghorn, 1 Dominique, 6 Unknown chicklets, 2 cats, 1 dog, 1 childish husband, and a partridge in a pear tree. Ok... I'm kidding about the pear tree. It's a fig tree.
I agree with the Rhode Island Reds. I was suggested to get those and I did. They are free range, yard hens with 1 Rooster. Both hens are friendly, and one started laying 3 days ago. Nice yummy brown eggs too.
1 Cochin Rooster (DeWalt) R.I.P 10/4/12, 1 Rhode Island Red Rooster, 4 Rhode Island Reds , TicTac the Choodle (Chihuahua/Poodle) and Molly my Terrier Mix, Pond Frogs.
1 Cochin Rooster (DeWalt) R.I.P 10/4/12, 1 Rhode Island Red Rooster, 4 Rhode Island Reds , TicTac the Choodle (Chihuahua/Poodle) and Molly my Terrier Mix, Pond Frogs.
- Location: Central Oregon
- Joined: 3/2012
- Posts: 121
- offline
Barred and Rhode Islands dont lay colorful eggs, but they lay a lot of great large brown eggs and both breeds are typically very friendly. Buff Orpingtons are very calm and friendly but also a layer of brown eggs. I guess if you want colorful eggs these are not the best breeds, but if you want easy friendly birds who are great layers these are the 3 I recommend the most. Easter Eggers or Ameraucanas lay the most colorful eggs but are mixed in temperament. I would stay clear of leghorns, they tend to be skittish, though they are hardy, they spook easy and give you white eggs.
James and Kassandra
James and Kassandra
*UPDATE*
We went to the local feed store April 27th and picked up 3 barred rocks and 2 Rhode Island reds. All about a week and a half old. My 11 year old daughter named the Rocks Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. The Reds are Snack and Dessert. Then my Mom gave me an Americauna (3-4 days old) which my husband named Chickenstrip. About a week or two later a down-on-his-luck construction worker that was helping on a neighbors house asked us to take in his Rhode Island Red (same age and purchased from the same place as ours... broodmate?) named Kitty.
After all the girls were old enough to move outside, we wired in a light to the coop (as it was still nearly freezing out and all the girls were about 5 weeks old) we decided 7 was too many for our little coop. As we had told the construction worker he could come reclaim Kitty anytime, we we chose to send one red and one barred rock to some friends that have lots of other chickens and lots more room. Their kids absolutely loved how tame Dinner and Snack were. They are able to pick up both and pet and snuggle them. Several days later, Kitty went back home with her person, who is in a much better situation and better able to care for his pet "Kitty."
The girls are doing good now. Breakfast (the darker barred rock) is the most curious and is the first to investigate anything. Lunch (the lighter barred rock) is a follower. Dessert is a sweetheart and seems to enjoy being petted and handled. And Chickenstrip is the watcher. she'll let herself be picked up, but prefers to be in the back. She's getting a very fluffy beard on her cheeks and under her chin. They're about 2 1/2 months old now and happy as can be. They like worms and strawberries and greens as treats. I'm still working on painting the coop, but they don't seem to mind. And we just added in a garden right next to the coop.
Still a work in progress. The coop and garden areas were made from almost all recycled materials. A neighbor of ours purchased the property next to hers and tore the house down to extend the yard. We scavenged some 3-tab roofing, siding, the bricks, and lumber :) the bricks are being cleaned and having the mortar chipped away and will be the walkway around my little garden.
In other news, one of my dogs (Rommel, see avatar pic) has adopted the chicks as his own and has insisted on seeing them daily since we brought them home. (Literally, he has a fit and barks nonstop until we either picked up a chick from the brooder for him to nose up to, or we had to let him out the back door and stare at the chickens). He seems to have no urge to hurt them, and has even gone as far as to dig a hole under the bottom board of the chicken run (with some help from a barred rock on the inside) and helped a barred rock to escape. They played in the backyard until I heard a chicken clucking. No feathers were missing and both the chicken and dog froze when the door opened. Rommel went in the house, and Breakfast went back to the coop. She was not skittish in the slightest. I fixed the hole and it hasn't happened again.
For clarification, Rommel is a lover. He loves everyone, and aside from "his" chickens, he also has a pet kitten (that prefers only to play and cuddle with Rommel), and a pet Rock that he carries everywhere with him when he's outside. When he isn't throwing his Rock around the back yard, he's visiting his chickens ;D
- Location: Cole County Missouri
- Joined: 5/2012
- Posts: 521
- offline
That's funny about the dog having a pet rock. LOL
Glad you found "perfect" chickens. Not only do you like them, but they like you, and the dog/chickens like each other and get along so well.
CG
CG in JeffCity, MO
Wife, Mother to 2 sons, 2 cats, & lots of aquarium fish
Chicken Keeper to 2012: Hens: 5 Reds, 3 Barred Rocks, 1 white EE, & an EE roo; 2013: 3 EE, 2 Austra Whites, 1 Black Austrlorp pullets
The boys claim the 1 Old English Game hen, (DS1) and 5 pullets & 1 cockerel Porcelain D'uccles (DS2)
CG in JeffCity, MO
Wife, Mother to 2 sons, 2 cats, & lots of aquarium fish
Chicken Keeper to 2012: Hens: 5 Reds, 3 Barred Rocks, 1 white EE, & an EE roo; 2013: 3 EE, 2 Austra Whites, 1 Black Austrlorp pullets
The boys claim the 1 Old English Game hen, (DS1) and 5 pullets & 1 cockerel Porcelain D'uccles (DS2)
- New and hoping for some advice
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I've had others suggest Rhode Islands and Barred Rocks. I was also told I should pick up a white Leghorn and at least one Americana (not sure if I'm spelling that right). I'm not sure where to find Buff Orpingtons or Easter Eggers



