Breed Suggestions?

[rebrascora]

Egghead_Jr is right. There is no guarantee that any of your hens will go broody, so your best option is probably to enquire locally for eggs if that situation occurs. Also shipped eggs are less successful, so that's another reason to find some locally. Broodiness has been bred out of most hens these days as the majority of people want them to produce the maximum number of eggs possible. If you had a silkie or cochin in your flock, then that would greatly increase the likelihood of having a hen go broody.

The other thing to consider is what you plan to do with the cockerels that will almost certainly result from hatching fertile eggs. If you plan to raise them to eat, then you are best looking for hatching eggs from a dual purpose breed. If you are not going to eat them then it's a good idea to have a plan regarding what you are going to do with them before you start.... They grow up remarkably quickly and start to make a nuisance of themselves before you know it, both from a crowing point of view but also harassing your hens. The vast majority of people who find themselves with roosters are looking to rehome them and there isn't a fairytale ending for most of them, much as people like to kid themselves there is.

Since you are looking for good layers I would respectfully suggest that Polish are not the breed for you. I too would highly recommend sex links both for character and egg production. I particularly like black sex links although for some reason I don't seem to have any in my flock at the moment. As regards being noisy, I think it comes down to the individual although I find my welsummers quite quiet in general, but I think that may be more to do with the strain than breed.

 

[song of joy]

I agree - hatchery birds are a gamble when it comes to broodiness. My hatchery BO was a great setter, but this homicidal hen killed the chicks when they hatched.

If one of your hens goes broody, I'd recommend local hatching eggs. If you're in or near a rural area, you may be able to find someone who keeps a rooster(s) with their flock of laying hens, and who sells eggs for eating and/or hatching. It's best if these eggs are fresh (only a day or two old) and haven't been refrigerated. I bought eggs like these from a neighbor and my broody olive egger hatched out 6 chicks. Most were mixed-breed, but I consider that a plus as they should be hardy and more likely to go broody than hatchery birds. In this case, the barnyard flock included black australorp, Rhode Island red, leghorn, barred rock and easter egger, all of which are good egg layers.

Based on personal experience, I wouldn't give shipped or expensive hatching eggs to an unproven broody. Shipped eggs are a huge gamble (see other threads).

For quiet breeds that are good egg layers, go broody, and tend to be good mothers, I'd highly recommend black australorp. You may also have good luck with mixed-breed hens going broody.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I pretty much agree with what most people are saying. I’ve had good luck with hatchery broodies but not always with the “broody” breeds. To me strain is more important than breed for everything from going broody to how they lay to how noisy they are. It doesn’t have to be a breed unless you just want a breed. A flock of barnyard mixed-breed mutts may suit you very well.

I don’t know where you are, but what I suggest is that you find your state or (since you are using Celsius instead of Fahrenheit) probably country thread in the “Where am I? Where are you!” section and chat with your neighbors within driving distance. Tell them what you want and see if any of them can help.

Good luck!

 

[GodofPecking]

I can also recommend the 'mixed mutts' as I've had success there, a friend gave me some eggs to 'test' his rooster is doing it's job and I got 6 out of maybe 7 that hatched and seem very healthy in their 2nd week. Also, my first ever hatched out chicks, a pair of girls, are very very sweet and quiet and calm and lay eggs very well. You can expect whatever you raise yourself to be calm and quiet and that they'll like you.

Btw, my polish recommendation, for people who were not following the thread is in addition to nugget's 6 existing chooks, so laying is not relevant. Looks are worth it alone.

 

[N F C]

I can also recommend the 'mixed mutts' as I've had success there, a friend gave me some eggs to 'test' his rooster is doing it's job and I got 6 out of maybe 7 that hatched and seem very healthy in their 2nd week. Also, my first ever hatched out chicks, a pair of girls, are very very sweet and quiet and calm and lay eggs very well. You can expect whatever you raise yourself to be calm and quiet and that they'll like you.

Btw, my polish recommendation, for people who were not following the thread is in addition to nugget's 6 existing chooks, so laying is not relevant. Looks are worth it alone.

Well, she did say she wanted some "good layers" so I assumed laying was relevant.

 

[N F C]

Great pictures @GodofPecking !

 

[nugget2000]

Any breed you choose will be fine, there are hundreds of chicken breed and you'll get almost that many suggestions.

Why I'm writing is to caution you of counting your chickens before they hatch. If you've hatchery stock birds now it is unlikely any of them will go broody this spring. Then again if you get an incubator to hatch your eggs half your flock will go broody. Though with hatchery birds that's not going to happen. The point is you need a local source that you can obtain eggs on a few days notice IF one of your birds goes broody. That's going to narrow your choices right there. If you hold out for the birds to be ready you'll likely not have chicks this year.

Okay thats a good point. I'm still looking around where I live but I know there must be an egg seller within a 2 gold drive, so Ill be ready to go when a chicken goes broody. Thanks

 

[nugget2000]

Thank you all for the help! So i guess mixed breeds would be better for me?

And has anyone had a golden comet before? Or a plymouth rock? And also I can't seem to figure this out: easter eggers are not ameraucanas? They are just mixed?

Thanks for the help!!

 

[nugget2000]

Still can't stop looking at those pictures! They are amazing!

 

[N F C]

Thank you all for the help! So i guess mixed breeds would be better for me?

And has anyone had a golden comet before? Or a plymouth rock? And also I can't seem to figure this out: easter eggers are not ameraucanas? They are just mixed?

Thanks for the help!!

Golden Comets are one of many names for red sex links. I have 3 of those and 3 of the Barred Plymouth Rocks in my mixed flock. And Easter Eggers are not Ameracaunas (EE are mixes). All are very nice chickens.