Chicken breeds

[Chicken Egg 17]

Lately I have been wanting to add some new chickens to the flock so I am asking everyone to list there favorite breed of chicken because I can't seem to decide on what breed to get and want to make the right decision. possibly some pics and describe how you like them the cons the pros and what color there eggs are and how often they lay or how many eggs they lay a year thanks all replies are welcome

 

[kuchchicks]

I think it depends on what you are looking for in a chicken. My ultimate favorite breeds are silkies and polish. The silkies are incredibly sweet and loving... mine will come to me, follow me around, and kind of act like dogs. Polish are just really cool looking with their afros! Unfortunately neither are great eggs layers... mine give me about 2-3 eggs a week. But silkies are great broodies if you are looking for someone to hatch out either their own or someone else's eggs. My Easter and Oliver Eggers are decent layers and give me about 5-6 eggs a week. They add a lot of nice color to the basket. My Maran's too add some nice dark color and also give 5-6 eggs a week. These breeds are less cuddly, but are not super skittish. I also have Golden Buffs, Golden Commets, Cochin, and Blue Lace Red Wyandotes. All are great egg layers giving me 5-7 eggs a week and are various shades of brown. I just got some Cream Legbars that I am really excited about. The breeder told me that they are her favorite breed as they are very docile, lay round blue eggs, and on the small side.

I am not sure if this helps, but I love all of my breeds. I keep sticking with these same ones over and over again. I have found that what makes me the most happy with my chickens is having a lot of variety. I don't really breed anything specific except for the Polish and Silkies. Other than that I will occasionally hatch some of my back yard mixes for people who want good egg layers but not a pure bred. So unless you are looking to breed something pure, I think you should figure out what your are looking for and go from there. Are you looking for a colorful basket, a cuddly breed, or heavy egg layers? That answer should help you narrow your focus.

 

[BoomChickaPop]

I personally like
Black Australorps
Pros: Are great layers of large brown eggs. Docile and go broody. Everyone has a different personality
Cons: Some aren't good hatchers and some bite

Black Copper Marans
Pros: Lay chocolate eggs and have the most sweetest roosters ever.
Cons: Some of the hens grow up and aren't as friendly and they don't always lay dark chocolate eggs.

Silkies
Pros: So soft and furry. They are the best hatchers and have the coolest looking hairdoos
Cons: Some don't like being picked up and they lay small eggs

Polish
Pros: Have big poofy heads and can't see very well LOL. And are very friendly.
Cons: Don't lay often and can't see very good


Ameraucana
Pros: Lay green or blue eggs. Have the cutest faces lay often.
Cons: Some are friendly some are nice. Sometimes the eggs aren't that dark. My rooster is aggresive towards the hens


I hope that helps I love all my chickens and the mixes

 

[kuchchicks]

I personally like
Black Australorps
Pros: Are great layers of large brown eggs. Docile and go broody. Everyone has a different personality
Cons: Some aren't good hatchers and some bite

Black Copper Marans
Pros: Lay chocolate eggs and have the most sweetest roosters ever.
Cons: Some of the hens grow up and aren't as friendly and they don't always lay dark chocolate eggs.

Silkies
Pros: So soft and furry. They are the best hatchers and have the coolest looking hairdoos
Cons: Some don't like being picked up and they lay small eggs

Polish
Pros: Have big poofy heads and can't see very well LOL. And are very friendly.
Cons: Don't lay often and can't see very good


Ameraucana
Pros: Lay green or blue eggs. Have the cutest faces lay often.
Cons: Some are friendly some are nice. Sometimes the eggs aren't that dark. My rooster is aggresive towards the hens


I hope that helps I love all my chickens and the mixes

I wish my BCM had your roos personality! I swear he and I go to battle every time I walk into the barn yard!!! But I keep him around cuz he keeps my girls safe and fertile.

Forgot about my Ameraucana! I should be ashamed of myself!!! She is one of my sweetest girls! I love that she is tailless. She is small and gentle. Everyone loves her... Rockie!

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

I don't have any black copper marans but I love the dark chocolate egg color

 

[dekel18042]

The reason there are so many breeds of chickens is that different people place their emphasis on different aspects of chicken keeping. Do you want lots of eggs? Similar eggs? A varied colored egg basket? Chickens where there are differences within the breed or a cookie cutter breed. Do you want chickens for meat or eggs or dual purpose? Heat or cold hardy? Good at free ranging or able to be contained happily?
I like a variety that gets along well together and gives me a colorful egg basket. and can free range. With high hopes I've gotten some breeds and hgave been very disappointed. Other breeds I've just picked up a couple and enjoy them to the point where I either get more or want more.
I picked up a few California greys only to add white eggs to my basket and like them enough that I'm adding several more this year. They're small, don't eat much, lay almost every day and are great at free ranging. Who would have guessed I also rate my Easter eggers at the top of my list, excellent layers of large eggs, smaller, and good at free ranging.
My husband wanted a flock of chanticlers but they were a once and done and while I love my maran varieties, they're pretty and friendly and cold hardy and they lay beautifully dark large eggs....when they lay. They lay a few then take a lot of time off. They're my poorest layers. My welsumers are only marginally better.
I have some bantams for eye candy, but I sure wouldn't want to depend on them to keep me in eggs.
So depending on your criteria there are many breeds that you may like.....or not....So it's best to list what traits you want in a flock, then go after birds that can give you that.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Well I like different colors in the flock and different egg colors as I want to also set up a breeding pen with what ever I get and when they are done laying for the winter the with be in with my mixed flock and I want as many eggs as possible and as I was leaning forwards the black jersey Giants I want chickens for eggs and they need to be cold and heat hardy as it gets any where from 104-10 degrees so it can even sometimes get in the - numbers and I free range and sometimes they are contained in there run when I go somewhere as I can hear Hawks during the day but the free range in the woods all day so they are fine. I don't really like the white eggs right now I have 3 brown layers and 3 green layers and I like a colorful basket I don't have any Easter egger hens but that is what my rooster is and he showed up at my house by far the nicest and caring for his lady's rooster there is

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Thanks but is there any that you have that is a good layer of any color of egg except for white and good opened up but mostly good free rangers have more colors of eggs I already have brown and green and I would like the dark brown layers thanks

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

So far looking through the review of breeds I like the barnevelder, bielefelder, black sex link, bantam Cochin, Cochin, black jersey Giants, lavender Orpington bantam, lavender peckin, light Sussex, marans, olive egger, Orpington, penedesenca, Plymouth Rock, barred rock, production, red Sussex, rhodebar, salmon favorelle, sebright, serama, Silkie, sizzle, speckled Sussex, sulmtaler (Austrian origin), Sussex, welsummer, and wyandottes hope this helps

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

I like the blue and the partridge Cochin