researching breeds -- what's right for us

[ChickenToes]

My Australorps are calm and quiet unless something scares them. The roos can be a bit mean at times. They can withstand cold winters and are good layers.

My EEs are very docile and they get pushed around a lot. They are a bit flighty, but I think they're sweet.

 

[denahli]

I picked these kinds for tempement and cold weather

Buff brahmas---cute but actually a bit more aggressive than the rest, though they are still chicks

Partridge Cochins--Gosh I love them featherbutts!

I picked these for temperment and egg

Barnevelders--sweeties through and through


I got these reluctantly...lol....long story

araucanas--CrAzY chicks OMG characters everyone of them! One loves to jump and 'bomb' the others, a nursemaid baby and owl is just so curious! Two twin grey and buffs that are like Heckle and Jeckle

Black sex links-I got these and figured they would be stew. Now they are my most LOVEY babies. They are the official flock greeters and love a snuggle!

 

[chickenchalupa]

Here's a link that might help you decide:
http://mypetchicken.com/breedQuestions.aspx

 

[speckledhen]

The Barred Rocks, to me, are the perfect all-round breed. They are curious, friendly, and great layers. My flock roosters are Barred Rocks (laying flock). I have two Brahmas, one Lt and one Buff. It took a long time for them to warm up and I'd say neither one is super friendly, however, my Buff is friendlier than my Lt. They lay fairly small, roundish eggs for the first few months and it takes quite a while for them to reach good size. The breed matures slowly.
I had a bad experience, as did a friend of mine, with hatchery Delawares. I was talked into doing a fertility test for a breeder of heritage Delawares, though, and they are six weeks old now. It's like they are a different breed from the hatchery birds-super friendly just like the Barred Rocks (BRs are part of their ancestry), smart, inquisitive, beautiful, etc. If you can get good breeder-type Dels, you'll have a good breed. They are an American breed and highly endangered.
I have one Speckled Sussex. She's beautiful, goofy and an eating machine. Her eggs are quite small even at a year old, although the one she hatched from was very large.

 

[hcammack]

I have delawares they are great foragers and layers and have decent table potential but all egg layers will be TOUGH meat birds.

My faverolles are also great layers and very friendly and have decent table potential.

Good Luck with your backyard flock,
Henry

 

[tiki244]

I would go with barred rocks and Favorelles for the Favs lay all winter. Both are nice breeds. I would love to know where you can get Hollands. Those would be cool to have.

 

[Chickndaddy]

Another breed you could go with is the Black Java. They are a beautiful heritage breed developed here in America and are in a lot of need of conservationists. If you could get your hands on a few White Javas you could help keep that color alive as well.

Below are a few links on the Javas:

http://highgroundfarm.blogspot.com/2007/10/white-java-chickens-and-black-javas.html

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/2/2-4/Michael_Dougherty.html

http://www.dawnlandfarm.com/javachickens.html

Feathersite did have some interesting information but their Java page doesn't seem to be as large as it used to be...

 

[EliteTempleton]

Are you concerned about their ability to forage for bugs? I was as I HAD alot of grubs

. Anyway I was told to avoid the ones with the feathered feet and/or fluffy heads for this concern.

However, I was also mostly unconcerned with looks. Just wanted winter hardy, high egg production, natural pest/bug control, and a good source for manure.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
My brahmas are excellent foragers, feathered feet and all. Their clucking to indicate they've found something awful tasty goes on all day long. Grasshoppers being their latest favorite.

 

[patandchickens]

You know what, I don't have much experience with different breeds (4 at present time) or lines, but from what everybody says I am pretty totally positive that LINE makes as much a difference as breed in many cases, for temperament and for laying ability. This seems to be extra-true for very popular things like barred rocks or EE's (blue/green egg layers).

So it seems to me the first step would really be to figure out where you're likely to be choosing chickens from, and then try to find out as much as possible about the temperament and laying ability of those particular lines.

If you can find people in your area, or within an acceptible drive, from whom you could buy chicks or older birds directly, that would be ideal because you could (hopefully) visit and actually see what kind of temperament the parents have and talk with the breeder about how well they lay.

If OTOH you will be ordering from a hatchery, figure out which one(s) you'd be most likely to use (including whatever your feedstore sources their chicks from, if that's an option you're considering) and then take a poll here on peoples' experiences with your preferred breeds from those specific hatcheries.

The weather thing is not really as big of an issue -- pick decent-sized things for cold weather, rose or pea or cushion-combed rather than single-combed if you're extra worried about frostbite, and either make sure to provide some way for them to keep cool in the summer or don't pick *really* big *really* deeply-feathered breeds if there is no way to prevent things from getting fairly hot in summer.

How many eggs do you want per day? And from how many chickens, i.e. how economically do you want your eggs produced?

Be aware that egg production may on average be lower in some of the obscure heritage breeds (than in breeds that have had some commercial production history (BR, RIR, white rocks, etc). Before everyone gets their stompin' boots on, please note I said ON AVERAGE, not all of 'em

If you want *truly* high egg production, like an egg nearly every day nearly all year round except during molts, you may need to look at specific lines of barred and other rocks, RIR, or at sex-links. I am sure there are some lines of some other breeds with similar production as well - but I guess my point is, if that's important to you, you'll have to actively seek it out because it won't happen from just any ole chicken.

Have fun,

Pat