So many different breeds - How did you decide?

[JohnandJacquelineW]

We've got a couple breeds of chicken and so far the selection has mostly just been by chance/circumstance... We're looking to order more from a hatchery though and I'd never realized just how many breeds there are. How did you decide what breeds you wanted?


I'm looking for layers, not meat birds for the time being so I know that narrows it down.

 

[AinaWGSD]

It is overwhelming when you have little experience and don't yet know much about the different breeds! We used several of the "chicken breed selector" tools online (there's one on BYC, and one on mypetchicen.com which is where we ordered our chicks from) and looked for traits that we wanted in our chickens (good layers, large or medium sized eggs, lack of broodiness, cold hardy, and calm and friendly). That helped to narrow it down a little, then from the still too large list we got that way we picked the breeds we thought were prettiest. After all, there are many breeds that fit our needs, so why not pick one that appealed to us visually as well? When all the other more important factors are equal, choosing based on aesthetics works just as well as any other criteria. We also asked questions here about breeds we were interested in. People here will always be happy to tell you what their favorite breed or breeds are! Then we looked at the breeds that the sight we were ordering from had available and chose the ones that had hatch dates at the same time (for example, I would have liked to get the columbian wyandottes too but they weren't available at the same ship date as some of the other breeds we had chosen).

 

[Cats Critters]

Here are the links to the breed selector tools AinaWGSD mentioned:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/breeds/breed-search.php
http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/which-breed-is-right-for-me.aspx

Try them out and also to lower them down farther just see what looks good to you, there is some breeds you might just not click with. My personal favorites are Easter Eggers and Black Australorps.

 

[gale65]

We only bought 12 chicks and only plan to keep 6 (will give the others to a friend) so it was really hard to choose. My 12 yo ds really wanted some type of black chicken which is why we chose the australorps. I wanted some tinted egg layers so we got the EEs. The rest were because I read they were good layers and also friendly and not broody. After reading here I kind of wish I'd picked some more obscure ones instead of the sex links. I also wish I'd ordered one roo. DS really wants one and I figured we'd get at least one accidental one but it doesn't look that way. At the time I told him if we didn't get one I could find someone with one but I didn't realize that it isn't as easy as just bringing home another chicken and adding it to the flock (even though I did that a long time ago when I bought adult polish at an auction and put them in with my layers-I guess I was just really lucky back then).

 

[Spoof]

How did you decide what breeds you wanted?

Craigslist, since it was over 100 degrees down here already. Didn't want to ship anything in for fear of them arriving cooked.

I had a choice between RIR/BR or some local speckled sussex which are pretty but small enough for the owls to take off with. I found a breeder two hours north and chatted with them a bit before I headed up. I didn't care too much about egg production so she suggested LF (giant) cochins, which I thought were lovely birds. When I arrived she only had four left so I took three of her second largest which are marans.

Glad I decided to go the breeder route - I was able see all of the different types and the look/general temperament of the stock I was getting babies from. With the Cochins we could easily trip over them being strangers vs. the rest of the breeds were rather wary. I have also developed a bizarre affinity for giant roving puffballs.​

 

[Blue]

Quote:
I've added roosters to our hens before, and I've had no problems. I usually quarantine him for a bit (1 or 2 weeks - though I know that most recommend a month, so I've probably been lucky as well) and check to make sure he has no symptoms of illness or things like lice. One way to insure you aren't bringing in any sickness would be to get a male chick and just raise him yourself and add him to your hens when he gets big enough.

 

[JohnandJacquelineW]

Thanks for the help - I just placed an order for some more chicks that are supposed to come in about a month(assuming their hatches go as planned, etc). We are getting mostly buff orpington, with the rest being a mixture of what will hopefully make a nice flock for us

Pretty excited - guess this gives a more solid deadline for setting up a nice little brooder for them (the previous chicks we just used a big card board box, but we're scaling up a bit). There's work to be done!

 

[shellyga]

Good luck on getting your brooder built.. chicks are addicting..

My first order from the hatchery was a mixed group -- 25 chicks with no more than 3 of any one breed.. since then.. and watching their behavior.. I am still wanting those.. AND MORE.. good thing we live on 9 acres..

Shelly

 

[Carolyn]

Henderson's chickens breed's list is available on line and is very detailed including info related to winter laying, heat and cold tolerance, egg colors, how well they lay and temperament. He has a short list with common backyard breeds and a more exhaustive list. The only thing I have disagreed with him on is temperaments but that depends on where you got them, etc. I had some BO from a hatchery that were real snots and also an EE hen but that is not their general nature. I choose for egg color, productivity, winter laying, heat tolerance, laid back or at least not flighty and general visual appeal personally. I have a list in mind and then availablity becomes the deciding factor.
Good luck on yours, welcome to the addiction.

 

[franksflock]

I got two of each planning on giving some away.