Trying to decide which breed or breeds?

[GrumpyRoo]

Hi,
I've owned all breeds (except Buckeyes) that you've mentioned. This is my experience with them:

Welsummers - better for free ranging though they will tolerate confinement. Not aggressive to other chickens or humans. Friendly but not lap chickens. Of the breeds you listed, this is the breed I keep due to their free ranging abilities, gorgeous eggs, and laying ability (4 eggs/week on average, sometimes 5). Will lay through the winter. Can handle both cold weather and are heat tolerant. They are also auto-sexed if you want to breed. Roosters generally decent but can get a "bad" one.

Bielefelders - Extremely sweet. Also extremely big eaters! They are huge. Great for confinement. Roosters are mellow. Definite lap chickens but taking all else into consideration I wouldn't have a flock due to their ravenous appetite.

BCMS - Females are average in temperment (not aggressive but not lap chickens) and egg laying ability (3-4/week). Either free range or confinement. Have had 3 roosters and every one of them, though gorgeous, were mean.

Cochins - haven't had Partridge, only blue and black and splash. Most are gentle, sweet, lap chickens. They are big and they do have feathered feet so something to take into consideration for those muddy days. Egg laying is not what they're known for but they will go broody if you ever want to set eggs. Roosters are docile.

I've owned chickens for 30+ years; however, this has been my experience only. Others may have had different experiences.

Thank you that’s what I wanted to know I think I’m gonna slowly go to welsummer eventually like mix them in and keep going that way and then keep some bielefelders and buckeyes as dual purpose but keep the flocks small. I don’t really know what I’m gonna do. I really just want all them but I don’t have the space yet . But I really appreciate the advice.

 

[gunslinger33]

I would have to agree with @Georgia460. I have had Bielefelders for about 4 years now. They are a very sweet breed but they are gluttons. I don't mind the food. I also have some heritage RIR and they are also big eaters but I'll take the color over the food too. My Biels for the first two years laid huge eggs in high numbers year 3 they slowed down some and this year production is better but egg size is more of a large versus jumbo.

My heritage RIR are steady layers of large eggs

I also have or have had
Australorp
Brahma
Partridge Rock
Wyandotte
Marans
Legbar
Orpington
Dominique

My Biels are fairly dominant to other breeds they are housed with.

What is the purpose of the new flock; eggs for personal , chicks, eggs for sale? 11 of almost any fairly productive breed will more eggs than you will need. I currently have 1 Brahma , 4 Biels , 4 RIR , 2 Australorp , 1 Dominigue laying. I average 8- 10 eggs per day. Some days 1 get 1 dzn.

 

[GrumpyRoo]

I would have to agree with @Georgia460. I have had Bielefelders for about 4 years now. They are a very sweet breed but they are gluttons. I don't mind the food. I also have some heritage RIR and they are also big eaters but I'll take the color over the food too. My Biels for the first two years laid huge eggs in high numbers year 3 they slowed down some and this year production is better but egg size is more of a large versus jumbo.

My heritage RIR are steady layers of large eggs

I also have or have had
Australorp
Brahma
Partridge Rock
Wyandotte
Marans
Legbar
Orpington
Dominique

My Biels are fairly dominant to other breeds they are housed with.

What is the purpose of the new flock; eggs for personal , chicks, eggs for sale? 11 of almost any fairly productive breed will more eggs than you will need. I currently have 1 Brahma , 4 Biels , 4 RIR , 2 Australorp , 1 Dominigue laying. I average 8- 10 eggs per day. Some days 1 get 1 dzn.

Pretty much personal eggs and maybe sell chicks. I really just wanna get more chickens and I’m trying to make up my mind. I will be moving soon also and my chickens will be able to free range. So I was kind of curious how that would affect which breed also. That should help with food intake right?

 

[gunslinger33]

I might would narrow it down to your likes and dislikes: comb , skin color (legs) , egg color , feather patterns or colors , bird size , feather type (soft / hard) , availability , clean or feathered feet, where you plan to buy from, and average egg production.

I think free ranging might help offset some of their food requirements but only if you limit the availability of pellet's / crumble. My birds can free range all day but they will gorge themselves on pellets before they roost.

I would look at Rocks , New Hampshire, Sex Links , Easter Eggers and Sussex but 11 birds will keep you overflowing in eggs. If you are wanting to stay pure I would also look at the roosters of which ever breed you narrow it down to. I know several people that love Orps. I liked my Orps but they were from show lines and not hatchery lines , so egg production was very poor.

 

[Wendy Bee]

I have 4 young Welsummers in a flock with 3 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Easter Eggers, 2 ISA Browns, and 1 Black Australorp (it was two until a fox picked her off ).

The Welsummers are sweet chickens, and always the first to run to greet me! They are great foragers and tend to be the last ones in in the evening. Mine just started laying in the past couple of months, so their eggs, though beautiful deep brown and spotted, are medium sized still. I expect they'll get bigger with time, as I've read they tend to lay large to X-large eggs. We're getting about 4-ish eggs per Welsummer per week, I estimate. I really like them!

If you're looking to up your production, though, consider the ISA Brown. Ours are so sweet! They are our best layers and lay really lovely, brown, large to jumbo eggs. I get an egg nearly every day from each of our ISAs. They're also not chow hounds, so you get a bang for your buck with feeding ISA Browns. They seem to be our explorer chickens, as well - they aren't afraid to go exploring as they forage. We thought we lost Zelda during the fox attack on Thursday, but she was off exploring, and that may have saved her. ISA Browns are a lovely butterscotch color with white accents. Lovely red combs and wattles. They do well in summer and winter. I'm actually adding a few more ISAs to our flock tomorrow, along with 2 or 3 EEs. Here's a pic of one of our ISAs:

 

[gunslinger33]

@GrumpyRoo you might want to check out North Star Poultry. They have several different sex linked varieties that offer different feather patterns with friendly personalities (advertised). They look to have Wyandottes as part of the mix but non the less they look very interesting.

I have no connection to North Star , I just found them the other day looking for Blue Laced Gold Brahmas

 

[GrumpyRoo]

@GrumpyRoo you might want to check out North Star Poultry. They have several different sex linked varieties that offer different feather patterns with friendly personalities (advertised). They look to have Wyandottes as part of the mix but non the less they look very interesting.

I have no connection to North Star , I just found them the other day looking for Blue Laced Gold Brahmas

Thank you very much I’ll check that out it sounds right up alley.

 

[chanceosunshine]

This is such a good thread. I’m looking to have a “pure” flock one day soon as well and keep changing my mind on the breed.

I had a lot of the same breeds on my list and this thread has helped me knock that list down. For instance, the Beilefelder, I probably don’t need a moderate egg layer with voracious appetites and I didn’t know that Orpingtons have trouble with the heat.

I will say that the meanest rooster we ever had was a Welsummer. We let him live simply because we really didn’t want to kill him. Then one day my husband was on a ladder and that rotten rooster went after him. My husband swung a 2x4 and that was the end of the mean rooster. I will say, it was the tastiest chicken soup…and I truly mean that. His meat was the darkest red meat, even the breast meat. (Hope that’s not TMI.)

It’s also interesting that Maran egg shell problems were mentioned in this thread. I have a Maran who has consistent egg shell issues and supplements don’t make a difference for her. I’m always expecting she’s going to have kind of egg issue and die.

I bet your Cochin rooster is beautiful! Good luck with your quest and may all your roosters be good ones.

 

[JedJackson]

I would choose Buckeyes out of all of those, just because they are an American heritage breed and the more people that keep and breed them, the better chance they have to survive. They are good layers for a heritage breed, but I wouldn't describe them as docile. Very active birds but not aggressive. These are somewhat broody, and are very tolerant of both heat and cold.

Welsummers are good layers, but their coloring isn't too different from partridge Cochins. That could be a plus or minus, depending on your perspective. Even temperaments, too, and they are generally non-setters, which is a big plus for egg production.

Marans lay darker eggs, but not as many of them as Welsummers. But if you sell eggs you can usually charge more for the dark eggs, so there is that. They are pretty easy going and are infrequent broodies.

I have no experience with Bielefelders.