Which breed would you choose from my list to get into breeding??

[black_cat]

Ameraucanas are quite popular, and tend to sell for good money. The blue eggs and the cute beards are the drawing features, I think.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Silverudd Blue, beautiful chicken, gorgeous eggs, rare enough to fetch a decent price.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Crested Cream Legbar! Blue eggs, crested birds but not too crested that they can't free range. My 2 CCL pullets are the most chatty birds and will fuss and whine anytime they realize that I have come to visit without any gifts (aka treats). They have such friendly personalities. I think your kids will LOVE them.

Silverudd's Blue! Green eggs, and beautiful friendly birds that are rare. I hatched one in August. He is so handsome but not SOP. He absolutely HATES to be picked up, but he is extremely gentle, friendly and hilarious to watch.

Both are dual purpose breeds so sending the extra cockerels to freezer camp should help to stock your freezer.

 

[sunnie7]

@PNWskye @chickenpolo what are your votes?! I know you both have some from my list!!! Chime in and give me your opinions please!

 

[sunnie7]

Anyone have any insight on how much chicks of these breeds usually sell for?

 

[aart]

I’m paranoid these days with biosecurity I have 2 friends going through Marek’s disease right now.

I hope you are not going anywhere near those flocks...
...and not letting those keepers anywhere near your land.

Anyone have any insight on how much chicks of these breeds usually sell for?

You'll have to do some local market research to see what chick breeds might sell for.
I assume you are not going to be shipping chicks?

 

[sunnie7]

I hope you are not going anywhere near those flocks...
...and not letting those keepers anywhere near your land.

You'll have to do some local market research to see what chick breeds might sell for.
I assume you are not going to be shipping chicks?

Nope! One is a friend of a friend that we text about chickens and she’s bought chicks from me before (I don’t let people come to my house, we meet!). She also got chicks from another local that lives near her and TSC I believe. The other local chicks were the first sick. She had a necropsy done and confirmed Marek’s. She’s lost all of her besides some of the ones she got from me. My other friend suspects it but not confirmed. I did go to her house after she lost her first because she thought something was killing them and asked me to look at her coop set up. When I got home I bleached my boots and stripped in the garage and showered!! That was 5 months ago and I haven’t been back!

I’m not planning on getting NPIP certified anytime soon! So I’ll just be selling locally. Maybe once I retire in 15 years!

 

[chickenpolo]

@PNWskye @chickenpolo what are your votes?! I know you both have some from my list!!! Chime in and give me your opinions please!

I have or have had a lot from your list. I LOVE my little silverudds, though I’m having a hard time getting roosters that I need to make improvements. They have been awesome layers and their eggs are beautiful! The roosters I have are fine around my kids- I don’t have to worry about them getting attacked, I wouldn’t say the roosters have been really friendly but they hang around and mind their own business. The hens are really sweet and follow us around but don’t really like to be picked up. I love their dark eyes they look so cute.
My cream Legbar have been friendly, but very much like to free range- they are active birds in my case. And they lay a jumbo size pretty blue egg. The roosters I had were nice but sadly I lost them before they were fully mature. I also have an opal legbar and she’s calmer and likes to be held.
Bielefelder- I have a rooster that is my 4 year olds pet lol his name is Gourd- and if I was picking a breed based on roosters I’d pick Bielefelder lol He is amazing- he is the sweetest rooster to all hens, chicks, young cockerels... and people. The hens are nice friendly hens their eggs are nice but only two of the three have been good layers and my silverudds out produce them. But I haven’t tried hatching my own yet.
swedish flower hens- I had a pair but sadly had gotten them from a bad breeder and they didn’t thrive. They were beautiful and the rooster was fully crested and he was amazing! I loved him he was so sweet and so was the little hen. I was too upset about losing them that I haven’t gotten anymore of them.
I also have a blue Marans hen I like her too and she lays a jumbo egg that is really nice and dark. She’s fairly sweet but more standoffish then a lot of my other hens.
I also have Americana’s and they are so cute and I love the puffy cheeks, I’ve never found them to be great layers and some are super friendly some are not
Hope that helps lol

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Depends what is wanted in your area if there would be any bit of profit. Most likely there will be none excepting partial payment towards the feed.

I'm in an area that doesn't prize the birds I have to offer. They want them, find them beautiful, know they are rare but refuse to pay any extra. It is what it is. I sell my birds for the same price and sometimes less than those selling raised hatchery birds. So unless you have some niche market or market very well you will not see "more" profits.

By breeding I assume you want to work towards, continue and improve breeder stock birds. To this I commend you and hope you pick a breed that first and foremost pleases you to the eye and utility need. There are many breeds that need breeders. Many varieties of breeds that are in need of improvement. Old foundation breeds that are endangered. What breed and reason thereof you choose to take it on is solely up to you. Which ever it is do your homework and find the best stock you can procure and afford then go from there. I'd start with only one. The room and numbers needed to maintain let alone improve will dictate if you can bring in another. If you can't at the least maintain the quality of stock of one breed why attempt a second?

I've never found a human aggressive breeder stock bird. I've worked with many different breeds/varieties. They simply don't exist as far as I'm concerned. Common sense dictates not to let a 3 year old child in a pen unattended during spring mating. Other than ludicrous hypothetical situations breeder stock are extremely well mannered and would not fear them with children. It's appreciated after my experiences with hatchery stock cockerels and cocks. Those I don't trust at all until they are proven. Not that I'd ever have hatchery stock again.

That's my 2 cents worth.

 

[PNWskye]

I have or have had a lot from your list. I LOVE my little silverudds, though I’m having a hard time getting roosters that I need to make improvements. They have been awesome layers and their eggs are beautiful! The roosters I have are fine around my kids- I don’t have to worry about them getting attacked, I wouldn’t say the roosters have been really friendly but they hang around and mind their own business. The hens are really sweet and follow us around but don’t really like to be picked up. I love their dark eyes they look so cute.
My cream Legbar have been friendly, but very much like to free range- they are active birds in my case. And they lay a jumbo size pretty blue egg. The roosters I had were nice but sadly I lost them before they were fully mature. I also have an opal legbar and she’s calmer and likes to be held.
Bielefelder- I have a rooster that is my 4 year olds pet lol his name is Gourd- and if I was picking a breed based on roosters I’d pick Bielefelder lol He is amazing- he is the sweetest rooster to all hens, chicks, young cockerels... and people. The hens are nice friendly hens their eggs are nice but only two of the three have been good layers and my silverudds out produce them. But I haven’t tried hatching my own yet.
swedish flower hens- I had a pair but sadly had gotten them from a bad breeder and they didn’t thrive. They were beautiful and the rooster was fully crested and he was amazing! I loved him he was so sweet and so was the little hen. I was too upset about losing them that I haven’t gotten anymore of them.
I also have a blue Marans hen I like her too and she lays a jumbo egg that is really nice and dark. She’s fairly sweet but more standoffish then a lot of my other hens.
I also have Americana’s and they are so cute and I love the puffy cheeks, I’ve never found them to be great layers and some are super friendly some are not
Hope that helps lol

Love this advice from @chickenpolo ! I'll just add a little to supplement on what I've experienced.
I've been obsessed with Silverudd's Blues since last spring and am working on a breeding pen now. Both the roo and the pullets are very alert to aerial predators and warn others. They are little scrappers and love to forage. I've only had one layer so far, and her eggs are speckled and so pretty (in the dish in the front of the pic). They have a way to test for homozygous blue egg genes now and are working towards breeding out the tan egg gene that pops up occasionally. I'm testing my roo now and waiting for all of my girls to start laying before sending in their test packages. They started a website recently at https://www.silveruddsblue.org/ I have worked with Mika the most out of all the breeders.
I have had Ameraucana roos, and they are super mean to my kids (it of course could have been a bad line), but I've had other roos since who are sweethearts, namely my Silverudd's Blue roo and a Cochin Bantam. We gave the Cochin to my son's K teacher since his grandson was visiting regularly, and he's easy to hold. Also, the K teacher is how we finally convinced my hubby to get chickens!!
My cream legbar is the sweetest and the only bird that has flew into my arms to be pet. It may have been a fluke since it only happened once, but I will cherish that memory forever. Mixed with a Silverudd's Blue, they yield a teal egg (called Ice Cream Bar). I have a breeder near me that works with the Opal line, and they are really pretty. Love the crazy crests!
I haven't had a Bielefelder but also heard great things about their breed from another 4-H kiddo. They are auto-sexing and lay huge eggs!
Marans have dark eggs, which will give me Olive Eggers with my blue and green layers. They won't sell at a premium, but there is definitely a market for green and olive colored eggs near me. I have an Olive Egger and her green is dark with almost a greyish hue (see pic on center of skelter)...it's so unique and gorgeous to me. Another one that I have is a deep olive with speckles (a few on the skelter).
My Ameraucanas and Barnevelders are so cute and pretty, but they take forever to start laying.
I haven't owned Swedish Flowers or Aloha...now, I must go look into the Aloha!