Reviews by Alexandra33

After many descriptions of the breed claimed Leghorns are flighty, I decided strongly against trying them. But lo and behold, we ended up with four this February! Might I add that I'm highly impressed? That squad of white (or dingy brown, since nothing stays snow white around here ) hens wins hearts easily with their tendency to greet each day with vigor, get into everything, and even allow themselves to be picked up for snuggles. Flighty, my foot! Alert, yes, but far from unfriendly. Looking forward to expanding our Leghorn collection in the future!




~Alex

One was enough for me. Not that it's a terrible breed, but my experiences with them aren't spectacular. Birds with "blah" temperaments simply aren't my cup of tea. However, if you're looking for something decently nice to look at, and lots of medium brown eggs, Australorps are for you!

~Alex

So far out of 12 Silkies, I've only ended up with one decently personable individual. Everything I'd ever been told about the breed has turned out to be completely false (in my limited experience, at least), much to my disappointment. Cockerels are human AND hen aggressive as all get out. And, as strange as it may sound, I've received some pretty nasty bites from the fluffy little females. Would never recommend anyone I know get a few to fulfill their desires for loving pets. That said, I'll always have some around for aesthetic purposes.




~Alex

I literally have nothing nice to say about this breed. Our 3 originals (a drake and 2 hens) nearly ruined the entire duck experience for me. Then they went on to hatch a brood of 4, which only meant carbon copies of their disgraceful parents. One hen in particular brutalized our poor, innocent flock of chickens to the point where they got fed up and nearly killed her out of self-defense. While the other hen wasn't as confrontational overall, once a mother, she transformed into a MONSTER. If I even bent down to refill her waterer, she would rush and attack my legs - by FAR more painful and harder to fend off than any of the 27 roosters I've had. She left me bruised and bleeding on several occasions. That was without attempting to touch her babies. Sadly, a speeding car killed 4 out of our 5 drakes (all 4 ducklings turned out to be boys) as they crossed our road, leaving us with just the hens and one of the sons. The remaining 3 have since then been rehomed.

~Alex

I got 2 Black Rosecombs this March from a local breeder, and I couldn't be more in love! We have abandoned referring to them as "Rosecombs," instead pinning both pullets with a name that's much more fitting: "big, important people." Shadow and Uni are just so full of zest and sass, you can truly say that they make up in personality what they lack in size. I even caught our people chasing a groundhog into the barn not too long ago! Both weigh around 15.2 oz. at the moment, though they might have a little more growing to do since they're only 16 weeks old. I would DEFINITELY recommend that anyone looking for an entertaining, charming little friend get 2 or 10 of these spectacular midgets.





~Alex

At long last, I'm able to give my Cookie her 5-star rating since she just laid her first egg today! I've waited 7 long months for this, so prepare yourself for a long, babbling statement about just how much I adore this breed. I'm IN LOVE with my precious little girl who is comparable to Alex in almost every way possible. I bought Cookie from Meyer Hatchery as an extra, preparing myself in advance for a stunning bird who would be extremely flighty, simply to prevent any future disappointment. Boy, was I ever given a surprise! She has, since chickhood, been friendly and docile as all get out. Plus, she flies up on my arm and makes her opinions known in a crackly voice just like my other sweetie pie, Alex. You could essentially say that I got two of my favorite chicken! Since we live in a colder northern climate, I've had to rub that lovely buttercup comb with Vaseline to prevent frostbite, and never once has she struggled. You could probably do almost anything to her, and she wouldn't ONCE think of putting up a fight. Most likely due to a back injury as a chick that left her with a slight hump, her growth was impeded slightly, leaving her at close to 3 lbs. Her biggest accomplishment was flying on top of our coop, which I would calculate to be about 9 ft. tall. One last cool Cookie fact: she's growing spurs, and is the only pullet in our decently large flock to do so.





Cookie's actually a spoiled brat who flies up on the food storage can because she KNOWS that she can wheedle a bit of hand-fed food from me! Here, though, I was pampering her during her first laying experience by providing some...well....bedside service?


You've got to love those pleading, irresistible dark eyes!

See the beginnings of spurs?

-Alex

My Avalon is the prettiest bird in a flock of 37, sporting iridescent spangles that strongly contrast blindingly white plumage. Her first egg was quite surprising for us, since we were expecting a normal white, but what we found in the nesting box bore a striking resemblance to a small, shiny, rosy pearl.

I value Avalon as a "watchbird" for our flock, as it seems that she is always the first to spot ground/aerial predators and alert all the rest with a call. This is a valuable trait that comes in handy for our flock of diverse sizes and shapes that might not enable some to escape as quickly.

For being such a tiny bird, she holds quite a bit of clout in the pecking order. Perhaps there's something strange about our chickens and ducks, because the small ones are every bit as evil as their much larger flockmates!

Although I love Avalon and wouldn't trade her for the world, her personality leaves something to be desired. I kid you not when I say that you can't get closer than 7 feet from her, otherwise she'll go into a panicked frenzy trying to get away. Won't be getting this breed in the future for pet qualities, but rather for their looks, egg production, and level of caution when free-ranging.





-Alex

Though 10 months have gone by and still no eggs, Bali is more than worth her weight in gold in spite of it. She is extremely friendly, constantly running to check up on you and have a quick 2-minute "chat " before zipping away to be with her flockmates.

That beetle-green shine is by far the prettiest of all the black chickens in our flock, being slightly more iridescent. Perhaps my favorite quality of hers is a soothing, soft voice that certainly isn't typical, and she's constantly charming us with it.

Despite Bali's small size, she isn't picked on in the least. From what I gather, she has enough spunk to intimidate girls much larger, while not being a bully herself.



-Alex

My four EEs add color and vibrancy to our flock as well as egg basket. Their eggs are just as individual as their personalities, so I get a combination of blue-green, olive, and pink every day. Eve, one of the four, has a wonderfully kid-friendly disposition and a loveable habit of falling asleep when picked up and hugged. My absolute favorite aspect of the breed is the fact that no matter how many you get, from 2-100, no two will be exactly the same. An entire flock of EEs would sport such a variety of colors, shapes, and patterns, that you could have enough diversity to satisfy!

Jaylin

Eve

Ava

Elise

-Alex

Marseilles (BCM) and Eperny (BSM) are terrific ladies with great personalities to match. They are great in a flock situation as they aren't bullies in the least, so I never see my two picking on smaller, less dominant girls. They lay us gorgeous dark eggs that definitely add color to the egg basket and wow everyone we gift with a dozen. I couldn't be happier with my Marans, and will never be without in the future!




First egg: BCM. Third and fourth eggs: BSM. The other two eggs belong to a Welsummer and SL Wyandotte.

-Alex

My Alex is positively the most fun and loveable girl, and has gained a very special place in my heart. Her quirky personality endears her to everyone; it's amazing that such a tiny chicken can make an impact. Campines are one of those breeds that serves many purposes: not only are they great layers who will provide you with lovely white eggs, but they're beautiful, and they have comical dispositions to tie it all together. I would recommend the breed to anyone who is looking for an ideal pet.

-Alex

I really love my two Khakis, Kira and Amira. They exhibit a funny mannerism that is unique to them: they "cluck"! Not only are they spoiled with organic treats, but they are far more personable than the other ducks, and I believe that I would have more Khaki Campbells in the future.

In the picture: Sweet Amira with Sapphira the Mallard