Reviews by unicornmomma

I cared for a flock of chickens (varied breeds) at my last job, and the welsummer and I had a longstanding feud. Despite all attempts to socialize or bribe her, no matter how much time or how many treats, she did NOT like people and was always the last to be put away because while the others usually cooperated and went into the run when I started rounding them up, miss Poorwinter (yes, we're extremely original) was just as contrary as her name and would run off every which direction, screaming bloody murder and acting generally like an idiot. Her eggs were a pretty medium brown with speckles (they were no where near chocolate, not even at POL, and she was not from hatchery stock), and in summer she laid about 3-4 a week, winter she slowed to 1-2. When I was planning my home flock, I intentionally left out the welsummers. It may just have been my particular hen's personality, but she was such a frustrating bird that I didn't feel the pros outweighed the cons. She also was an aggressive forager and ripped the landscape to shreds, which is fine if you've just got pastures, but for a backyard flock she'd be a nightmare. When planning for dark, pretty eggs, I chose a golden cuckoo marans for the rich browns instead-- much better experience.

My sweet buff brahma, Coconut Korma, is very docile and friendly. She is my hen that will wait to go into the coop at night until I get home from work, so that I will pick her up and hold her before tucking her in. She is gentle enough that my four year old daughter is able to carry her around, but that can be both a blessing and a frustration-- she is so sweet that she never, ever fights back. She is the only brahma in my flock (she was a mystery chick), and even though she is the biggest hen now, everyone still is extra rough with her because they can. Even the dogs know she's the one that will run instead of dish it back. I would recommend that, if you have a mixed flock, you get 2-3 brahmas, so they can be their own little pacifist mini-flock. Just the one is not enough. They do also mature very slowly because they're giant, but my lands is it worth it, it's like having a giant teddybear that's actually a chicken. Good winter layer as well, and she doesn't even notice the cold. I do have to check her leg feathering every night when it's cold though-- if the feathering gets wet, it will freeze and damage her feet. I just bring a towel out with me at bed time and dry off everyone's toes, so it's not that much extra work for me, but something to be aware of if you live in extremely cold climates.

I have two black sexlinks, and overall, they are fantastic birds. My two are a little neurotic, but they're overall friendly enough towards me, and put themselves to bed at 6 every night. I get very large brown eggs from them, they both lay almost daily (they are two next month). I will say that whenever someone is getting picked on, out of 8 birds, I can count on my BSLs to be involved somehow, either as the target or the perpetrator. It may just be my two, but it's the only reason I didn't give them a full five stars. They're tough little mother cluckers too-- my one survived an encounter with a raccoon reaching through the run wire and grabbing her, he tore her throat up pretty good. Cleaned her and applied Blukote, and she's good as new three months later. I am looking at cycling out some birds and getting new pullets this spring, but my sexlinks will be staying, they pull more than their weight.