2025 Chicken Wish List

[DemeterAD9]

Surely I'm not the only one who has plans for 2025 spring chicks already? Do I need more birds? Not really but boy do I want a few certain breeds to round out my egg and feather color palette! Plus I plan to hatch some of my own eggs, mostly for the fun of it. Currently I am wanting a darker brown egg layer, but not the usual BCM that seems to be the most popular. I also want a dark red feathered bird, plus something barred and something laced for future breeding. While trying to keep my numbers in check (currently have 2M/19F), I'll likely be either selling or butchering 5-8 of the birds I have now. I want a max of 20-25 birds as "keeper" by the end of next year so I'm looking to keep the friendly, bigger, better layers and any who are not up to snuff will be going. Most of the eggs I hatch will likely be for meat as well. Speaking of meat, I'd like to raise a few broilers just to compare and get more hands-on information. I wouldn't mind a heritage turkey or two as well and if I decide they aren't for me, well I'm not opposed to eating them too.

This is my current wish list, which is likely to change. Trying to stick to just adding 5-8 new layers and then 10 or so meat birds. I'll likely be ordering from Meyer unless a local feed store has most the breeds I want. If all goes well, I'm hoping to time a hatch with when I order chicks so I have 2 groups to raise (meaties and non-meaties)
-Partridge Penedesenca
-Buckeye
-Something barred (thinking golden cuckoo maran)
-Welsummer or Barnevelder
-Wheaton Maran (?)
-BBS laced red wyandotte (?)
-heritage turkey X2 (?)
-Ranger Broilers of some sort

What are your current plans?

 

[AinaWGSD]

I loved my buckeyes, but mine came from a breeder so I don't have any experience with Meyers buckeyes. Mine were decent layers and the cockerels were decent meat birds. Several of the hens even went broody. I am happy with my BLR wyandotte from meyer. She's not much compared to birds from a good breeder I'm sure, but way more typey than my hatchery SLW was.

I considered getting a golden cuckoo marans. So pretty! And barnevelders!

I'm only allowed 6 chickens here in town, but my uncle has land in the country (my grandma's farm) where we have a large coop. It needs work (there's a hole in the wall) but the frame is still good and I've been trying with the idea of fixing it up next spring.

If we do, I'm really considering bielfelders and copper marans. Maybe more legbars or 55 flowery hens.

 

[DemeterAD9]

I loved my buckeyes, but mine came from a breeder so I don't have any experience with Meyers buckeyes. Mine were decent layers and the cockerels were decent meat birds. Several of the hens even went broody. I am happy with my BLR wyandotte from meyer. She's not much compared to birds from a good breeder I'm sure, but way more typey than my hatchery SLW was.

I considered getting a golden cuckoo marans. So pretty! And barnevelders!

I'm only allowed 6 chickens here in town, but my uncle has land in the country (my grandma's farm) where we have a large coop. It needs work (there's a hole in the wall) but the frame is still good and I've been trying with the idea of fixing it up next spring.

If we do, I'm really considering bielfelders and copper marans. Maybe more legbars or 55 flowery hens.

The buckeyes seem like nice stocky birds and I love their solid red color. The only red I had was a RIR cockerel who got the axe. Would love a broody hen or two but it may be too soon to say none of my current pullets will go broody, we'll see come spring!

Barnevelders would fit the darker brown eggs and perhaps the red feathering and the lacing I'm looking for but they are a bit pricy. But then again, knocking out 3 of my "wants" with one breed is not a bad idea! I'm really talking myself into getting 1 or 2 now haha.

Golden cuckoo would fit the barred feathering and dark brown eggs, whereas the Partridge Penedesenca would only work for dark eggs.

Now that you're talking about flowery hens, perhaps I'll get a Swedish flower hen seeing as I don't have any pale/white layers!

 

[Sally PB]

I'm at 10 hens right now, and I don't plan to add any more. I would like to add a rooster/cockerel. I have visions of my broody butt Widget going broody and getting chicks for her, but I really feel like I'm at the max. Still... a cockerel and a pullet chick for her to raise... But I'd have to order a minimum of 3... and that would be 13...

 

[Yard Farmer]

More show quality bantams - OEGB, to be exact.

By far the best, most fun birds I've raised.
Also planning on ordering 100 layers, and hatching as many chicks from my flock as I can.
Wanting to sell eggs next year.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

My plan is to breed my purebred bantams towards sop. That consists of White Black Tailed Jap, Brown Red Jap, Millie Fleur D’Uccles, Porcelain D’Uccles, Fawn, silver, Khakis OEGB, Porcelain OEGB, Lavender OEGB Buff Brahma bantam, and Light Brahma bantam. I’ll also be breeding my mixed bantams and my mixed standard flock. Hopefully I’ll have lots of buyers and sell all my babies.

I will also be breeding my projects. Brown Red Mottled D’Uccles, Silkied D’Uccles, bantam EE, and possibly a couple OEGB projects and my own line of Brown Red D’Uccles.

My hope is that I may be able to trade some of my Purebred chicks for hatching eggs of a few verities of show quality bantams or get them on eBay. I’d love to finally get Modern Game Bantam this year but we will see.

 

[DemeterAD9]

While I do love winter, I am so ready for early spring. I want to get things going and hatch some chicks! But I know I need to wait till it isn't so miserable outside. Until then I just keep mulling over my plans. I was checking Meyer hatchery and see they already have availability for 2025, and one of my wish list birds (Swedish flower hen) is already out of stock for my preferred date. So with their stock already being sold out for some breeds, I decided to place my order for the end of March. I'll likely time their arrival with my own hatch and raise them together.
My order consists of the following
- 1 Buckeye
- 1 Golden cuckcoo maran
- 1 Barnevelder
- 1 Partridge cochin
- 1 BBS laced red wyandotte
- 10 Cornish cross broilers (only broiler that doesn't have a min)
- plus their extra meal maker and homestead helper (aka free meat birds IMO)

I need to either build or buy some sort of chicken tractor if I want to raise broilers, we have plenty of rough sawn scrap wood to work with. That is on my to-do list. Also need to properly enclose the run so I don't have to worry about the birds getting out and destroying the garden.

In the meantime, I'm working on choosing which birds to keep and which to sell/butcher. Just banded (zip tied) a few pullets so I can tell them apart. Current plan is to hopefully sell a prairie blue bell (who seems to lay brown eggs), the smaller of my 2 light brahmas, 2 or maybe even all 3 of my black jersey giant pullets and perhaps even throw in the roo for a breeding group, and possibly my SLW who is on the small side for what I want. Debating on selling an EE or 2 as well but may collect eggs to incubate before I do it. I'll have to wait and see who is laying what, what each bird feels like, and how much these birds will weigh come spring before I do much of anything. The real challenge will be finding someone who wants laying hens in my area, not sure what to expect to sell them for either. Feeling tentatively ambitious

 

[paintedChix]

Maybe more legbars or 55 flowery hens.

Do you currently have 55 Flowery Hens? Who did you get them from?

I can switch to PM for more questions...

 

[Yard Farmer]

possibly a couple OEGB projects

You need at least one OEGB project. Just saying.

 

[paintedChix]

Barnevelders would fit the darker brown eggs and perhaps the red feathering and the lacing I'm looking for but they are a bit pricy. But then again, knocking out 3 of my "wants" with one breed is not a bad idea! I'm really talking myself into getting 1 or 2 now haha.

Now that you're talking about flowery hens, perhaps I'll get a Swedish flower hen seeing as I don't have any pale/white layers!

My Barnevelders laid light tan eggs that sometimes had a bloom making them look pink or lavender- ish. When I purchased Barnevelder eggs, they were slightly darker, but I wouldn't call them brown.



I have to look the up again. I never realized that Swedish Flower Hens laid white eggs...