2026 Chicken Wish List

[Whittni]

I'm getting more Mottled Japanese Bantams and Laced Cornish for 2026 I think. Might get more large Fowl Cochin and Faverolles as my girls are getting up there in age...hmm

 

[DemeterAD9]

I found cx (the meat birds correct?) very difficult to raise in a layer flock, and I had to separate them from layer chicks by day 2 in the brooder box. They just eat a great deal, and I only fed them twice a day. A regular chicken just could not keep up.

I do raise them for meat - I like them in their own set up. Just works better. As a side note - I did like getting a straight run, and then processing them over 2-3 weeks. Because even in with just other meat birds, the smaller ones get out jockeyed by the bigger ones. I would just harvest 3-4 of the bigger birds, and then wait a few days and do a few more. I originally tried the idea of doing them all at once, but the was a lot of work and needed more people. I can do 3 easily by myself.

Mrs K

I've only done the Cornish cross once and only 10 of them. Brooded and grew them out with sex linked cockerels I hatched and added more cockerels to the grow out pen as they became apparent. It worked well right up until the normal cockerels started mounting the Cornish crosses at about 7ish weeks old. So I ended up separating the group for a week or two until I processed the CX. I did 7 one day and 2 a week later. Certainly time consuming but well worth it.

At 4-5 weeks I took one of the 2 CX pullets who was very friendly and rather small compared to the others and put her with my laying pullets. She fit right in and no one really bothered her until I started free ranging everyone, cockerels included... I processed the cockerels at 12-14 weeks which was earlier than planned but they made me mad with their gang-bang mentality on the poor CX pullet. She got to live with the laying flock till 25 weeks or so. I kept her just long enough to have a broody incubate and hatch one of her eggs.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Behold, the future generation. Almost have enough eggs from my meat bird project pen to fill the incubator. 7 different hens and I’m aiming for 4-5 eggs each. Also waiting on a shipment of dark Cornish x white rock eggs (crosses or pure breds) but that has me worried as they should have shipped by now but they’ve been in “pre shipment” for nearly 2 days.

Also got my quail but only had 5/34 eggs hatch (most were infertile). Of course I couldn’t resist the temptation of tossing in a few chicken eggs and I ended up with 2/4 hatching (guessing both are cockerel due to sex linked head spots). Obviously I had to get them a couple friends so found some breeds I’ve heard of and been interested in, a splash Isbar (aka silverrudd) and a royal Sussex. Both should lay colored eggs. Currently being raised together, will be kicked out to the shed brooder tomorrow.

Checking things off the wish list one thing at a time. I’ve decided to get rid of my duck pair. Too many instances of stomach trouble after eating their eggs so I’m thinking ducks are not for me. Next month I’ll have the Meyer order and the eggs hatching so it will be busy.

 

[JenniMcChick]

Good to know! If I end up giving my rooster to my uncle, I may look into some EEs. Should easily be able to accommodate 2 of those in the space he's using vs maybe only 1 of the heavier breeds. But I guess it'll all depend on what they hatch. Will need to see what those are like & go from there.
& Thank you for the insight.

She hatched 3. Seem to all be from Buff Orpington eggs since there's gold leakage in each. Less so on one of them, so it'll be interesting to see how they feather out.
1st set of pics were taken 3/9/26 before we moved them from the nest box where she hatched them. All 3 were dry.
2nd set were taken today, 3/19/2026.

 

[DemeterAD9]

My Meyer order should be cooking in their incubators, just 3 more weeks and it will be full on chicken madness! With the 47 eggs in the incubator I expect around 30 to hatch (11 are shipped eggs) then add to that the 17 I ordered (assuming they survive) and 4 that are already in the brooder that makes 51 chicks. Should someone go broody they’ll be getting colored eggs to hatch too, aiming for maybe another 15-20 broody raised chicks for replacement layers and maybe a replacement cockerel. Could very well have upwards of 100 chickens at one time this year, last year I think I got to 80. Now the goal is around 35 birds by winter, 2-3 being roosters. I’ll have some tough decisions to make in my adult flock, same with the spare pullets if I can’t sell them.

It won’t be till at least June before I beginning thinning the numbers and I am already looking forward to the reduced feed cost, mess, work, smell, and noise. I’m also looking forward to some fresh chicken, I think there is one left in the freezer and a handful of canned stuff left. I want to make a lot of broth this year and have plenty of parted out birds for frying.

I actually enjoy processing animals (not the killing part) but after the first handful of birds in one day I know I’ll be getting cranky. I plan to call in those favors I’ve been stacking up for all the free eggs and meat I provide the family. Many hands make light work or whatever the saying is.

 

[akroberts1085]

My Meyer order should be cooking in their incubators, just 3 more weeks and it will be full on chicken madness! With the 47 eggs in the incubator I expect around 30 to hatch (11 are shipped eggs) then add to that the 17 I ordered (assuming they survive) and 4 that are already in the brooder that makes 51 chicks. Should someone go broody they’ll be getting colored eggs to hatch too, aiming for maybe another 15-20 broody raised chicks for replacement layers and maybe a replacement cockerel. Could very well have upwards of 100 chickens at one time this year, last year I think I got to 80. Now the goal is around 35 birds by winter, 2-3 being roosters. I’ll have some tough decisions to make in my adult flock, same with the spare pullets if I can’t sell them.

It won’t be till at least June before I beginning thinning the numbers and I am already looking forward to the reduced feed cost, mess, work, smell, and noise. I’m also looking forward to some fresh chicken, I think there is one left in the freezer and a handful of canned stuff left. I want to make a lot of broth this year and have plenty of parted out birds for frying.

I actually enjoy processing animals (not the killing part) but after the first handful of birds in one day I know I’ll be getting cranky. I plan to call in those favors I’ve been stacking up for all the free eggs and meat I provide the family. Many hands make light work or whatever the saying is.

Teamwork makes the dream work