8 pens and 12 breeds. How do you pick?

[ninny]

Our plan is to raise heritage breed chickens for meat,eggs,chicks. The extra pullets will free range in my laying flock and so will the roosters that will go in the pot. My breeders will be in 10x10 pens. So we need them to be good mothers as i will have them hatch out their own eggs, good layers, good meat birds, and good free range and in confinement. We will be selling hatching eggs, breeders, show stock, eggs and meat. Couple questions.

I forgot how many birds can go in a 10x10 pen.

Would you just do one color of eight birds or pick one breed and do eight colors etc...?
How many roosters would you have for each? I could maybe set up a extra rooster pen for rotating somewhere.
Would you only have the rarer breeds

What would you pick out of these breeds?
single or rose comb Rhode Island Red
single or rose comb Rhode Island white
Dominique
New Hampshire
Plymouth Rock
Javas
Delwares
Buckeyes
Jersey Giants
Wyandottes
Hollands
Chantecler

Thanks!!

 

[Mahonri]

10 X 10 pen. 2 roos 20 hens.

 

[MandyH]

A 10x10 pen will house around 7-8 birds comfortably. We use 10x10 dog kennels for pens with 10x20 runs attached. That houses 18 hens and 2 roos just fine. I would recommend the rose comb RIR AND rose comb RIW's and the Dominiques and Javas. I own all of these birds and they all bear confinement well, can tolerate heat and weather the cold. The rose combs help tremendously. All of the above birds are rare and worthy of continuing to improve the breed. We are trying to stick to the rare breeds so finding GOOD quality breeding stock will take a while and will not come cheap. But I have learned that any rare breed worth it's salt is worth the money.

 

[Chris09]

single and rose comb Rhode Island Red- For good single combs you could go with shady lane poultry or Greg Chamness, for rose comb I woud say Dick Hortsman( all the breeders I listed have Exibition lines of RIR's)
rose comb Rhode Island white ( RIW's should have a rose comb )
Dominique- Mike Sitchler line
Plymouth Rock- Bob (Robert) blosl or Dick Hortsman
Jersey Giants
Buckeyes- Pathfinder from on here at BYC
Javas


Chris

 

[hcammack]

Javas and Delawares for sure !

 

[delawaregirl09]

Single-Comb Rhode Island Red
Dominique
Plymouth Rock
Delwares
Buckeyes
Jersey Giants
Wyandottes
Chantecler

This is what I would choose, specifically because of what I have heard about the breeds, etc. Although, I heard that Dominiques were hard to find, so I might replace that with New Hampshires.

 

[RAREROO]

IMO 20 hens is too many for a 10x10 pen, I'd say 10- 12 hens would be fine and you should always keep atleast 2 roos incase you need a back up, or 1 main roo and keep growing off a few young roos that can be used to replace the breeder if need be.

As for the breeds, go for the rare ones. If you can, try to get good ones from a breeder instead of a hatchery.

I'd say put Javas at the top of the list.

#1 Javas
Then it's hard to beat a good ol Plymouth Rock.

# 2 Plymouth Rocks

I'm going to add one that's not on you list, the BEAUTIFUL Speckled Sussex, I raise these and I love them.

#3 Speckled Sussex

Then I'll say RIRs in either comb type you prefer but if you get the SCs, don't get the light productions strains, get good dark ones from a breeder like Pine Grove . He's worked on his show line for 20 years.

#4 RIRs

RIWs are pretty and rare, but the only true ones are the RCs, not the hatchery "SC RIWs"

#5 RC RIWs

bobsbiddies' Dominiques are beautiful birds with great type and they'd be a good idea.

#6 Dominiques

Don't know much about Chanteclers, except they're very rare and in need of protection.

# 7 Chanteclers

Then I'd Suggest either Wyandottes or Delawares, again from a breeder. I believe speckled hen has heritage Delawares.

# 8 Wyandottes or Delawares

If it were me, that's the breeds I'd use from you list.

 

[Funky Feathers]

None of those.

If this were my setup, I would pick: Splash Silkies, Lavender Silkies, Buff Silkies, Porcelain Silkies, Millie Fleur Cochin bantams, Splash Cochin bantams, and Black Tailed Buff Japs, and Blue D'Uccles.

 

[hcammack]

Quote:
To each there own

I would love Java, Faverolle, Blue and Black copper Marans, Wellsummers, and BBS Ameraucana

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Yikes! That is crowded. Less than 5 sq ft per bird.