A little advice on breeds needed...

[Wraith]

My wife and I are getting three chickens. We just don't know which ones. We have a small pen for them in a neighborhood. We only have about an acre of land. I thought we could get 1 Australorpe, 1 Barred Rock, and 1 Rhode Island Red. The local feed store is out of RIRs, but we could get 2 Australorpes and 1 Barred Rock. Then there is the whole question of sex links. Red Stars appeal to me, but there are so many sex links I'm a bit lost on that deal. What chickens make the best egg layers and are good with kids?

 

[ascott1978]

I enjoy my Buff Orpingtons. They are a calm, and friendly bird by nature. Red Stars are good layers, sorry I don't know their personalities though.

 

[Wraith]

I dig the Buffs, but we don't have room for them and they don't lay quite as well as these ones we are narrowing it down to. I wish we had more land for a real coop because those Buffs would be wonderful to have.

 

[ascott1978]

I enjoy this site when researching and comparing breeds.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[Wraith]

After looking at that it makes me want to go with a prolific egg layer. We've gone back and forth between the sex links and Australorps and Barred Rocks. Good thing we aren't on a strict timetable.

 

[digitS']

Wraith, I feel that you can't go wrong with the Australorps . . . but that just may be me

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I've had Barred Rocks and would put them a bit farther down the scale . . . but that just may be me

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I wouldn't worry about not being able to acquire the RIR's . . . but that just may be me

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Okay, my brother had sex-links for many years and has been exceptionally happy with them. Don't worry too much about names - there are far more names for these hybrids than there are actual varieties.
Of those that you have mentioned, the Australorps could be the best with kids and simple folks . . . but that just may be me

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Steve's digits

 

[Wraith]

Thanks. Does anyone know which lays the best? Golden Comets, which I guess is just a fancy name for a sexlink, are supposed to be good layers as are Red Stars, which I guess is a fancy name for red sexlinks. Australorps we will get one for sure I think, but we need 2 more.

 

[SeaChick]

Sex links of any kind (golden comets, red stars, etc) are probably going to "burn out" quicker than the others. WE have a similar tight-neighborhood situation, we have had Barred Rock, Buff Orp, Australorp, sex link, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Easter Egger. My best layer is my Australorp. Maybe tied with the sex link some months, or lsightly ahead. The BR and SLW are close behind. Buff Orp and EE lay less. We had a RIR for a while and she was a great layer. My Aussie and BR are very friendly and personable!! (So is the sex link.)

For what its worth, I have 4 girls laying right now and it BARELY keeps up with our eggs needs (family of 3). CAn't wait till the new chicks start laying!!

 

[Wraith]

Quote:
RIR seems to be the key to keeping the egg count up. I could go with a couple of Australorps and one RIR as the ace in the hole. Thanks for the information.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

sexlinks are great layers and are good natured of course the more you hold any chicken the tamer they will be!