Advice on a new breed.

[rivermedic]

This Spring I started selling chicks at my Dad's hardware store. I was very successful selling silkies and ducklings, d'uccles didn't do so well because nobody knew what they were. For utility birds I sold frizzled NH Reds. These went like hotcakes, but more for novelty than utility. It's clear to me that many of my customers were interested in "regular old laying hens" or "traditional chickens, nothing fancy." They were turned off by the frizzles because they were unfamiliar. I'm considering a new breed for next year to fill this niche for a non-boutique dual-purpose chicken. At the top of my list is Dominiques & Silver Laced Wyandottes. My customers are rural, low-income people. I was thinking I could market the "Dominicker" as an old American Heritage Breed. I personally like the Wyandottes because I think they are visually stunning but I'm afraid like the d'uccles, people won't know what they are. I'm looking for feedback as to which of these breeds or any others would be well-suited for this market. I also will need to be able to sell hatching eggs from them once the chick season is over locally. Any advice on breeds and breeders would be appreciated!

Here's the flyer for the frizzles.

 

[Mahonri]

The following will sell VERY well.

French Black Copper Marans. Always have some of their eggs on hand to show what they'll end up laying.
They will sell out every week.

Purebred Ameraucanas or blue laying Easter Eggers. Those ALWAYS sell well.

For novelty, it always helps to have a few polish on hand.

And then of course they are looking for layers.

I suggest Pearl White Leghorns, Black Stars, Cinnamon Queens, Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks.

 

[muddyhorse]

Sex links are always nice because then they know they are getting hens.