age and breed info needed please

[learycow]

I never kept wyandottes around. I originally got them as I heard they are EXCELLENT egg layers and do very well in the cold winters we have. But they DID NOT. They laid well until it got really cold, then completely stopped and didn't start up again until it was noticeably warmer. Keeping in mind that I have an insulated coop and kept a light on a timer for them. My ISA browns outlaid the wyandottes (I did ISA browns the following year) by a mile. They are a fair sized chicken but if you want lots of eggs, I would not suggest them to anyone (though they are pretty to look at!)
And call ducks are fairly small, but this little guy was one that came with a group of Khaki campbells I ordered online. He was TINY TINY when I got him as a day old. I knew nothing about ducks at the time and just figured it was one that hatched from a tiny egg, thus was a smaller duckling.
But as they aged, he never got very big and I realized they had thrown a chocolate call duck in with my order. So he was a puny duck to begin with, smaller than the calls that I breed now but Im assuming it was because he was a random hatchery bred bird.

 

[wafflechicken]

Oh wow. Thanks, clearly wyandottes are not for me. Nobody gets coddled here. The coop is dry and sheltered both with straw bale cubbies and a thick layer of straw (refreshed regularly) but beyond that... no light, no insulation, no heat. I'm ok with production of like 3-4 eggs a week but not not lay at all? No.

OK, time to look for another DP breed since Wyandottes seem right out. Thanks so much for saving me the frustration.

Aww, your little call drake seems special though (with or without the air quotes). The only ducks I have real experience with are scovies so I was picturing a scovy drake (at minimum 11 pounds) as much smaller than the wyandotte. Which would have made that chicken the size of a turkey! A 30 pound chicken!

 

[learycow]

Oh wow. Thanks, clearly wyandottes are not for me. Nobody gets coddled here. The coop is dry and sheltered both with straw bale cubbies and a thick layer of straw (refreshed regularly) but beyond that... no light, no insulation, no heat. I'm ok with production of like 3-4 eggs a week but not not lay at all? No.

OK, time to look for another DP breed since Wyandottes seem right out. Thanks so much for saving me the frustration.

Aww, your little call drake seems special though (with or without the air quotes). The only ducks I have real experience with are scovies so I was picturing a scovy drake (at minimum 11 pounds) as much smaller than the wyandotte. Which would have made that chicken the size of a turkey! A 30 pound chicken!

Haha, that wouldve been an award winning chicken!
But no, my call drake was about 3, MAYBE 4 pounds wet. Haha, so yes, "special" and small

As for chickens, and this is just from my experience with different breeds that I raise for eggs for myself and family, I've had quite a few as I like to change it up now and then.
Leghorns have been the best for me so far. White to be more specific, from Mc Murrays. Mine started laying at 4 1/2 months and were laying extra large sized eggs by 6 months old! And they laid an egg a day, even through the winter (for the most part). So if egg color doesn't matter and you want production, I would go with those.
If you are looking for brown eggs, I've had excellent luck with barred rocks, black sex links, and of course the ISA browns. All did very well with production year round.
If you want some that lay but also work well for meat, try brahmas or delawares. They have always done well in the egg department for me and also dress out larger than the other breeds

 

[wafflechicken]

Haha, that wouldve been an award winning chicken!

You could ride that thing around!

Thanks for the info on the breeds. Definitely looking for Dual Purpose so I'll check out the Brahma and Delawares.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You could ride that thing around!

Thanks for the info on the breeds. Definitely looking for Dual Purpose so I'll check out the Brahma and Delawares.

Don't forget Blk Australorps