Are the exotic breeds worth the money?

[chicksgalore]

I've been raising mostly RIR's for the past few years but now that we live at a new place and have the room...I have been eyeing up all these cool-looking breeds and would love to have a variety. HOW-ever, I am selling my eggs and so far, the girls have been paying for themselves which has been a true blessing. I am wondering if having the other breeds who are not listed as that great of layers (compared to the RIR's), will they be able to pay for themselves for the most part also--if I only have maybe 2 here or there of the "different" ones.

 

[Dustin Biery]

For selling eating eggs or hatching eggs?

 

[chicksgalore]

Mainly eating/selling eggs although some of them I will probably hatch.

 

[keljonma]

We started with 25 different chicks - 1 each - because we wanted to have a variety of birds foraging the farmyard.

Silver Lakenvelder, Gold Laced Wyandotte, White Wyandotte, Columbian Wyandotte, Dominique, Partridge Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Jersey Black Giant, Buff Orpington, Delaware, Golden Penciled Hamburg, White Faced Black Spanish, Golden Campine, Single Comb Brown Leghorn, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Buttercup, Ancona, Auraucana/Americana, Silver Spangled Hamburg, Barred Plymouth Rock, White Plymouth Rock, New Hampshire Red, Rose Comb Brown Leghorn, Speckled Sussex, and Silver Grey Dorking. Some of these birds are no longer with us. We have added a Golden Campine x Jersey Black Giant hen and a Golden Campine x Partridge Plymouth Rock hen.

If you are in chickens for eggs, you'd probably be better off staying with "known" egg layer breeds. But if you look at this site, you can see there are a number of them out there that will be a bit different and still give you the eggs.
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html#a

We've had pretty regular egg laying from the ladies, but we also provide light during winter.

 

[chicksgalore]

Thanks for the site--it has been very helpful. Now, I'm trying to find a hatchery where I can buy a limited number of chicks without giving my arm and my leg!

 

[muddler6]

post on here for what you want, you may be able to find someone local to you with what you are looking for. In the spring (or maybe other times of the year) local feed stores may be able to order them for you and if they know someone else who wants birds, they can order them as a combined order and split them up when they get there.

 

[keljonma]

Well, Good Luck with that!

I looked into Meyer and My Pet Chicken for 4 chicks recently. It would have cost $40 (small order charge, heating pad charge, yadayada).

Two and a half years ago I spent $80 for 25 birds!

 

[chicksgalore]

I just priced some at My Pet Chicken, too and didn't like the TLC charge of $15 or $25 depending on how many you got. Now, I'm working on pricing an order from Ideal. I know I should wait till Spring, but I'm feeling a bit impatient...

 

[keljonma]

I personally think Ideal is known for "packing peanuts" on small orders. You order 10, they throw in enough "free males" to make sure you still have 25 in a box for safe shipping.

And one thing I never understood.... if it's 100°F out, why do I still need 25 for warmth?

I totally understand being impatient! Our Jersey Black Giant was on a clutch of 2 eggs that didn't hatch through day 26. So I contacted a local farm friend who sells Buckeyes, Cuckoo Marans, Cochins, and Marans-Cochin mixes. Based on what she had available, we got 2 Cuckoo Marans, 1 Frizzle Cochin, and 2 Marans-Cochin mix chicks. They're just 2 weeks old now. It cost us $13, but we're happy with our choices.

edited: now if I could just type

 

[lockedhearts]

I have a variety, the only ones old enough to lay are Standard Cochins, 2 Buff Orps, RIR they lay regularly.
My Lakenvelders, Phoenix, 5 Buff Orps, and other cochins are not old enough yet.

Hey Keljonma,
Do your Lakenvelders lay fairly well? I have a rooster and 2 hens and have been on the fence about selling or keeping them.