Attn. all experienced Breeders: The best breed to keep in the backyard

[alabama girl]

Thankyou greyfields, that is a good piece of advice. Cynthia, what breed is Hawkeye, why did you name him that, I like the name.

 

[speckledhen]

He is a Barred Plymouth Rock, a typical hatchery type bird, but a prince of roosters, in my book. Most of the girls he is paired with have better barring than he does (some are not hatchery stock) and most of the time, he is producing better quality birds than he is, at least with those girls. He'll live out his years here with me. Hawkeye was named after Daniel Day Lewis's character in Last of the Mohicans, actually, not the MASH character like some think. That character was a great shot with a rifle, had an eagle's vision, so I thought since my rooster's job was spotting danger, from hawks, etc, it was appropriate.

 

[RebelsHope]

I am not an experienced breeder, understand the importance of choosing the right breed of any animal. The most important thing to look at is what you want in a chicken. Is it for eggs? Tinted, brown, or white? Meat? Looks? To show? Good temperament? Rare, common? What would be the perfect chicken for me, may be a terrible choice for you. And with chickens there really is a LOT to choose from. Personally the chicken that is good for me should be cold hardy, lay brown or tinted eggs, and be heritage. Although I love to see the long tails on the phoenix, I would not want to care for that tail and it is not all that cold hardy with that big comb. That is the perfect breed for others on this board, just not for me.

Make a list of all the things you want from your chickens and then start asking about what breeds would meet your requirements.

 

[RebelsHope]

Quote:
Ironically Hawkeye from MASH was also name after the character from Last of the Mohicans

 

[speckledhen]

I know! So, I guess my Hawkeye was named after both, sort of, but I more had Last of the Mohicans' Daniel Day Lewis in mind than Alan Alda, LOL.

 

[beefy]

Cyn, how about starting a thread about barred rock barring and what to look for? i'm not exactly sure how to tell the difference between good barring, mediocre, and baaaad

 

[speckledhen]

Guess I could, but others are more qualified than I for that task. The excellent barring seen more on bantam Barred Rocks than LF is so rare, in my experience, that it's almost like a different breed, in some ways. One thing I look for is on the sickle (tail) feathers, the barring is straight across, not chevron barring. Like I said, at the moment I'm not concentrating on creating the perfectly barred Barred Rock. My main concerns are body type, temperament and egglaying ability-mine are utility, backyard flock Rocks, not show rocks. In this area, that's what people want. Heck, they call them all "Dominickers" anyway, the idiots.
Amber, what is it you really want in a bird? And what type do you like? Start there in picking a breed.

 

[alabama girl]

beefy, why did you have to steal my most valueable advisor??? Cynthia don't go please!!(just kidding) thanks for the great input. I am like speckledhen, I like the shape and temperament of Orpingtons and wyandottes, but I also love the color, some times I think I should forget about breeding the chickens and just keep hens of different sorts.

 

[alabama girl]

Like I just said, I like Orpingtons and wyandottes, for color, size, built, temperament and the feel when you carry one in your lap, Buttercup, my buff orpington weighs the same as Sylvester, our cat.

 

[KingsCalls]

Amber (alabama girl) , You already have one of the best all around birds, the barred rock!
I am also partial(like a couple others) to orpingtons but, you already have barred rocks so that means you already have experience with that breed. They are great birds! The orpington may lay slightly better in cold weather but, they also mature a little slower than the rocks. Whatever breed you decide on, have fun with it and if for some reason you are not happy with the breed..........you can always go in a different direction.