Best Backyard Breed: Australorp, Speckled Sussex or Ameraucana?

[ObiHenKanobi]

I'm thinking of adding 2 chicks to our small backyard flock. (They would be quarantined for 30 days and only integrated into the existing flock when they are adult sized.) We're having a hard time deciding whether to get Australorps, Speckled Sussex or Ameraucana. Or one of each.

Most important qualities:

1. Quiet (we live in an urban setting)
2. Friendly (we have young kids)
3. Lays a good amount of eggs

I know the Australorp would be best for 2 and 3 on this list, but wasn't sure how quiet they are. The Ameraucana is on the list because the blue eggs would be fun for the kids, but the 3 items above are more important. I also want to avoid breeds that go broody often.... I think these three breeds we are considering don't set often but I'm not sure. We live in very northern Vermont so I also chose these 3 breeds because I read they are cold and heat hardy.

Looking for advice from more experienced chicken keepers! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. The hens in our existing flock are Brahma and Icelandic.

 

[ccpiner]

Of the 3 the Australorps and Easter Egger may be less broody. I’ve raised all of them. They are nice breeds. The Australorps is a sweetheart. The others have nice dispositions too. If you’re looking for a unique egg color, go with the Easter Egger. The other two lay brown eggs but I loved all 3 of these breeds. The Speckled Sussex is a beautiful bird.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When I started my original flock I kept Speckled Sussex, Black Australorp, Buff Orpington, and Delaware pullets, two of each from Cackle. The only ones that went broody were the Black Australorp. Not the Buff Orps that are supposed to go broody a lot.

What does this show? Each breed may have tendencies but each chicken is an individual. That individual may or may not follow those tendencies. Those tendencies are averages and I did not have enough for average to mean anything. A flock may average 180 eggs per year but one hen in that flock may only lay 150. Another may lay 210. If you have enough you may average 180 per hen but if you only have one hen you might get the one that lays 150, you might get the one that lays 210, or you may get one that lays 180.

I once got true Ameraucana from a breeder. Ameraucana have a reputation of not going broody. These went broody a lot. Why? Because that specific breeder wanted her hens to go broody. She hatched eggs and kept replacements from hens that went broody, males and females. She enhanced going broody in her strain of Ameraucana. The point of this is that strain is more important than breed in a lot of these traits. If the breeder selects a certain trait to enhance it gets enhanced. It they don't it doesn't.

One speckled Sussex was a nest hog, pretty brutal to any other hen that wanted to lay in the nest she was using and would stay on that nest for two to three hours. Not broody, just took that long to lay an egg. The other SS was not a behavioral problem at all. One BA was loud, all the time squawking and making noise. The other was pretty quiet.

My suggestion is to not worry too much about breed tendencies. You are not going to have enough for breed averages to matter, even if they exist. Use whatever criteria you want to select them and go for it. That could be all one breed or one of each. I think your chances of being happy are pretty much even either way.

 

[Birdie mom]

i love ameraucanas; there eggs are beautiful and i have never had any of ours go broody. and they are normal chicken loud, not quiet but not screaming all the time.

 

[Laurahowemt]

I am starting with some golden comets, a sex link hybrid. They are very sweet and reportedly lay lots of eggs.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

I currently have 4 EEs and a BO. From my personal experience, I like Easter Eggers. They are rather quiet ( in a chicken sense), are friendly, and lay enough eggs for me. EEs are a wonderful hybrid, in my personal opinion.

But like what @Ridgerunner said, all chickens are individuals. They all have different attitudes, different egg laying, and different loudness levels. I would just pick a breed you like. They may fit into your criteria, they may not. Chickens are living beings, so you can’t always get everything you want.

 

[Birdie mom]

ditto that @Ihavesomechickens

 

[Missbc]

I have four australorps (three black, one white) and just one EE.

the white australorp isn’t at all friendly. The black ones are all super sweet and friendly. They’re all very calm and quiet.

the EE is super friendly but she is loud. And demanding. I don’t mind her so much because she’s so friendly but she’s up there on the loud scale.

One of my black australorp hens goes broody each year. The other two do not, and likely never will. She’s turned out to be a good mother hen too (slipped some day olds under her recently).

 

[ObiHenKanobi]

Thank you for all the replies! I went with an Australorp and an Ameraucana. I just couldn't resist the possibility of some colorful eggs in the winter.