Best breeds to buy

Pics
I'm partial to Brahmas myself. My chickens are entirely pets so that's going off of personality. They also lay well (when they're not broody.) I've had my girls for about 1.5 years now and all but one have gone broody and most have gone broody multiple times. 😳 They do lay well in the winter though. Mine started laying in December and laid all the way through. They're quite good foragers too
Seems like you should be partial to Rhodebars!

Is this your first batch of Brahmas? If so you MIGHT find that they won't lay this winter. The times I've gotten chicks in early June they all laid through their first winter, even the ones that aren't known to be "cold hardy". Only one has laid during the winter after their first adult molt, she's 2.5 years old now and I'll see if she plans to give her body a break this winter.

I've had 14 breeds starting in 2012 but don't have Brahmas though so they might be different.
 
I'm partial to Brahmas myself. My chickens are entirely pets so that's going off of personality. They also lay well (when they're not broody.)

I love Brahmas for their beauty, but my experience is that they're indifferent layers -- the one in my avatar gives me only 3-4 eggs a week, though she hasn't gone broody. (Currently molting rather than laying in her second fall and I don't know when she'll resume).
 
Seems like you should be partial to Rhodebars!

Is this your first batch of Brahmas? If so you MIGHT find that they won't lay this winter. The times I've gotten chicks in early June they all laid through their first winter, even the ones that aren't known to be "cold hardy". Only one has laid during the winter after their first adult molt, she's 2.5 years old now and I'll see if she plans to give her body a break this winter.

I've had 14 breeds starting in 2012 but don't have Brahmas though so they might be different.
I've read that Brahmas in particular are supposed to good winter layers and last winter it seemed to be true! I have also read that many times young layers will start to lay in spring rather than start in winter. I had another in the past and to be completely honest, I'm not sure how her laying in the winter was because I had many brown layers and she also had a tendency to get very overweight so she wasn't the best in the laying department but I count her as an exception due to this :) I will see in the next few months how their laying goes. As for Rhodebars, I love them (and made my username years ago) but they are extremely difficult to acquire especially if the OP is buying them from a store, there's not a chance they'll find one. I actually was going to get Rhodebars over Brahmas but I had a terrible time finding any female chicks for sale. They're different breeds for sure in terms of personality and activity level. Rhodebars are incredibly personable and lap chickens. They would jump on my head if I dared to bend down and constantly be pecking shoes, zippers, anything they could get their beaks on for attention. Brahmas are more mellow and snuggly. Some people would find Rhodebars absolutely obnoxious even though I found them endearing, same for some that would find Brahmas too mellow in a mixed flock. Brahmas also have the added bonus of being super cold hardy :) Rhodebars are light birds even though they did well in the Michigan cold, Brahmas are suited a bit better for their environment as well!
 
Our one order of Brahmas, decades ago, brought bantams rather than standards, a hatchery mistake. They then sent us the standards, so we had both. We loved the bantam Brahmas, and really didn't love the big ones. The bantams did well for years, the standards did not.
That's only one experience, but look at the bantam Brahmas, they are large for bantams, and adorable!
Mary
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom