Best Chicken Breeds for dual purpose?

[AngieMaesChix]

Hello all!! I haven’t gotten chickens yet hoping yet this year..have had chickens before ...and I just helped my neighbor pick out some chicks and set up coop etc..my question is what do I get? I know I want dual purpose..I like brown eggs..but not against having some some white egg layers as well..I know Rhode Island’s I’ve had them before and I like the Barred Rock..my neighbor wanted a mix so I got him 2 RIR,2 Buff Orphintons and 2 Golden Racers..we later went and got 6 more RIR as he’s decided he likes them best lol..he’s not concerned about mixing..I may be..should I stick to one breed or mix it up..I have dreams of one day possibly getting into some showing and fairs etc..I would like to eventually have multiple coops to house different breeds..but rn I just wanna work on one lol..what breeds do you all recommend? I’m leaning towards the Barred Rocks due to I hear they are a great dual purpose bird great layers and good meat as well as beautiful and friendly ...I also like RIR and have had them but neighbors got his going and I thought since we are good friends maybe I should get something different we can trade etc later if we wanted..I also like the black Austrolop..lol who am I kidding I just love chickens but am having a hard time narrowing it down and choosing..and if I did get different breeds what are the best crosses and would I have a difficult time knowing which were pure and what was mixed?? Thanks and I appreciate everyone’s input and advice!!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are so many different ways you could go. The first thing you need to decide is what are your goals. Why do you want them? If you don't know what you want you are really unlikely to get it. Some people like to have one breed. Some like to have a mix. Are you planning on hatching eggs? Does egg color really matter? Will you be eating them? We all have our favorites, some have breeds they really hate. I can tell you some breeds I really like as they fit my goals but someone else will come along with a totally different opinion of which breed is best.

You can look through Henderson's Breed Chart to see some general bred tendencies, then go to Feathersite to see what those breeds look like.

Henderson’s Breed Chart

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

Feathersite

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html#Chickens

If you wish you can get all one breed. If you wish you can get a couple of several breeds and see which you like best. Different people do that different ways.

If you plan to show you probably don't want to get your chickens from a hatchery. Hatcheries are in the business of mass producing chickens for the backyard market, not producing show chickens and their prices reflect that. To get show quality chickens you probably should go to a few shows and chat with people there. Get an idea about what qualities it takes to make a good show chicken. And maybe get some starter stock from the breeders. Good breeders go to quite a bit of work and expense to develop show quality chickens and maintain the quality. Their prices reflect that.