Best Egg Laying chickens living in a HOA

[aaron1045]

Good Day all, I am new here just found this website and have been on it non-stop for over a week now! My wife and i are looking to taking advantage of our half acre of land in our back yard. we currently have 2 rabbits being raised for meat, but we also are looking into getting some chickens. We live in a HOA (Home Owners Association) that does not allow poultry, but the definition of poultry is chickens being raised for meat. I only want them for eggs. We are looking into getting 4 or so egg laying chickens and we are looking for a very quiet breed. We have an 8 foot privacy surrounding our backyard but one neighbor on the one side. if you could please help me out that would be awesome, and if you could please spell everything out I am still learning abbreviations!

thank you
Aaron

 

[Chick Charm]

Chickens can be kinda loud. Your neighbors will find out. Prepare yourself for that.

Buff Orpingtons are quite docile and tend to not be as vocal as some other chickens. When they lay they still sing. BO's would be one choice I would consider. I've been an outlaw before. Go for it.

Wish ya the best.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Most brown egg laying heavy breed hens tend to be on the quieter side and are decent layers, X2 Orpingtons are a good choice, Australorps, Plymouth Rocks, Sussex, Delaware and Wyandottes a couple more, you might also consider Easter Eggers for the fun egg color. Here are a couple of links to some nice chicken breed comparison charts you might like http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html and http://albc-usa.etapwss.com/images/uploads/docs/pickachicken.pdf when you have narrowed down your choices, don't forget to check the BYC Reviews section for member reviews on the different breeds, many people mention the noise levels of the birds they have.

 

[Michael OShay]

Combining what Chick Charm and Kelsie2290 said, you're best choices would probably be Buff Orpingtons or Black Australorps (which were originally bred using Orpington stock). Both breeds are calm, gentle, and quiet (as chickens go), as well as good layers (the Australorps are exceptional layers) of large, brown eggs. Of course there can be exceptions with any breed, but I've raised both of these two breeds for years and never had an excessively loud or aggressive bird with with either of them. Good luck on whatever breed you decide to go with.

 

[aaron1045]

Thanks all. What is the best place to order from ? all the farmers around here only have a certain breed!

 

[Michael OShay]

My personal favorite place to get chicks from is Dunlap Hatchery in Caldwell, ID (http://dunlaphatchery.net/). They are not as big as the others on my list, but they have good service and birds (including Black Australorps and Buff Orpingtons), and the folks at Dunlap are very friendly and helpful, and I've never lost a chick from them in shipping (doesn't mean it couldn't happen). However if you want a closer hatchery (I don't know where you're located), I have also ordered from Murray McMurray Hatchery in Iowa (http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html), Ideal Poultry in Texas (http://idealpoultry.com/), and Cackle Hatchery in Missouri (http://www.cacklehatchery.com/) and have been satisfied with their service and birds (They all have BAs and BOs). Wherever you end up getting your birds from, good luck with your flock.