Breed Choosing

[Welshies]

Stuck between Plymouth Rocks and Australorps. I live in northern Alberta, so cold winters and warm summers. I want slightly tamer chickens, but ones that are self sufficient, and can raise their own chicks. For meat and eggs.

 

[moving coops]

Both are good! Barred might be slightly larger meat wise especially true if getting hatchery type.

I have barred which we raise for meat for our large family and they lay great and will also be selling chicks this spring and summer too. Mine are not hatchery but show line and high production line love them and getting Australorps eggs this years for my next years breeding and selling! But again the one I am getting are from a high producing line that get pretty much as large or maybe as large as my barred and pretty on top of it all!! True stock! They have won ribbons!

I am in Saskatchewan! I think both will be very good to meet all around means! I will have about 10 other pure heritage breeds but yes these two the best for family all around production!

 

[lazy gardener]

Stuck between Plymouth Rocks and Australorps. I live in northern Alberta, so cold winters and warm summers. I want slightly tamer chickens, but ones that are self sufficient, and can raise their own chicks. For meat and eggs.

Look at Henderson's chicken breeds chart. I am in growing zone 4. Prefer small combed birds. Will not have feather footed birds due to concern about freezing issues, and them dragging mud and other debris into the nests. Favorites are Dominique and EE. Both are a bit on the smaller side for meat. Dom eggs are likely to be a bit smaller than PBR eggs. Doms make good broodies. They have a rose comb which is less prone to frost bite. You can't beat Doms for friendliness! They are also not at all aggressive in the flock and make nice eye candy IMO. If you did a mixed flock of Doms or PBR and Australorps, and kept a Lorpe Roo, you could raise your own black sex link chicks.

 

[donrae]

Both.

No reason to limit yourself to one breed. I say start with several

Seriously, I've fallen in love with breeds on paper, and then when I got them in person.....not so much. And the reverse, specific breeds never really appealed to me but I wound up with a few, and they wormed their way into my heart.

 

[Welshies]

Both. 

No reason to limit yourself to one breed. I say start with several 

Seriously, I've fallen in love with breeds on paper, and then when I got them in person.....not so much. And the reverse, specific breeds never really appealed to me but I wound up with a few, and they wormed their way into my heart. 

My only concern is selling chicks in spring... will purebred chicks sell better?
And, what if they lay different eggs? Can i just take the one breed's eggs and leave the others' (purebred) eggs?

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote: What I have found is this: People LOVE to buy my older hens. They are Barn Yard Mix. EE roo x varying breeds of hens. They are all bred to have small combs, which is what I am breeding for b/c of the weather in my area. My birds, many of which are sex links, provide a colorful egg basket, are bred to thrive in my local area. They have hybrid vigor, and are super healthy and glossy feathered. What's not to like with a bird like that? If you stick with the 2 breeds you are looking at, and have a BA roo, he will give you BSL chicks with the PBR, and pure bred BA with the BA's. All of those chicks will sell well. BTW, Donrae, I'm not sure how many of your egglets ended up in my laying flock, only one that I know for sure b/c they blended in with my own hatchlings last spring... but... they are all doing well. The one that I know for sure is a charcoal colored Am. She has a nice full beard and muff. Sadly she has a subluxed toe due to my incubation mistakes. But, she's a nice girl.

 

[donrae]

I don't have any problems selling mixed breed birds, especially if there's a colored egg layer in the gene pool. Not sure if it would be different in your AO, but here folks don't seem to matter. If I can guarantee it's a pullet, they'll buy it. Once in a while I get someone who wants specific breeds---but usually barnyard mix does well.

As LG pointed out, black sex links would work well, with the barred Rock hens. You could use a variety of roosters over them, the Aussie would work nicely. If you're wanting to sell chicks that would be a great way to go.