Breed Poll - help me decide

[tigercreek]

I can't think of a reason why I would want a bantam anything!! If you are looking to start in chickens, you are probably looking for farm type layers. BRs make perfect sense to me. I thought you had some nice Aussies too?? ........stan

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

LOVE the Sussex.!!!! A well bred Sussex is absolutely gorgeous!! If you were near San Diego, and I was in the market for layers, I'd buy them all.
Coronations are more expensive, and I'm kind of cheap...., and I actually prefer the contrast on the Lights over the Coronations. But those are just my druthers... They are both beautiful, and perhaps you just need to market them differently to your community.

I do have a Delaware, and maybe its just her, but she's a pain in the rump! She's the only one I have to chase around the yard to put away at dusk. However, she's a great mouser! I had some barred rock chicks that were very stand offish, but I've never raised them to maturity, I sold them at 6 weeks, and I know many people love them, but I didnt' have the greatest experience with Barred Rocks. I kept a SL Wyandotte from that batch, and sold the rest.

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
If that a rhetorical question, ignore this answer.

I can't think why I'd want a bantam Delaware. I'm trying really hard to figure out what any of the advantages might be. It's not like I haven't had a Standard Delaware before. But they were like any other chicken. I like their plumage design, but not enough to buy more any time soon. Bantams in general aren't that interesting to me. I do have a couple just for fun, but one is a Cochin and the other is a Sebright. I got them because they were closing them out at the feed store because no one else wanted them and there were about 30 bantams chicks they were trying to get rid of. Bantams seem impractical, but are cute. Something different. But I wouldn't build a flock of them because I prefer bigger eggs. Can you just imagine how many bantams I would step on? I have enough trouble with standard size chickens. Also, in my mind, and I'm probably just uninformed, I think of bantams as being able to fly and, therefore, more difficult to manage. (keep out of the garden or catch) I think of them wanting to get in the trees. I think of the males as being more aggressive than Standard size males. They lay a smaller egg. I've heard they lay less frequently which means more chickens to have to keep track of for the same weight in eggs. I think I've also heard that because of their size they don't always do so well in winters where it gets below freezing for months on end.

Now, of course, none of what I've written above may be based on fact. That's sort of how market research is ... finding out how people see the product, what their biases are, what they views are, their perceptions ... whether they're wrong or right. That way the marketer of bantam Delawares can already have all the answers to any possible reasons for not buying the bantam Delawares. So that's what I think of when I think of bantams. I have no idea what others think of when they think of bantams.

Yeah, I'm not trying to be rude or hurt anyone's feelings. I'm trying to give you honest information (my perception) for your market research and I think the market research is a great idea. I know people get attached to breeds and their chickens. I do, too. I just can't think why I'd want a bantam Delaware. Sorry.

It was only halfway rhetorical. I really appriciate the feedback, but on alot of points you are wrong. AND THAT IS OK! With bantams it depends on the breed. For example, I have been breeding silver sebrights (a true bantam) for years now. They lay in spurts and fertility is very low the closer to the SOP you get. However, I get a egg a day from my bantam Dels religiously through the winter even. I find bantams are a million times easier to keep than standards. And in hundereds of bantams I have never had one rooster be any meaner than my nicest standard roo. Now, I have had standard roosters that were beyond mean and into the vicious catagory.

With all that said, I do no eat eggs. I just hate them. I breed for the sake of having chickens. I love chicken meat and you can eat a bantam as much as you can eat a standard... again some breeds would have more meat than others (think cornish bantam verses leghorn bantams).

I don't think you are being rude at all... I want to hear what the general public thinks.

Oh, also, for show... bantams are much more popular, easier to handle and much easier to transport.

I got to say also that some bantams are bigger than others.... that is all I will say right now... well, that and bantam barnevelder's eggs are bigger than some leghorns I have seen. (since eatting eggs are your desire)

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
I do have some Aussies. I think they are pretty good. My only real complaint is the roosters are far too mean to the hens. I had to pull two hens out of the flock and inot the girls only coop and their heads will never be the same.

(Sparklee... that would never happen with bantams lol)

 

[java girl 2]

I VOTE Delaware but i have javas and and them are good for meat

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
I have Lights and Coros... I have a concern of the roos being mean with them. I have three roosters and two hens of the Lights... one hen had to be pulled (like the Aussie story above) and put in the "hospital" because of the sheer weight of the roosters on her back with their nails tore her up. And another roo I have of theirs is flat out mean and will be processed.

The Coros are POL right now, and so far so good on temperment, but it's still a bit early to tell for sure how the roosters will be.

Delawares are overall a friendly breed but you can get some really stubborn birds with them. I have a few who are like you say... independant thinkers LOL. It happens a bit more frequently in that breed, but it isn't all of them. lol. you just got lucky, I guess! LOL!

I love the BRs and they are a very calm breed. As with all breeds, the bloodline matter too... you might have just had a "standoffish" line. eh?

SLW are pretty in SQ lines... but I find their eggs are small (smaller than the bantam barnies FYI) and the ones I used to keep were not friendly... not mean either... just a bit flighty. Which is really weird for a big breed.


Keep it comming... I'm ultimately going to try to knock it down to three standards and the rest bantams. And if you known all the breeds I have kept or wanted to breed or attempted to breed... three would be a jaw dropping low number LOL!!

 

[magicpigeon]

Coronation sussex. I would kill for them

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
Would you eat them? I mean that seriously. Would you have Coros and not be able to eat them because they are a bit special? Or would it be another chicken?

 

[Lotsapaints]

I voted for Dels easy to hatch lay lots of large eggs whatever the weather and extra roosters are very tasty...I market mine as great winter layers and have people wanting to buy the extras to process......I love them crossed with New Hampshires speeds up the growth wow they were nice......my New Hampshires are very broody the Dels so far not so much but they are good mamas and never hurt the chicks I gave to a broody and she was low on the totem pole.

 

[Sparklee]

Quote:
Oh, that's a funny one to get up and read first thing in the morning after chores.

I figured I was wrong. I had little experience with any type of chickens until lately. I was in my 20s before I ever even heard of a "banty," but the ignorance continued." I was staying on a tiny farm with some people and in walked the lady one day and said that she had gotten a banty egg when out collecting eggs. She laid it on the counter like it was some sort of prize. I kept quiet, (what else should a confused person do?) but thought, why would a chicken lay a little egg like that? What's the point? And, get this, I thought it came out of a regular sized chicken. I had no idea it was from a smaller chicken. The thought crossed my mind, but I hadn't heard of miniature chickens before. So, yeah, the yolk's on me.

The advantages of showing bantams are clear and incontrovertible. So that defines your market to some extent, then, I would guess. But you probably already had that figured out.

Anyway, thanks for the info. And for being a good sport with my Bantam Delaware ignorance.