Breed Selection Advice/Information

[BonnieBlue]

I am hoping that in 2024, I have things in order to move from the burbs, back to a rural area. (I miss rural living!)

Of course, I am day dreaming now about a larger coop, and more hens. I currently have 5 girls that are just over 22 weeks old. Three easter eggers and two olive eggers. My only stipulations are:

Good layers
Docile
Heat tolerant

Egg color doesn't matter, However, all of the ones I have seen that lay white eggs and have higher egg count averages are listed as flighty. I am not concerned about meat birds, but dual purpose is not a problem. I prefer not broody, but I'm flexible on that.

I am new to keeping chickens myself, and my father only had Rhode Island Reds, and a couple of Easter Eggers, so I don't know a lot about breeds, and am reading as much as I can to learn.

I know I am at least a few months out, but never to early to start planning a larger coop or how to fill it!

Thanks for any information you can give, as I navigate this journey of learning more about, and keeping, chickens.

 

[fluffycrow]

I'd say Australorps, Barred Rocks, Welsummers and Marans would be good. Ameraucana and EEs too

 

[BonnieBlue]

I'd say Australorps, Barred Rocks, Welsummers and Marans would be good. Ameraucana and EEs too

Thank you for the info. I looked those up, and some like like ones I would like!

 

[Penpal]

I say stick to two breeds to start out. I had Australorp roosters and they were very nice. Orpington are very nice, as are Brahma. The Australorps could roost fine at 3 feet high. The Orpington flew up to the greenhouse rafters (hens getting away from the roosters). The Brahma find that 3 feet is too high. So, lower roosts for heavy birds.

 

[kengboss21]

I have 2 production hybrid girls they're Lohmann Brown but will be 99% the same as other production hybrids like Isa Brown, Sex link, etc. They've given me 1 egg each everyday for the past 50+ days, 2 double yolks already. But I also have a Wyandotte, EE, and Orpingtons. All are good choices

 

[fluffycrow]

After 11 years of keeping ISA brown, and Red sexlinks in general, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone

 

[The chicken nurd]

Colored layers: Easter eggers & olive eggers (luck of the draw some of them are friendly some of them aren’t)

White layers: Ancona, leghorn, Andalusian, Hamburg, Campine (all can be a little flighty though but if you want some white eggs and birds that won’t go broody there nice birds)

Brown layers: Plymouth Rock, australorp, Orpington, Sussex, Delaware, Rhode Island Red, Wyandotte (docile friendly dual purpose some of them could go broody though)

Additionally sexlinks and Austria whites which are both mixed breeds intended for laying lots of eggs can be good they won’t live as long generally as a dual purpose breed cause there prone to reproductive problems later in life but they can be friendly and will give you an egg a day

 

[The chicken nurd]

Also sometimes it just depends on the bird everyone I’ve talked to say that marans are sweet birds but the one I got is literally the meanest thing ever