Breed suggestions...

[newchickenista]

Happy New Year BYC! It's been a while since I've been on here, had quite the busy year!

I am getting ready for my second round of chicks (around the end of Feb. when my 4 hens will be 1 year old!!)
Right now I have 3 Barred Plymouth Rocks and 1 Production Red (as said, all hens) and this time around I am looking for maybe a bit more variety.

My longtime goal for my chickens is to get them where they are doing things o-natural, meaning that with a rooster and a broody hen I hopefully will get to the point some day where I don't have to buy baby chicks again, unless I just want to add a new variety.

One of the things I hope to add to my flock this year is a rooster (or 2). I don't know if I am ready to handle a broody hen yet, but that also might be a possibility.

So pretty much, I am just wanting to hear people's favorite Chicken breeds, favorite roosters, favorite broody hens, favorite non broody hens, etc...

I live in Southern Oklahoma, so it can get pretty steamy here in the summer. Winters are generally pretty mild, with some exceptions. We just came through, around Christmas, a couple of weeks of snow and ice and very very cold!

So anyway, any advice or information anyone can give me would be great! I love the input and hearing about other people's experiences!

 

[canesisters]

Welcome back to BYC!

For personality and just plain fun to be around, my favorite is Speckled Sussex. They're pretty and each one is unique. Mine are good layers of light brown/pink-ish eggs. They are friendly, curious and very active.

If you're looking to jazz up your egg basket, look into something from the marans family for dark, dark eggs. Or a variety of 'easter eggers' to add tints of green or blue.

One of the crested breeds will add to the eye candy and will bring a contrast of white to your egg basket.

Just start haunting the breed specific threads and you'll get all sorts of insights into the various breeds.