- Mar 30, 2014
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OK, so I'm looking into chickens to produce eggs for me and some friends and family.
First question: what is the difference in egg yield between high egg yielders and medium egg yeilders? I refer to this article:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...cken-guide-to-picking-backyard-chicken-breeds
From what is says Australorps would be a great fit for my situation, wanting to free range, forage, etc.
But I was thinking of getting a few other breeds for both visual variety in the yard and egg colors.
My situation: I have four small children so calmer temperament breeds appeal to me, I'm looking into converting a 10 x 12 shed to a coop, have a lot of grassy acres to roam, a small overgrown creek on the property (about the size of a small ditch.) I was thinking of getting a few already-laying hens to start with and also raising a flock of chicks, then doing the separate coop introduction thing when the chicks are old enough to be outside. I want to free range. I live in the Williamette Valley, Oregon, so we have pretty mild year-round weather, have several trees in the area the chickens would be free ranging for shade and such.
So my questions:
What's the average lay yield of high yield breeds weekly?
What about medium yield breeds?
Are there any breeds that don't do well with Australorps? I was thinking of doing Americauna, maybe some Rhode Island Reds, Dominiques, Barred Rocks, golden comets, or sussex?
Ducks: A lady at the feed store says she successfully has ducks as a part of her flock, they help guard, are good egg producers and do well flocking with the chickens (she free ranges.) But then I keep hearing that ducks are really messy, and I'm not sure what duck breeds people normally use for egg production, so anybody that has ducks could chime in with your experiences and tips that would be great. The feed store is getting many of these breeds in mid-month so I have some time to decide.
Finally, I want to free range but twice during my five years living here I've had a stray dog wander through my yard. Lots of people do well with free ranging in this area as long as you have a really secure coop, which my shed would be. But the dog issue worries me. Would a rooster help in case of a rare dog being a problem? I'd rather not do a rooster at all.
First question: what is the difference in egg yield between high egg yielders and medium egg yeilders? I refer to this article:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...cken-guide-to-picking-backyard-chicken-breeds
From what is says Australorps would be a great fit for my situation, wanting to free range, forage, etc.
But I was thinking of getting a few other breeds for both visual variety in the yard and egg colors.
My situation: I have four small children so calmer temperament breeds appeal to me, I'm looking into converting a 10 x 12 shed to a coop, have a lot of grassy acres to roam, a small overgrown creek on the property (about the size of a small ditch.) I was thinking of getting a few already-laying hens to start with and also raising a flock of chicks, then doing the separate coop introduction thing when the chicks are old enough to be outside. I want to free range. I live in the Williamette Valley, Oregon, so we have pretty mild year-round weather, have several trees in the area the chickens would be free ranging for shade and such.
So my questions:
What's the average lay yield of high yield breeds weekly?
What about medium yield breeds?
Are there any breeds that don't do well with Australorps? I was thinking of doing Americauna, maybe some Rhode Island Reds, Dominiques, Barred Rocks, golden comets, or sussex?
Ducks: A lady at the feed store says she successfully has ducks as a part of her flock, they help guard, are good egg producers and do well flocking with the chickens (she free ranges.) But then I keep hearing that ducks are really messy, and I'm not sure what duck breeds people normally use for egg production, so anybody that has ducks could chime in with your experiences and tips that would be great. The feed store is getting many of these breeds in mid-month so I have some time to decide.
Finally, I want to free range but twice during my five years living here I've had a stray dog wander through my yard. Lots of people do well with free ranging in this area as long as you have a really secure coop, which my shed would be. But the dog issue worries me. Would a rooster help in case of a rare dog being a problem? I'd rather not do a rooster at all.
