Breeds?

[piperthepullet]

I found some nice breeds I like! My only problem now is deciding. please select your favorite chicken from the poll and provide advice (if you have any) about keeping it. thanks!

 

[Michael OShay]

My favorite breed in your poll is the Australorp. I raised them for years (along with dozens of other breeds), and they are extremely hardy in both heat and cold, calm and gentle (my children and granddaughter made lap pets of them), and the best layers of the standard brown egg laying breeds. A Black Australorp holds the brown egg laying record with 364 eggs in 365 days, and while none of mine ever reached that level of production, I've had a few of them lay over 300 eggs in a year. One other suggestion; in addition to a single breed, you might also consider getting multiple breeds. All of these breeds if raised together will get along fine with the possible exception of Silkies which may take a beating from the larger breeds on your list. We had to separate our Silkies from the main flock and put them in their own separate enclosure for this very reason. Whatever breed(s) you decide to get, good luck with your flock.

 

[FreedomFarm13]

I agree with everything you said about the Australorp, Michael, and agree that having more than one breed is a great idea. I also really love the EEs for their awesome, beautiful eggs, and if you put them on the list, chances are you would like to have that "rainbow basket" of eggs every day, which is exactly what you'd get. So, I would definitely say the Australorps for all the reasons Michael stated, in addition to the EEs for those glorious eggs and the beauty of the birds themselves. Hope you choose ones that make you proud to be a chicky mama!!! (or daddy, lol) Good luck!!!

 

[piperthepullet]

Lol I love the EEs too, and to be PC it would be "mama"

 

[donrae]

My experience with hatchery birds of your breeds...

buff Orpingtons.....decent layers, nice docile, calm birds that tolerate handling or being pets. Get along well with other birds. Tend to go broody. Larger birds so they do eat more, eggs are large though.

speckled Sussex....pretty to look at. Average layers of medium eggs, I was not thrilled with the amount or size of eggs. Larger birds so ate a lot. Middle of the road personality wise. never caused issues in the flock, not especially friendly or flighty.

Silkies.....cute little things, don't always do well with dual purpose birds as they tend to get picked on. Great pets, docile, calm. Okay layers, tend to go broody a lot. Feathered feet mean you'll need to avoid mud or wet conditions.

Cornish...I'm thinking you mean Dark Cornish, not Cornish cross. Good broody mommas, poor layers. Eat a ton. Fairly assertive in the flock and may pick on more docile breeds if space is getting tight or the weather is bad and the birds are confined. Supposed to be great at free ranging, I never had the opportunity.

Easter eggers.....I'm biased towards these birds. They were my favorite from early childhood. I love the visual diversity of feather colors you get, and the beautiful egg basket. Plus, who doesn't love puffy cheeks?!? I've never had issues with them being aggressive, they've always gotten along nicely with the rest of the flock and mine have been great layers. They're lighter-bodied birds so they don't eat as much for the amount of eggs, in my experience.


Don't limit yourself to one breed

. Get a diverse flock, try out different breeds. Some may look great on paper, but in person you just don't like them. Some you think you'd never like, you get one and she just wins your heart.

 

[izziebean]

My favorite breed is the Polish. A little skittish but beautiful! Once I have mine picked up, they are very calm and enjoy just sitting in the swing at dusk for a bit.