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What I've seen is medium. I think it's what nature intended for this style of chicken.
What other breeds besides the Buckeye are you thinking about ordering?
I am seriously thinking about the heritage RIR's, and favorelles, marans, sussex and dorkings all catch my fancy.
I keep tossing around in my head my intermittently bitter cold winters and don't want to get a huge comb that gets frost bitten. That is one reason that the buckeyes catch my attention.
I am wanting to get birds that do lay but are good table birds too. We are a small farm, raise our own beef, and I am looking at heritage pork breeds too for sustainability.
From your signature it looks like you already have a lot of chickens, so if I chat about stuff you already know, just ignore it. I'm just feeling chatty. Hope you don't mind.
I have a few Black Copper Marans and really don't think they lay enough eggs per month to be a "great" dual purpose bird, ??? plus in winter mine have been the last to start back up laying. One hen does lay consistently well, but the others are a little less than average at probably 140/year (my line only, of course, can't speak for others). Of course, you can find someone else who will tell you different, so take what I've said with a pinch of salt. And their combs (males and females) got frostbitten quickly, before I could even get used to the fact that it was fall. As for the other Marans varieties (Cuckoo, White, Wheaten), I'm clueless on their laying abilities. Surely someone will put a pea or rose comb on these birds soon, right?
I guess the French wouldn't let anyone call them Peacomb Marans, but I'd like to have a few of them if the egg color could be kept up.
Dorkings, though, come in rose comb varieties. I think they may be a little difficult to get your hands on. I had drooled over them for a while. Sandhill Preservation, and, no, I'm not recommending them, carry them, but they're all sold out for this year and likely into next year (even if you order right this minute). They might have them in a heavy assortment or some of those end of the season batches they sell in September, but I wouldn't hold my breath on getting what you want in an assortment ... or even getting an assortment from them. And the Rose Comb Rhode Island Reds (you mentioned you wanted RIRs possibly) they carry were caught in a predator attack, so those are not available right now or are in very low supply.
Buckeyes are probably a really good bet. Pea comb, can't beat it for cold weather. I especially like the foraging ability, while it isn't going to make a great big dent in the feed bill, it's going to make some difference if you can let yours run a bit spring through fall. Plus Buckeyes are easier to get right now and get started with right away.
