From my limited experience with chickens (a year of solid research and enjoyment-LOL) I would recommend the Plymouth Barred Rock. We also love our "Rocky" girl, but she is a bit more independant than the Buff Orp (still sweet though). Rocky is a BIG girl so would make a nice dual-purpose bird and she lays the biggest brown egg of our 3 laying breeds. She never acts broody and even gets a little irritated with Buffy when she is-hehe! Rocky is the top hen and as a plus...Barred Rocks are very beautiful birds and the roosters are gorgeous!
Here's Rocky during the spring. (Sorry my photo is blurry and aren't as nice as yours.
The picture is great and so jealous of all that green. ahhh! We have dirt and dead straw grass. This is a breed I have come across several times matching all my criteria. Looks like I shall be looking at them more closely!
Sounds like fun! In a few years when my little ones are older- I look forward to diving into film. I'm saving up for a Nikon film camera. F5 maybe. Nice assortment of cameras you have- sounds like so much fun!
Quote: I have two of them. they are heat hardy and winter layers. Yes, they are big girls. One of mine has the most interesting comb that came in after their one year molt.
I am replacing them with two partridge rocks. I could bring them up with the EEs if you are interested. They lay 5 or 6 eggs a week. Same deal as the EEs
Ron
Edited to add: They lay 5 or 6 eggs each per week. Ron
i will definitely take photos -- and you're welcome to come visit them, since we're almost neighbors! these plus the four i have plus the four chicks i'll be getting early next month, i'll be right about at my coop's limit -- more than i'd intended, but glad i decided to build the coop a bit bigger than the plans called for! there's just so many cool different breeds...
i will definitely take photos -- and you're welcome to come visit them, since we're almost neighbors! these plus the four i have plus the four chicks i'll be getting early next month, i'll be right about at my coop's limit -- more than i'd intended, but glad i decided to build the coop a bit bigger than the plans called for! there's just so many cool different breeds...
The picture is great and so jealous of all that green. ahhh! We have dirt and dead straw grass. This is a breed I have come across several times matching all my criteria. Looks like I shall be looking at them more closely!
Trust me there ain't no green in the yard now!!! (Pardon my grammar.) That picture was taken in March when we were getting rain. Our back yard is nothing but dirt and dried weeds too.
The ground is probably even too hard to scratch for grubs.
I so envy people from the east or midwest who post pictures of their yards with all the lush green!
It's not fair. (I guess I could move???? No, I like California.)
I have two of them. they are heat hardy and winter layers. Yes, they are big girls. One of mine has the most interesting comb that came in after their one year molt.
I am replacing them with two partridge rocks. I could bring them up with the EEs if you are interested. They lay 5 or 6 eggs a week. Same deal as the EEs
Ron
Edited to add: They lay 5 or 6 eggs each per week. Ron
I would love to- butttttt not sure I have the room. I am still trying to figure out which of my youngest Orp batch are girls and boys. My coop size says 16 max (coop 8x8 and run 10x10) and I think I am sitting at 18 keepers right now.
Pullets: 4 BO, 3 BO, 2 BCM, 2 EE (yours), 2 BCM/BO mix and I think maybe 2-3 more BO. 1 BO Pullet is going to a friend (she is also taking one of my BO cockerels).
Cocks: 2 keepers
That puts me at 18 (not including my stray cockerels/dinners hehe). I will think about this though because it would be nice to try out another breed our first year at the same time we are still looking at the Marans. So I can see if I want to replace the Marans with them in the future.
Trust me there ain't no green in the yard now!!! (Pardon my grammar.) That picture was taken in March when we were getting rain. Our back yard is nothing but dirt and dried weeds too.
The ground is probably even too hard to scratch for grubs.
I so envy people from the east or midwest who post pictures of their yards with all the lush green!
It's not fair. (I guess I could move???? No, I like California.)
