California-Southern

[Sylvester017]

My layer flock is a flock of multiple breeds to make a colorful egg basket (Ameraucanas, Marans, Cream Legbar, Opigtons, Brahmas, Welsummers, Blue Andelusians, Speckled Sussexs, Salmon Favorelles. Everyone gets along fine. I even have a White Frizzled Bantam Cochin Rooster with the girls. It is a big colorful flock that I call my walking flower garden.

You can successsfully have a flock of multiple breeds.

Good Luck and have fun

Our Ameraucana is a sweetheart and non-combative. Our 2 Leghorns were too aggressive and had to be re-homed. Our Marans was sneaky and picked one overly-gentle Silkie bald in the nestbox and chewed off most of her walnut comb - the crest grew back but most of the comb is missing - that Marans bully was re-homed since she also started challenging the alpha hen and attacking the second Silkie till it screamed. Never had a Cream Legbar, Brahma, Welsummer, Andalusian or Faverolles. However my friend has a pushy Orpington in her layer flock. Another friend breeds Coronation Sussex that are calm LF but they are very large/heavy. Cochins to me are sweethearts like Silkies in temperament and especially the roos.

Maybe because your flock is so large and diverse the breeds can break up into sub-groups of gentle-natured verses assertive temperaments. I only have 3 hens now and re-homed all the assertive or aggressive LF that were not nice around the Silkies or Ameraucana (my avatar). Hopefully the 2 Breda we want next Spring will be smaller LF and gentle enough to hang out with my older non-combative breeds.

 

[Sylvester017]

Hi all -

Speaking of Breda is anyone in the Southern California area breeders of Blue and Black Bredas? The nearest online breeder I found is in Northern CA. Hope there is someone in Southern CA as we are looking for one Blue and one Black for Spring 2015. Shipping is getting progressively exhorbitant and certainly better for the birds to be picked up rather than shipped by air. Please PM me.

Thanks.

Syl

 

[Phage]

I think the key is to have a lot of room for them. If you plan on buying a small little ready made coop where they will be confined 90% of the day to 15 sq ft (5'x3') then you have to plan accordingly. But a breed variety will be great if they have some room to roam.

Space to move away from unwanted attention is really key to a happy flock

 

[Sylvester017]

Space to move away from unwanted attention is really key to a happy flock

My flock free-ranges all day so space has not been the problem with them. We just had the wrong mix of breeds together. I should've realized that Leghorns of any variety are just too assertive (Mediterranean class) around my gentler breeds.

 

[estamets]

Update: we picked up two pullets at Chickens Galore in Norco: a barred rock and a white rock, $15 each at 6-8 weeks old.

We're considering growing our flock. Seeking two pullets for pick up in SoCal. Preferably 6-10 weeks. Preference for the following breeds (any color), though any heat-hardy egg layers will be considered:
Plymouth Rock
Sussex
Welsummer
Orpington
Australorp
Legbar
Easter egger

Message me. Thanks!

 

[Away2me]

I have 5 week old Black Australorp pullets (hatch date May 30). We purchased this breed specifically for their heat hardiness and their egg laying. My boys will be showing theirs in 4H. Message me if you are interested in buying any. I have 10 available.

We're considering growing our flock. Seeking two pullets for pick up in SoCal. Preferably 6-10 weeks. Preference for the following breeds (any color), though any heat-hardy egg layers will be considered:
Plymouth Rock
Sussex
Welsummer
Orpington
Australorp
Legbar
Easter egger

Message me. Thanks!

 

[sol2go]

We're considering growing our flock. Seeking two pullets for pick up in SoCal. Preferably 6-10 weeks. Preference for the following breeds (any color), though any heat-hardy egg layers will be considered:
Plymouth Rock
Sussex
Welsummer
Orpington
Australorp
Legbar
Easter egger

Message me. Thanks!

My breeding flock includes crested cream legbars as well as easter / olive eggers. My Marans have done well in the same conditions as all of the others. I try to take extra measures to keep everyone cool.

 

[Sylvester017]

We're considering growing our flock. Seeking two pullets for pick up in SoCal. Preferably 6-10 weeks. Preference for the following breeds (any color), though any heat-hardy egg layers will be considered:
Plymouth Rock
Sussex
Welsummer
Orpington
Australorp
Legbar
Easter egger

Message me. Thanks!

I have been doing a lot of research about breeds and especially the APA Blue Wheaten Ameraucana we have. As wonderful as she is in temperament, excellent layer of XL eggs, non-combative, pet friendliness to allow petting and holding, she is not one of the hardier breeds for heatwaves. I read that Amers much like Leghorns like to stand in water. She tried standing in water when she saw the Leghorn (now re-homed) do it but decided promptly it wasn't for her. Our Amer will spend the whole day panting and standing under the Orbit Mister under the canopy shade. She prefers spending the day under it. We also provide a 1:3 ratio of Gatorade and water for electrolytes during heatwaves.

Also, because Amers and EEs are gentler lighter weight breeds (5 to 5.5 lbs average) I do not plan mixing them with assertive Mediterranean class breeds or heavier dual-purpose breeds that can get aggressive and up to 7 lbs (not an even match for a lighter-weight gentler breed like the EEs/Amers). EEs and Amers are non-combative and non-assertive so bullies easily take advantage of their unwillingness to participate in flock politics. Amers/EEs are kooky, spooky, jittery, jumpy types but with very sweet natures - OurFlyBabies.com says they always keep Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas because they take in orphaned chicks or injured birds into their flock without incident unlike other feisty breeds so that was good enough testimony for me not to mix gentle breeds with bigger assertive bullying breeds that are in the 6-7 lb range. Another point about EEs is that you really don't need any other egg-layers if you have several EEs - for one, they lay very big eggs and often, the eggs vary in colors from pink to green to bluish and some even lay white! They are lighter-weight and easier on the feed bill than heavier dual purpose breeds. EEs and Amers are generally non-broody which probably accounts for their higher productivity. Of course there's always the exception as I know Leghorns do not go broody yet I had ONE that went broody for 6 weeks and went another 2 weeks before resuming laying - go figure?

GaryDean26 on the Breda thread said that the ability for chickens to survive heatwaves is dependent more on their size than their breed. His bantams and lightweight Breda did fine in 112 Texas heat while his heavy dual-purpose breeds were dropping over dead.

 

[Sylvester017]

Space to move away from unwanted attention is really key to a happy flock

This is generally absolutely true. A lot of space, hiding lean-to's or doghouses, and lots of bushes for pecked hens to hide in.

In our small free-range yard area the Mediterranean Leghorns still went ballistic on the Silkies and Blue Wheaten Ameraucana pulling out their muffs and crests in a chasing bullying frenzy. Mediterranean class breeds are not shrinking violets so putting them in a flock of gentle bantam Silkies and gentle-natured Ameraucanas or EEs is not a good mix. We had to re-home a very large Marans who got vicious clawing a Silkie - a 7-lb hen against a 2-lb Silkie is not equal (you do the math). Also Amers and EEs look bigger because of being very fluffy but really are not heavy birds and should not be put in a LF heavy dual purpose flock. EEs/Amers are non-combative and other bully or heavy breeds take advantage of their gentle temperament.

There are many wonderful breeds but mixing the right breed temperaments with equal size and weight is very key to balanced flock politics.

 

[birdmaniac3000]

I have seramas and old English game bantams, modern game bantam chickens for sale or trade for quails or aviary birds also have a female turkey