I am guessing the answer to this changes with each person/state/circumstance but I would like to know what you have found the best chicken to raise.
I have a huge chicken coop where I live. I have purchased several other small chicken coops that cost less but dogs can break into, etc... It costs so much to keep chickens up (if I never let them run free so they breed true breeds) that I have decided to switch to just one breed and let them have the big coop, free range, and breed that set of hens/roosters only. I have tons of predators and I think chicken hawks are the worst where I live. It is illegal to hurt them so I am leaning toward a heavier breed that they can't carry off. I am in the South (Arkansas) with horrid, hot, humid summers.
These are my choices:
1. Bielefelders: I love this breed. Both my hens and roosters are calm and sweet. They are heavyset and have huge eggs although it does take them a long time to start laying. They eat a lot though . That would hurt in the winter when there are no bugs. The bad thing is, I can't seem to keep a rooster alive. Last summer, I lost roosters and a few hens. I live in Arkansas and our summers are horrible. I am guessing it was due to the heat that those few died but now I am on my 4th rooster and have no idea why they keep dying. I have not lost any hens since last summer: just Roosters and I have no clue why. They are expensive but I have several now along with several babies that I can use as breeders to keep going next year. If something happened to these, I could not imagine paying $10-30 each for new birds to raise. They're too fluffy to fly over the neighbors fence also.
2. Sapphire Gem. Pretty and sweet. Lay young. Lay good sized eggs. My hens never die but both my roosters died. Like the Bielefelder, I have no idea why. I am thinking about steering away from them because they are smaller and because they (from what I've read) don't breed true once you breed them.
3. Ameraucana's: I live the pretty eggs and the two that I have are so sweet (but not as sweet as my Bielefelder hens) but are also small and chicken hawks love my small chickens.
4. I have leaning heavily on Barred Rock or Black Australorp. Both free range great. Both are heavy set. Both lay good. Both are cheap to replace. Babies are not over $3-4 each and that's pullets. However, they don't seem as friendly as the Bielefelders. My Australorp roosters are definitely not friendly. They are not mean but I can't pick them up like I can Mr. Roo Roo (Bielefelder). Also, I am not sure how they do in the summer. Bielefelders didn't handle Arkansas summers well last year. I would like to know how Barred Rocks and Australorps handle hot humid summers since they are so heavy set.
Right now, everything is running together but I am only gathering eggs to eat and not to breed. I want to downsize by the end of summer and just have the one breed. I just need help deciding what one. Somebody tell me your favorite lol.
I have a huge chicken coop where I live. I have purchased several other small chicken coops that cost less but dogs can break into, etc... It costs so much to keep chickens up (if I never let them run free so they breed true breeds) that I have decided to switch to just one breed and let them have the big coop, free range, and breed that set of hens/roosters only. I have tons of predators and I think chicken hawks are the worst where I live. It is illegal to hurt them so I am leaning toward a heavier breed that they can't carry off. I am in the South (Arkansas) with horrid, hot, humid summers.
These are my choices:
1. Bielefelders: I love this breed. Both my hens and roosters are calm and sweet. They are heavyset and have huge eggs although it does take them a long time to start laying. They eat a lot though . That would hurt in the winter when there are no bugs. The bad thing is, I can't seem to keep a rooster alive. Last summer, I lost roosters and a few hens. I live in Arkansas and our summers are horrible. I am guessing it was due to the heat that those few died but now I am on my 4th rooster and have no idea why they keep dying. I have not lost any hens since last summer: just Roosters and I have no clue why. They are expensive but I have several now along with several babies that I can use as breeders to keep going next year. If something happened to these, I could not imagine paying $10-30 each for new birds to raise. They're too fluffy to fly over the neighbors fence also.
2. Sapphire Gem. Pretty and sweet. Lay young. Lay good sized eggs. My hens never die but both my roosters died. Like the Bielefelder, I have no idea why. I am thinking about steering away from them because they are smaller and because they (from what I've read) don't breed true once you breed them.
3. Ameraucana's: I live the pretty eggs and the two that I have are so sweet (but not as sweet as my Bielefelder hens) but are also small and chicken hawks love my small chickens.
4. I have leaning heavily on Barred Rock or Black Australorp. Both free range great. Both are heavy set. Both lay good. Both are cheap to replace. Babies are not over $3-4 each and that's pullets. However, they don't seem as friendly as the Bielefelders. My Australorp roosters are definitely not friendly. They are not mean but I can't pick them up like I can Mr. Roo Roo (Bielefelder). Also, I am not sure how they do in the summer. Bielefelders didn't handle Arkansas summers well last year. I would like to know how Barred Rocks and Australorps handle hot humid summers since they are so heavy set.
Right now, everything is running together but I am only gathering eggs to eat and not to breed. I want to downsize by the end of summer and just have the one breed. I just need help deciding what one. Somebody tell me your favorite lol.
