Can you help me choose breeds?

[kvmommy]

I want about 5 chickens and a rainbow of eggs. But I also want friendly birds. Unusual looking is even better!

I know I want a silkie for fun. But I also want a bantam that lays well for my kids. Little eggs are fun!

I want a dark brown, cream, spotted, blue, olive and any other cool variation. Thanks all you knowledgeable chicken lovers!

 

[dandydoodle]

Faverolles are great. They are suppose to be really friendly and great as pets. I have been doing a lot of research and I am trying to get some right now.

Quote:

 

[dandydoodle]

Oh yeah if you want colored eggs like Olive or blue or blue green you might want to check into EEs and Ameraucanas. I have an EE and she is really nice she doesn't like to be held though. She doesn't get mean if you try she just won't let you.

Good luck,
Michelle

 

[Illia]

Dark Brown - French Marans, Welsummers, Penedesencas. If from a hatchery/feedstore you'll be disappointed

Cream - Most brown egg laying breeds, but particularly Wyandottes, Orpingtons, Jersey Giants, Faverolles, Brahmas
Spotted - Welsummers, Marans, and Marans or Welsummer mutts
Blue - Ameraucanas or Araucanas (NOT Easter Eggers as they're a gamble)
Olive - Olive Eggers

Green - Easter Eggers
White - A MUST in an egg basket of colors, yet so few actually consider them. Polish are a gorgeous and great idea, same with Campines.


Pretty soon you'll have a carton like this

(and olive eggs too, I don't have olive eggs yet. . . My girls are pretty young) Oh, and minus the plum purple one in there. . . Chances of getting a purple egg layer are slim, but they pop up in dark egg layers.

 

[TinyLittleFarm]

Illia, your eggs are GORGEOUS.

 

[kvmommy]

Wow...they reallly are gorgeous!!! Thats what I want! I want to open a carton and be excited about cooking! I want to give some away to friends and have them floored. LOL

 

[kvmommy]

Illia...are you from THE forks??? Like the twilight forks! LOL if so hows the book and movie affecting life? I'm from Vancouver, WA but am far away from home now.

I miss the Pac NW

 

[Illia]

Well, we're a known town now, not an empty spot on the map. . . Most businesses are thriving REALLY well because of it, but I'm sure we're all wondering what will happen when the last movie is done.

The big bum is that the movies were not filmed in or near us, hardly even in WA state, so. . . A lot was glorified, a lot was under-rated, too.


Anyway, back on topic

If you have an incubator or broody hen, you can get all those egg colors you want from breeders who sell hatching eggs

 

[ginormous chicken]

Dark Brown - French Marans, Welsummers, Penedesencas. If from a hatchery/feedstore you'll be disappointed
Cream - Most brown egg laying breeds, but particularly Wyandottes, Orpingtons, Jersey Giants, Faverolles, Brahmas
Spotted - Welsummers, Marans, and Marans or Welsummer mutts
Blue - Ameraucanas or Araucanas (NOT Easter Eggers as they're a gamble)
Olive - Olive Eggers
Green - Easter Eggers
White - A MUST in an egg basket of colors, yet so few actually consider them. Polish are a gorgeous and great idea, same with Campines.


Pretty soon you'll have a carton like this (and olive eggs too, I don't have olive eggs yet. . . My girls are pretty young) Oh, and minus the plum purple one in there. . . Chances of getting a purple egg layer are slim, but they pop up in dark egg layers.

This is a great list from Illia.
Almost all of these mentioned are really good bets for your flock and really popular on the forum. A lot of these are not feed store chickens. My first assembled flock, I did not take the time to order online. Order from a hatchery or even better yet order from a good breeder! That would be my advice. A couple of my favorites are of course that Marans ( I am in the process of getting some from a breeder) All the cream layers are cool. Ameraucanas and EE are really cool. So are the Olive Eggers. For whites I am getting Silver Spangled Hamburgs. But the kids will like the polishes with their top hats!


Good Luck!​