Chicken Buyers Remorse

[Parront]

Hmmm.... Wondering if it is the personality of the particular bird you don't like and not the breed? I have Orpingtons and Blue Andalusians. My birds of these breeds are not mean, dumb, or unfriendly. My Orpingtons lay regularly and I have a couple who become broody each summer. My Andalusians are still young and haven't started laying yet but should in the next month. I don't have any reason to suspect they will be different....

I believe that the strain/breeder might have a lot to do with these issues.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I have buyer's remorse over my Wyandottes and my Andalusian. My wyandottes never lay and honestly not worth it to me. The one wyandotte that does lay once a week it's ALWAYS in the run and never in the nesting boxes. I can't understand it. She'll be 2 this spring. My andalusian on the other hand, is a MEAN chicken. She literally made my blue splash marans stay in the coop for 2 DAYS in summer because she wouldn't let her out in the run! Thankfully she does lay an egg almost every day in the summer AND it's in the nesting box, but I would NEVER order a Wyandotte or Andalusian ever again.

Bully!

 

[Offshoreorca]

I don't have any buyer's remorse over any breeds, but I ordered a "white layer assortment" and was sent a Polish. Don't get me wrong, my Polish girl Poppy is everyone's favorite chicken. She is curious, sweet, lets you hold her. She is all-around a well-loved chicken. However I have my laying chickens for practical reasons first and pets second. This little gal lays an egg like twice a week and the last one I weighed was a meager 36 grams! I'll never request a white layer assortment again!

I've had cochins too, and as sweet and silly as they were, they were poor layers and not heat tolerant, so I'll never seek them out either. I still enjoyed them in my flock!

Our Cochins must be from different stock! Ours lay really well, but while I love them in Eastern Canada, I wouldn't have choose to have them if was anywhere hot or really wet for most of the year. It's amazing how living context makes a huge difference in what works. Also, the lines the birds come from make such a huge difference in experience with things like personality and egg laying abilities.

I personally wouldn't get silkies again although I love our little white hen "Cotton" who is our best broody. All the other breeds I've had in recent years have worked out well, though some have taken me a while to warm up to. I found my two wheaten Ameraucana pullets super flighty, but with treats they are now (after eight months of treats and work) among my friendliest chickens.

I currently have LF Cochins (various colours), Salmon Faverolles, a Silkie, Black Copper Marans, and Wheaten Ameraucanas in my flock (as well as two Cochin cross production layer from our original group). All get along well.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Japanese bantams. I love my two girlsni have, but they're just nervous wreaks around people. Might also be because I had two different males for them (one at a time) and just could not keep the boys alive. Not sure why, but all of a sudden I would find them dead.

One was a decent broody though. Fostered some eggs and raised 3 pheonixes up all the way

 

[gimmie birdies]

I bought a BLRW recently and she took forever to lay, then her eggs were small then she went broody all fall.

To be fair I had one right before her that was wonderful.

 

[BleuSaphir]

My opinion of Mediterranean breed like Andalusians...they tend to be fierce in personality. Their nature to be sufficient and alert around their surroundings with their light small bodies.
Sheesh my Sebright knew how to bully a chicken 4 times their size! LOL
Those were tiny sufficient chickens as well with strong flighty personality.

 

[Parront]

Yep. That’s a great reason. I buy mine from Meyer hatchery and they do offer a “production pack” assortment to ensure you wouldn’t get a breed like a Polish though.

That sounds like an option lots of people would like. Living in Prescott, AZ I am looking for birds that tolerate AZ's crazy weather as well as being good layers. I have ordered from Ideal in TX for heat hardy and Sandhill in IA for cold hardy, and am letting nature take it's course for my future flock. So far all the birds from TX are fine with our winter, low temp was 8* the other night.

 

[Xouie]

I hatched blue wheaten ameraucanas because I jumped on the blue-egg wagon. Mistake. Birds around here need to be friendly above all else, or at least calm. Rehomed them and went back to less fancy breeds that hate people less.

 

[Sally PB]

I got three Buff Orpingtons and three Black Australorps. The BOs were straight run, ended up all cockerels, and I culled two. The guy I kept is not the brightest, does challenge me on occasion, but is still the best of the three by far. Would I get BO pullets? Mmmaybeee. I think the line my birds came from (I bought them at TSC, so wherever they got them) isn't very good. Like puppy mills, hatcheries pump out gobs of the "popular" breeds.

I do like my BAs; I bought them as pullets and they all are. (Whew.) I want to get some Blue Aussies this spring because I am ga-ga in love with the color, after having seen them here on BYC. I wish I had spent more time holding them, as none of them are lap chickens. I hope their eggs are a little bigger when they graduate to hen-hood. Right now they are small to medium. It remains to be seen if they'll go broody.

 

[Offshoreorca]

I hatched blue wheaten ameraucanas because I jumped on the blue-egg wagon. Mistake. Birds around here need to be friendly above all else, or at least calm. Rehomed them and went back to less fancy breeds that hate people less.

I was able to get mine friendly, but they take soooo much work to get to that point. I've heard many people say the same.