Colored Egg Layers, help choosing!

[kurby22]

I am going to visit a farm that breeds chickens that lay colored eggs and I need help deciding what to get as they are not cheap and my husband gave me a limit haha. So I decided to do her rare breeds hatching eggs (can only afford about a dozen or 18 tops) and get to pick out the eggs I want at the farm. She has mainly standard sized birds, but does offer two bantam sizes and the egg colors are pink, blue, green, olive green and chocolate/coffee color.

The pink layers are mauve Orpingtons (I love Orps so I plan to get some of these) and beautiful langshans.

The chocolate eggs are marans of course

The Olive eggers that are standard are a Maran-Black Ameracauna cross or Maran-Isbar cross.

The blue layers are the Ameracaunas obviously in wheaten, blue, black and lavender. She also has bantam Ameracaunas.

The green eggs that aren’t olive eggers are Isbars.

And she also has silver death layers, but I doubt I can afford them even as eggs (and not colored eggs anyway)

So my question is, aside from the Orps. What are the next best and most friendly choices?? I don’t know anything about Marans, Langshans, Isbars or Ameracaunas and I have young kids and my current flock of 6 is Lav Orps, BLRWs, and silkies so I want breeds that get along, do well in backyard suburbia, and are nicer around kids. We are also planning to get some bantam Cochins for 4-H at another time soon.

I attached some pics of her current breeders. Thanks!!

 

[Callender Girl]

I love a good basket of colored eggs, too. Of the breeds you mentioned in your last paragraph, my only experience is with a Midnight Majesty Maran. Eleanor lays beautiful deep-colored eggs, gets along well with the rest of the mixed flock (which includes a Buff Orp and a BLRW, among many others) and isn't at all flighty. While she doesn't want to be cuddled, she willingly does a submissive squat when I have to "persuade" her to return to the coop.

Sounds like a fun trip; hope you get some great birds. Say. does your husband realize that limits, like rules, are often made to be broken?

 

[kurby22]

I love a good basket of colored eggs, too. Of the breeds you mentioned in your last paragraph, my only experience is with a Midnight Majesty Maran. Eleanor lays beautiful deep-colored eggs, gets along well with the rest of the mixed flock (which includes a Buff Orp and a BLRW, among many others) and isn't at all flighty. While she doesn't want to be cuddled, she willingly does a submissive squat when I have to "persuade" her to return to the coop.

Sounds like a fun trip; hope you get some great birds. Say. does your husband realize that limits, like rules, are often made to be broken?

This helps, thank you! I was most unsure of the marans because I had read good things and not so great things about them, so I wanted to hear from people that have them (my family is of no help in this department!). Since I get to visit her farm, I can also get a vibe on the personalities of her birds specifically, which I am sure will help too. I was thinking if I had to keep numbers down, I might opt to not get any green layers and instead, add green colors by having a maran cross with the Ameracauna, although I have read good things about Isbars and I have the room for more

I am looking forward to going but feeling anxiety about having to make choices and not just leave with some of everything she has hahaha. And I think my husband is quickly learning that chicken math is real and he can "say" things...but whether or not they are heard is a different story haha.

 

[FloorCandy]

If it were me, I would get 6-9 of 2 colors, hatch them, pick favorites, sell extras to finance round 2. Remember not all will hatch and half will probably be Roos, you wanna make sure you get a hen of what you want, or it’s just throwing the money away. If you buy 6 and get 6 hens, that would be great, and can finance future eggs. I think getting just a couple of each is setting up for disappointment. I would get half pink and half blue because I think they’re prettiest haha, I have no experience with chickens to guide you on behaviors.

 

[kurby22]

If it were me, I would get 6-9 of 2 colors, hatch them, pick favorites, sell extras to finance round 2. Remember not all will hatch and half will probably be Roos, you wanna make sure you get a hen of what you want, or it’s just throwing the money away. If you buy 6 and get 6 hens, that would be great, and can finance future eggs. I think getting just a couple of each is setting up for disappointment. I would get half pink and half blue because I think they’re prettiest haha, I have no experience with chickens to guide you on behaviors.

This is actually something I was considering, it's just hard to be smart and practical when you want them ALL right NOW. Since she has a line of Orps that lay pink eggs and I love Orpington personalities, the pink eggs are set. I was waffling on the other colors as to which breeds might be better but was leaning blue too haha. I might stretch my husband and convince him I want 8/8/4 of one extra color. She also has some olive egger bantam chicks...so that could also be an option hehe. I stick with the dozen hatching eggs and bring home some tiny chicks too. He LOVES me and my new obsession....haha

 

[Sheila mcLauchlan]

I am going to visit a farm that breeds chickens that lay colored eggs and I need help deciding what to get as they are not cheap and my husband gave me a limit haha. So I decided to do her rare breeds hatching eggs (can only afford about a dozen or 18 tops) and get to pick out the eggs I want at the farm. She has mainly standard sized birds, but does offer two bantam sizes and the egg colors are pink, blue, green, olive green and chocolate/coffee color.

The pink layers are mauve Orpingtons (I love Orps so I plan to get some of these) and beautiful langshans.

The chocolate eggs are marans of course

The Olive eggers that are standard are a Maran-Black Ameracauna cross or Maran-Isbar cross.

The blue layers are the Ameracaunas obviously in wheaten, blue, black and lavender. She also has bantam Ameracaunas.

The green eggs that aren’t olive eggers are Isbars.

And she also has silver death layers, but I doubt I can afford them even as eggs (and not colored eggs anyway)

So my question is, aside from the Orps. What are the next best and most friendly choices?? I don’t know anything about Marans, Langshans, Isbars or Ameracaunas and I have young kids and my current flock of 6 is Lav Orps, BLRWs, and silkies so I want breeds that get along, do well in backyard suburbia, and are nicer around kids. We are also planning to get some bantam Cochins for 4-H at another time soon.

I attached some pics of her current breeders. Thanks!!

If you like chocolate coloured eggs, consider a Welsummer.They live happily with a mixed flock and have a wonderful temperament, very friendly and like a cuddle.
Goodlu k with your search.

 

[kurby22]

If you like chocolate coloured eggs, consider a Welsummer.They live happily with a mixed flock and have a wonderful temperament, very friendly and like a cuddle.
Goodlu k with your search.

Thank you! I will definitely look into Welsummers! I didn’t realize they laid such pretty eggs too! I definitely want to make sure they’re kid friendly and lovey so I’m glad to hear that Welsummers are

 

[FloorCandy]

If you make a hatch a long for them, tag me plz

 

[kurby22]

If you make a hatch a long for them, tag me plz

I will!

 

[kurby22]

Oh dear…chicken math struck me good today guys! I ended up NOT getting hatching eggs at all. I went for 12-18 eggs, and came home with 18 chicks

She had some “slutty” hen as she put it, that snuck into a pen while she was on vacation, so I got 10 of her mixed chicks for $5/each. Two are frizzle blue Cochins, one is a blue isbar, two are from her mauve Orpingtons, and 5 are marans. I also got 2 lavender Ameraucanas, a blue copper maran pullet, a welsummer pullet, and 4 bantam BBS Cochins! She convinced me to take live chicks over eggs, cuz there was better value given the price. This way if half or more are roosters, I am not out as much investment. My husband wants to strangle me, but I got a lot of awesome and beautiful chicks!!

I did see her eggs though and they are pink and a light purple color!! They’re amazing. She also had silver Deathlayer chicks…but I couldn’t spend $80 on a SR chick! Good thing I already bought the coop and will have it next week