Newbie question alert! Could some of y'all help me with the pros and cons of each breed. I like the looks and characteristics (from what I've read) of both. I'm hoping to get 4 or 5 pullets and a cockerel or 2 for our first chickens. We do have kids and dogs. I've built a nice (almost bearproof run) and coop and need to make a decision and jump in. With the kids in mind, we'd rather not have anything with an "attitude" if you know what I mean. Standard size, dual purpose, and hopefully in blue or splash coloration--although the silver laced Wyandotte looks purdy sharp. Thanks for any thoughts
Can you get some of both or are you wanting them to be pure if you want to hatch any. If you get SLWs, I would suggest getting good ones from a breeder. Becuase most hatchery SLWs have very poor coloring, ( some look more like they are Birchin colored than Silver laced), body size and shape, and just look nothing like wyandottes. And I havent had a grown hatchery SLW roo, but the few hens I've had have a little gamey meanstreak in them and always try to fight new birds in the pen. So I would get good breeder quality SLWs if you want them. And if you like blues and Splashes, you can find a breeder that has all of them and get Blues, Splashes, Blue laced Reds, Splash laced Reds, and Silver laced wyandottes and have you a colorful wyandotte flock. If you want Blue or Splash orps you would pretty much have to get them from a breeder anyway as hardly any hatcheries have them. But you can also get some desent Buffs from a hatchery if you are just looking for eggs, but of course, breeder quality birds are going to be bigger and prettier.
I raise both orpingtons and wyandottes. They are both nice breeds. The orps are larger than the wyandottes as a rule altho a couple of my wyandotte roos are almost as big as the orp roos. My orpingtons lay a larger egg than the wyandottes. If you live in a cold climate the wyandotte's rose comb is less likely to get frostbite than the larger single comb on the orpington.
I have 5 BO pullets and 5 SLW pullets. The BO's are very friendly, easy to handle, and they always alert me if there is a predator. They are the first to find mice and snakes, so I refer to them as my little 'hunters'. In fact, this past Sunday I had 2 escort a raccoon off the property. They never pick on other birds, and they are toward the top of the pecking order. The only birds that peck them are the Wyandottes. I probably should have prefaced this by saying that my birds are all hatchery stock. My SLW's have strong personalities. They are very noisy, and I have to be careful when walking across the lawn because they run with me and always try to get underfoot. They are very friendly to humans, but they can be brutal to the birds lower in the pecking order such as the Eggers and Sussex. I get annoyed when they torment the eggers, but overall I find them to be amusing. I like vocal birds, and they are ALL vocal. And I think that they look pretty good despite being from hatchery stock. Out of my 42 birds, i have 3 favorites: an EE, a SLW, and a BO, so I guess it evened out for me. The only thing I would do differently in the future would be to not mix SLW's and EE's. But that's just my experience with them. It sounds like birds can really vary depending on where you get them.
Those are two wonderful breeds--both have very nice temperaments. Now, I personally feel that the SLW are slightly better as far as egg production goes, and they are less broody than the BO. As far as meat goes, the BOs are about a pound larger than the SLW, but it's pretty close. They're both so beautiful. If you can, why not get a few of each, but if you really want to specialize in one breed, my vote is the SLW. Woopsie! I just realized you wanted blue or splash.....you can find that color in the Orphingtons, not so sure about finding those colors in the Wyandottes, but I know there is are now blue laced red Wyandottes and they're lovely.
