Convince me what the best breed is!

[HennyTerri83]

I’d say EE bc mine lay so prolifically - but you have some! I have Olive Eggers, too, and their eggs are STUNNING to round out our egg baskets.

we are in the process of integrating baby black copper marans and they are SO SWEET! they won’t lay often bc of the shade of their eggs, but I just really wanted the chocolate in our basket Good luck!

 

[andreacbs]

I should explain, shouldn't I? Sussex (in my experience) are calm and curious, good layers and fairly quiet. I like Coronation and Speckled variety, no two Speckled look exactly alike so I can tell them apart.

I had one speckled sussex hen in my group of 15. Problem was, she was SO So sweet that she ended up at the very bottom of the pecking order and literally stopped eating. There was no sign of illness at all, except she slowly failed to thrive. She loved to be held and pet but no one else socialized with her. She was depressed and died quietly just before her first birthday. Absolutely one of the most beautiful birds I've seen. This makes me sad even thinking about it. I don't even know if the other chickens knew she was gone.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Welsummer! Or any of the Marian’s, both are great chickens that lay beautiful eggs

 

[DSDowns]

So I have a large coop and a lot of land but don't free range much. Only for 2-4 hours a day when I'm doing chores outside, and some days not at all. I also live where it gets both cold and hot/humid, but I'm willing to cater to a breed's needs so I definitely own some hens that aren't optimized for my climate. But my needs are different from some. I've been able to invest in quite a few "experiment" breeds, and keep a list of ones I want to try. I usually add to my flock once or twice a year and get a few birds from each breed I want for variety, but my sample sizes are still small (3-10 individuals) so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Out of the 16 breeds I've owned so far I'll second the Ameraucanuas and Marans. I've had both before and am growing a set out now and I love them. The Ameraucanuas I have are incredibly friendly, jumping up into my lap and falling asleep. Much like the easter eggers, they look cool when they grow up with their beards and muffs, and the blue eggs are interesting. None of the ones I've had had ever been aggressive towards other chickens, and they don't seem to get bullied as easily as some other breeds. They jam happily in the middle of the flock and are sweet to everyone. They are strong fliers, and I've had a couple of escape artists, but they've always run to me whenever I come down to the coop and allow me to catch them and put them back. A word of caution, however; I've always bought mine from breeders who focus on temperament and the SOP. I know several people who have bought them through hatcheries and complain about how wild they are, so just a heads up.

When it comes to dark egg layers I personally prefer my Marans to my Welsummers, but I think it depends on your situation. I really didn't want Marans originally because "everyone has them" and they seemed like a fad. I ended up trying them though, and I'm glad I did. In general, I've found my Marans to be more laid back, and mellow than my Welsummers.

My current two roosters are a Welsummer and a Marans. I've had both in with my hens separately at different times. The Welsummer is younger, and so I'm trying to reserve my judgment until he grows up more, but at 8 months old he's still jumpy, skittish, and afraid of his own shadow. Alarms at butterflies (no joke). I'm pretty sure if a hawk came he'd abandon his hens and dive for cover, but I'm still hoping he'll grow out of it. When he's not freaking out he'll lie down and nap in the sun while my hens are off foraging in the tall grass. He's pretty, however, and so far not mean, so that's a bonus. Meanwhile, my Marans (1YR 8MO) is sharper than a hawk and smart. He's helped me corner hens in the coop before so I could pick them up and when I call everyone back inside he'll round up stragglers. He's aware of everything that happens, and actively keeps then hens close to him. Nothing really ruffles him, and though as a youngster he was a little rough with the girls he seems to have grown out of it and now dances for them like a gentleman. He's super easy with me too, I can pick him up and carry him around like a loaf of bread and he just chills. Since my Welsummer rooster is in with my layer hens my Marans is in with my chicks teaching them some manners. He's been wonderful with them, though he appreciates escaping the "kindergarten playground" environment for snuggles and snacks at times.

The four Wellie hens I have are incredibly active, good fliers, and love to escape their coop. Once loose they're often destructive and don't love me enough to let me catch them unless there are mealworms in the deal. I think Welsummers are great if you free range a lot, but I have far too many predators and so only have them out when I'm literally standing watching them. But don't get me wrong, I like my Welsummers and I would recommend them, especially to people who free range all day. Personally, I'd just choose to add more Marans to my flock first. (And I'm eying some breeders who have the birchen varietal closely for next spring, LOL.)

The Marans I own are much more zen, and while they aren't necessarily cuddly, they seem calmer and less high-energy. Even the ones that don't necessarily want to be held are easier to catch than my Welsummers. They aren't nearly as focused on flying over pen walls, but they aren't unaware of their surroundings to the point of being easy prey. Out of my newest batch, I have two Marans hens that are 6 weeks old right now and one actually seems like she could turn into a cuddler, so I think even with that it really just depends on the hen. Much like the Ameraucanua's they don't seem to be chicken aggressive, and generally don't get bullied either. The dark eggs are almost more impressive in person than in photographs, and while they certainly aren't a production breed the rate of lay of the hens I've had was decent. So far I've only owned the black copper and blue copper varietals. The black coppers are my favorite; they are pretty in the same sort of understated manner Australorps are with dark, feminine faces, rich hackles, and shiny beetle black bodies. Again, if you want really dark eggs I'd avoid hatchery stock; they generally are less selective about their breeding flocks and so have a lighter average, but you aren't going to get sexed chicks any place but a hatchery, so it depends on your needs.

If anyone wants to contest my opinion of Welsummers by all means please do. And tell me where you got yours because I'd love to find some that were friendlier for my flock!

 

[andreacbs]

Welsummer! Or any of the Marian’s, both are great chickens that lay beautiful eggs

I have a couple of welsummers also and they are beautiful. Perfectly in the middle of the pecking order, big beautiful brown speckled eggs, no complaints whatsoever.

 

[tennisgal]

I'm not being very picky! As long as they are not super aggressive and people think they are a good breed then I'm good! I'm just kinda considering my options right now. What's your favorite breed and why? Oh and not meat birds. I am not looking for a meat bird.

So I've been thinking about adding to our current flock of 6 hens and a roo, but not sure what breeds to choose! Tell me your fav chicken breed (preferably not a bantam) and maybe a little bit about the pros and cons! We currently have:

2 White Cochins
2 Easter Eggers
1 Golden Laced Wyandotte (Roo)
1 Egyptian Fayoumi
1 Barred Plymouth Rock

My favorites are: lavender opringtons (very docile), salmon faverolle (love to cuddle) and blue Cochins.

 

[tennisgal]

My favorites for very gentle, beautiful chickens are Lavender Opringtons, Salmon Faverolles, and Blue Cochins. These all love to be held and cuddled. They eat from my hand, run to see me when I visit and are true pets. Black Australorps are also friendly. With any of these those it's a good idea to hold them for a few minutes each day as they develop from chicks. That way they grow to trust you and want to visit with you whenever you come into the run. Mine are not free-range as there are too many predators where we live. Be sure to enclose your run and coop in heavy gauge 2x3 inch wire, then attach .5 to 1 inch wire from the bottom of the run up to two feet. Otherwise, if the chickens sleep in the run near the fencing, raccoons can reach in, grab them by the neck and decapitate them. I found out the hard way and lost four of my dear chickens.

 

[Sikiemama]

Just please don't say naked necks. I'm sorry but those chickens freak me out.

 

[Swivelhip]

Leghorns.
Super on eggs production. They do have a personality, but till they get familiar with you they are pretty wild. They are really pretty when they are clean, They are bright white targets for predators, I loose one leghorn most every time. Did I mention egg production, I mean almost daily. They do fly and are able to roost in the highest spots. The biggest con I have with them is it seems like they have a short lifespan.

 

[Iluveggers]

Leghorns.
Super on eggs production. They do have a personality, but till they get familiar with you they are pretty wild. They are really pretty when they are clean, They are bright white targets for predators, I loose one leghorn most every time. Did I mention egg production, I mean almost daily. They do fly and are able to roost in the highest spots. The biggest con I have with them is it seems like they have a short lifespan.

Could get brown leghorns to be less easy to spot if you think that would help.