Good breeds to raise??

[divagardener]

Hello, Everyone!!!

Hubby and I have decided to move to the next level in our homesteading venture and raise some chickens for eggs (we just butchered our own chicken that a friend gave to us and it really made us want to take raising chickens off of our wishlist and get moving!)

My question is what is a good breed that isn't too terribly noisy? I've heard some hen breeds are louder than others. Also, a good place to buy a coop that won't break the bank? My local co-op store here has a nice one, but it's a bit pricey.

Please allow me to thank you all in advance for your input!

Cluck cluck,

Audra

 

[josytang]

Well, it really depends on if you want a laying breed or a dual purpose breed. If you want just eggs and lots of them, then I would advice raising Leghorns for white eggs or Red Stars/Red sex-linked for brown eggs. If you want a back yard flock that gives you eggs but also meat then I would advice you to start out with Plymouth Rock(Bared Rock) or New Hampshire Reds.

 

[divagardener]

Hello! Thank you for responding! I would like a breed that lays eggs but that can also be harvested for meat when the time comes. At what age do they stop laying?

 

[4ForAdventure]

Buff Orpingtons would probably be a good breed for you, ours is pretty quiet and they're great dual purpose breeds. Ours lays huge eggs and she's also a good meat bird size. Chickens usually slow down or stop laying after about 2-3 years, by the way.

 

[PrairieChickens]

Chickens that are prolific layers--producing 5-6 eggs a week--will expend themselves sooner than chickens who lay fewer eggs, so a leghorn may only have a laying life of a couple of years, while a Polish crested who only produces a couple of eggs a week could keep laying for five or six. It also varies on the individual, but for most of the dual-purpose breeds you'd be looking at, you can expect egg laying to start tapering off when they're between 3 and 4 years old.

Some good dual-purpose breeds you might consider:
Barred Plymouth Rock
White Plymouth Rock
Production Red
Buff Orpington
Australorp
Delaware
Rhode Island Red
Speckled Sussex
Welsummer
Wyandotte
Black Sexlink (aka Black Star, Black Comet, or whatever name the hatcheries decide to give them this week)


As for an inexpensive coop, if you're on a budget, you may have to get handy and either build a coop from scratch or retrofit another structure to suit your needs.

 

[rrrazor1284]

Get a variety and see what you like. I like seeing several kinds in my flock. We have bantoms, red sex links, road island reds, old English, and light Brahmas. Smaller ones have smaller eggs but the kids love them, they take up less space, and eat less. You can always sell some or trade around with people. I havent really noticed a noise difference for hens. Big roosters make big noise, but they look really cool.