Good Chick Breeds?

[Poultrybonkers]

Your americanas are Easter egger as

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

We raise them for eggs

Then I would go with Ameraucanas as others have mentioned.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Sounds like you are getting them from a feed store, not ordering them from a hatchery. As you mention, they can sell out fast. I'd chat with the people at the feed store. Try to find out when a shipment is coming in so you can be there.

See if they can tell you which chicks will be in that shipment so you can do some research. I'd also ask which hatchery they are coming from.

I'll link Henderson's breed chart which might help you, but it is a limited list. It only has some of the breeds that might be available but it is a start. With your climate practically any chicken should do well there so look for things like egg production. I don't know how you house them so look for things like "takes confinement well" to match how you keep them.

Henderson's Handy Dandy Chicken Chart (sagehenfarmlodi.com)

A lot of the chicks are not going to be in Henderson's Chart. Many are not true breeds but are chicks sold under a marketing name. If you know which hatchery they are coming from you can look them up on that hatchery's website and read about them. Many of those would suit you well.

With a little research if is hard to make a bad choice is your only criteria is eggs. There are a whole lot that will do well for you.

Good luck!

 

[McChooky]

When I started out years ago I bought all my chicks from hatcheries and had all of them sexed and vaccinated for Mareks disease before they were shipped but now I don't. The hatcheries usually offer this service for a reasonable fee.I recommend you research the pros and cons before paying for this service.Especially if your chickens will be hatching chicks for you.Its not recommended you buy straight run chicks if you don't have a plan for getting rid of all those cockerels

 

[FlockVillemaire]

My absolute favorite hen ever, has been my Crested Cream Legbar, Melody! She has laid very well, large-XL light blue eggs and has the sweetest, predator-wary & independent nature. They are not dual purpose, with smaller frames. I have many breeds that get along very well. The Barred Plymouth Rock & my Splash Easter Egger are nearly as sweet and both very well behave, but Easter Eggers can vary in temperament somewhat. Brahmas & Australorps are also very sweet.

Neat historical fact about the CCL is that they were created in England by none other than Dr. Reginald Crundall Punnett FRS, British geneticist/zoologist (of the squares!) I never imagined I would adore one of his creations in my 60's back when taking HS biology in 1980. They are available inexpensively in a light, cream-breasted crele (invisibly barred in hens/obvious barring in roos) feathering like Melody, or more expensively in solid/non-barred white or much more expensively in a barred Opal. None yet recognized in US APA! Often available at feed stores or mail order. Single comb, so not best for very cold climates.

The (barred) purebred CCL chicks are naturally sex-linked so can be separated easily at hatch, but either (cream/opal) barred variety, can also be used to create sex-linked hybrids when the hen is bred to a solid main body feathered dark roo. Only their sons will have a white spot on their dark downy heads.

 

[Prairie Sky Farm]

Hi! As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were thinking of getting new chicks in spring. We have some black and red sexlinks, and some americanas. What other breeds should we try to target? (Though, who knows what we'll be able to get, cause we were barely able to get sexlinks...most of the stores sold out.)

I have Easter Eggers, White Faced Black Spanish, Gold laced Wyandottes, Red Stars, Buff Orphingtons and Golden DeathLayers. I suggest the Buff Orphingtons. They get along with the other girls. I just ordered 6 Buff Orphingtons Roos. I'm looking forward to getting more gentle, loving Buffs.

 

[FlockVillemaire]

I have Easter Eggers, White Faced Black Spanish, Gold laced Wyandottes, Red Stars, Buff Orphingtons and Golden DeathLayers. I suggest the Buff Orphingtons. They get along with the other girls. I just ordered 6 Buff Orphingtons Roos. I'm looking forward to getting more gentle, loving Buffs.

Be very careful not to have any potentially even moderately aggressive breeds with Orpingtons, as they can be extremely docile and get terribly harrassed. I have even had bossy Barred Plymouth Rocks! More neurotic Deathlayers may be a problem?

 

[Windy Wings]

Be very careful not to have any potentially even moderately aggressive breeds with Orpingtons, as they can be extremely docile and get terribly harrassed. I have even had bossy Barred Plymouth Rocks! More neurotic Deathlayers may be a problem?

Orphingtons may not be a good idea for my flock...I have some bossy birds. We have three docile Americanas who never have any tail feathers due to pecking. They are very sweet, mild birds. My sex-links are kinda mean.

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

Orphingtons may not be a good idea for my flock...I have some bossy birds. We have three docile Americanas who never have any tail feathers due to pecking. They are very sweet, mild birds. My sex-links are kinda mean.

Then I would get rid of the mean/bossy birds. Large breeds mean more maintenance, as in poop removal, more feed consumption etc.

 

[Windy Wings]

Then I would get rid of the mean/bossy birds. Large breeds mean more maintenance, as in poop removal, more feed consumption etc.

Yeah, I'm thinking we raise some more chickens and get rid of the bullies. We need a decent amount of chickens cause we go through a lot of eggs.