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Vthompson3

Vthompson3

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Hello!!

I am a working wife/mom of two living in central alberta!!
I don't own any chickens as of yet but absolutely love them and have started to do a little research into eventually owning some.
I currently live in a small city and plan on moving out to an acreage where hubby has given me the thumbs up to owning as many as I want. I've tried to convince him to let me have some urban backyard chickens but he doesn't think it is a good idea until we move ;) darn... haha

I would like to pick your brains to which breeds would work well for our family:

I would like chickens that are tolerant to cold temperatures. It can get very cold in winter.
Lay eggs (I would love to not have to buy eggs from the grocery store anymore)
Are friendly/ not too skittish.
I would like no more than 5 to start.

I was thinking Plymouth rocks? Cochins? I love the look of chickens that are a variety of colours. Esp black and white (barred?). However, this is not as important. I would much rather have friendly birds over impressive looking ladies.

I've seen people in my area selling "heritage chicks". Could someone tell me what being a "heritage" chicken involves?

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.

Thanks and look forward to hearing from you all :)
 
Welcome to BYC! A heritage chicken is a chicken from parent and grandparent stock of breeds recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA) prior to the mid-20th century and whose genetic line can be traced back multiple generations, with traits that meet the APA Standard of Perfection guidelines for the breed. A heritage chicken must be produced and sired by an APA standard breed. As for chickens that would work well for your family let me run down your list.

Most American class, English class, and Asiatic Class breeds are cold tolerant. You can see a complete list of these breeds at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicke...e_American_Poultry_Association#List_of_Breeds

Some such as Australorps, Orpingtons, Wyandottes, Buckeyes, Plymouth Rocks, Cochins, Brahmas, Jersey Giants, Chanteclers, Buckeyes, Delawares, New Hampshires, and Rhode Island Reds are particularly cold tolerant. I once raised Black Australorps in northern Kansas where the temperature reached 300 F below zero one winter and they did just fine in a dry, draft free coop.

Normally (there are always exceptions) the best layer from the above list is the Black Australorp. Until it was broken by a White Leghorn in 1979, a Black Australorp held the laying record with 364 eggs in 365 days. None of my Australorps have ever laid that good (and likely none ever will), but I have had a few exceed 300 eggs in a year. The only better brown egg layers are Sex Links, which are hybrids and will not breed true. The next best layer on the above cold tolerant list is the Rhode Island Red. The worst layers on the list are Cochins. The rest lie somewhere between.

The friendliness and calmness of these chickens will vary somewhat from individual to individual, but Australorps, Orpingtons, Cochins, Brahmas, and Jersey Giants all have a strong reputation for being friendly and calm. Wyandottes and Plymouth Rocks are generally calm and friendly, but individuals are occasionally aggressive. Rhode Island Reds probably have the largest percentage of aggressive individuals on the list (although many are quite friendly); particularly the RIR roosters can have an aggressive reputation.

I have had many of these breeds at one time or another and I personally think that the best dual purpose breed is the Black Australorp (It easily meets all of your above criteria), however there will be many opinions on this and I would suggest researching these breeds for yourself. A good place to start is the Breeds icon at the top of this page. If you would like to know more about Black Australorps (from someone other than me), I would suggest sending a message to TwoCrows, who is a Black Australorp expert.

Whatever breeds you eventually get, good luck with your flock.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!

So glad you could join our community! First, you might want to start in our learning center. Lots of helpful tips on getting started, building the coop, raising the chicks and keeping your adult flock happy, healthy and safe from predators...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

As for breeds, there are lots of great breeds out there that are friendly and are excellent layers. The Orpington breeds, (Buff Orpingtons and Black Australorps) are an excellent choice for beginner birds. They are very docile and friendly, very hardy and cold tolerant and are great layers as well. My Black Australorps follow me around like drooling puppies looking for goodies or a nice soft lap to sleep in. Barred Rocks, Wyandottes, EE,s also come to mind as being a great bird to keep.

You might want to take a look at these two breeds pages. Lots of quick info on all the different attributes on the different breeds...

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf

You will also want to stop by the Canadian thread to chat with your chicken neighbors to see how they do things, what breeds do best in your territory and how they survive your brutal winters...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/144/canadians-check-in-here

Enjoy this new journey you are on and welcome to our flock!
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good suggestions and links from Michael and TwoCrows, good luck with your poultry project!
 
Kelsie2290 said:
Hello
frow.gif
and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good suggestions and links from Michael and TwoCrows, good luck with your poultry project!
Click to expand...

X 2 Welcome to BYC.
 
welcome-byc.gif
Good luck with your poultry raising adventures, and I hope you find everything you need to know. Don't forget to take a look at BYC's very useful learning center (If you haven't already)! The learning center as well as the forum should answer your questions! There is always something new to learn! Glad to have you here! See you around with the flock.
 

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