*HELP* What breed of chicken should I hatch?

[Winter Creek Coop]

Where are you located? If you don’t need a dual purpose breed then I’d go for leghorns unless you are in a really cold area.

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

This is our first year hatching and I'm hooked. I have had my incubator going non stop since I bought it

I feel like that’s going to happen to me lol
I’m going to breed my chickens do I won’t be buying eggs

 

[Curnow]

I have had good production with Easter Eggers. My first were from hatchery stock...I breed my own now. They seem to do well in hot summers and cold winters also. Mine free range and are good foragers as well.

My best all around chickens have been my Red Sex Links from Cackle Hatchery. They have out performed all others I've had. Good laying, good foraging, friendly, and with the right care long lived.

 

[Ryguy3684]

If you want less broody, you would probably not want to wander into the beloved Buff Orpingtons since they do tend to go broody.... at least old stock does. I had Barnevelders for a short while and let them go to focus on fewer breeds but really loved my last hen and will enter the Barnevlelder world again when I'm prepared to add another breed. Dark colored eggs, some with very light speckling. Calm and graceful.

X2 on the BO's. I love everything about mine, but they do tend to go broody. Not a bad thing if you ever want to let one hatch her own clutch.

 

[Winter Creek Coop]

I have had good production with Easter Eggers. My first were from hatchery stock...I breed my own now. They seem to do well in hot summers and cold winters also. Mine free range and are good foragers as well.

My best all around chickens have been my Red Sex Links from Cackle Hatchery. They have out performed all others I've had. Good laying, good foraging, friendly, and with the right care long lived.

I have also had great production from Easter Eggers(starlight green eggers)

 

[Secondof9]

I am going to hatch chicken eggs soon and I’m wondering what breed I should get. Buff Orpingtons are wonderful so are Austrolopes, I need high layers, that are less broody, more laid back so I'm open to suggestions. Maybe a barnevelder? Even though they are lower layers they look cute lol, I am kind of a chicken "collector" so I already have a Plymouth, light Brahama, white Cochin and a speckled Sussex so anything but those breeds I'm open to looking at. Any suggestions? Thank you guys!

I have some experience with a couple of the breeds mentioned, so here's my input...

Buff Orpington - sweetest. friendliest chicken but does go broody 3-4 times per year and is a great mother. I've used her to raise chicks twice and it went very well. She is a quiet girl too. Usually lays 5-6 eggs per week.

Barnevelder - supposed to be friendly and calm but mine is NOT. She is so nervous and afraid of everything and everyone; goes flapping and running in the other direction even during "treat time" and that's why her name is Nervous Nelly, LOL. She is very pretty and a very quiet chicken though. As for egg laying, not so much because she laid a dozen or so eggs at about 6-7 months of age but none for the last 9 months! I think she is a non-typical genetic dud and infertile.

Wyandotte - I had to rehome mine because they were so LOUD...shrieked and yelled all day. Not that friendly but laid 5-6 eggs per week. Very pretty birds. If I'd had acreage and not the one cranky neighbor I'd have kept them.

Hope this helped some. Good luck and happy chicken hunting! It's SO fun.

 

[Vmuss13]

M

This is our first year hatching and I'm hooked. I have had my incubator going non stop since I bought it

Yesssss, it’s so fun! Where did you get your eggs to hatch?

 

[Vmuss13]

I have some experience with a couple of the breeds mentioned, so here's my input...

Buff Orpington - sweetest. friendliest chicken but does go broody 3-4 times per year and is a great mother. I've used her to raise chicks twice and it went very well. She is a quiet girl too. Usually lays 5-6 eggs per week.

Barnevelder - supposed to be friendly and calm but mine is NOT. She is so nervous and afraid of everything and everyone; goes flapping and running in the other direction even during "treat time" and that's why her name is Nervous Nelly, LOL. She is very pretty and a very quiet chicken though. As for egg laying, not so much because she laid a dozen or so eggs at about 6-7 months of age but none for the last 9 months! I think she is a non-typical genetic dud and infertile.

Wyandotte - I had to rehome mine because they were so LOUD...shrieked and yelled all day. Not that friendly but laid 5-6 eggs per week. Very pretty birds. If I'd had acreage and not the one cranky neighbor I'd have kept them.

Hope this helped some. Good luck and happy chicken hunting! It's SO fun.

Thank you so much!! This was very helpful! I’ll let you know how it goes

 

[Vmuss13]

Where are you located? If you don’t need a dual purpose breed then I’d go for leghorns unless you are in a really cold area.

Ok cool, I’m in northern Virginia

 

[FuzzyCritters]

Marans! Marans are hardy, friendly, and good layers of around 5 chocolate colored eggs a week. Welsummers are another great breed, they are friendly and lay speckled eggs. You could also go with an autosexing breed so you can tell males and females apart at hatch.