Help with chicken breeds and rooster question

[pinkjellybeans]

Hi, everyone!

I've registered a while back because my mom and I were thinking of having some chickens again, but it never came to pass for several reasons. We are at a point now where we're thinking about it again so I've been researching chicken breeds and would love your opinions. We had a lot of chickens when I was growing up but I'm not really well informed about them, their needs, especially when it comes to breeds, since we always had the regular ones for meat/eggs.

Here's some info:

• Climate is temperate for the most part. Winters are usually 10-15ºC, summers around 20-25ºC. Some winter nights can reach 0ºC and there's the ocasional heat waves in summer that can go all the way to 35ºC in some days. But we live close to the coast so the weather is pretty mild overall.
• We need to buy/build a new coop because the old one is terrible, but according to the space we have (for the coop and free range), we can get up to 10 chickens.
• We want eggs as much as possible, but we don't want to get just one breed that produces 280 eggs per year. We want one chicken of each breed/color to give them names and have them as pets too, so we want them to be different from each other.
• We want to buy them as chicks.
• We're going to buy them at a local farm that raises chickens of all breeds.

We're thinking about getting a rooster too, but I had so many bad experiences as a child with roosters attacking me and hurting the chickens, to the point they would bleed. I don't know if there's a particular breed with really sweet roosters that are also good for meat (just in case he ends up being a devil lol).
Do you think I should get one, or should I stick with the ladies? I was thinking that maybe eventually we could try to hatch some eggs, but still not too sure about it yet.

Also, since we're getting them as chicks, how likely is it that we're going to ask for all hens and we'll end up with more than one rooster?

I took a look at some breeds the farm had and made some research and here's the ones that seem adequate:

1. Sussex Light
2. Wyandotte Silver
3. Orpington Yellow
4. Barred Plymouth Rock
5. Pita Pinta Asturiana (mottled-black)
6. Pita Pinta Asturiana (mottled-brown)

Do you know of any others that fit what I'm looking for? The farm has other breeds that are not displayed on their page, so I'd have to ask them about it. If not, I might just also get some of the regular hens, like a Leghorn and a Rhode Island Red. I mostly just want them to be different from each other, but I don't really care for them to be fancy, eggs are more important.

Thanks!

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Light sussexs and wyandottes are beautiful chickens!

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Leghorns are good layers of white eggs, laying an average of 280 per year and sometimes reaching 300–320. Leghorns are early to mature, hardy birds. Light weight, can fly well.

edit: just realised you mentioned leghorns, no worries

 

[PippinTheChicken]

https://www.pbspettravel.co.uk/blog/which-breed-of-chicken-lays-the-most-eggs/

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Also, since we're getting them as chicks, how likely is it that we're going to ask for all hens and we'll end up with more than one rooster?

Depends, some breeds are easier to sex as younglings than other breeds

 

[pinkjellybeans]

Light sussexs and wyandottes are beautiful chickens!

They are! When I saw pictures of them I was in awe! Never actually saw one myself. I was so happy that they are good layers too.

Depends, some breeds are easier to sex as younglings than other breeds

Do you know if any of the breeds I mentioned are in the easier category?

 

[PippinTheChicken]

google says: Autosexing chicken breeds
Amrock, Ancobar, Barnebar, Bielefelder Kennhuhn, Brockbar, Brussbar, Buffbar, Cambar, Cobar, Cream Legbar, Dorbar, Gold Legbar, Hambar, Niederrheiner, Norske Jaerhon, Oklabar, Polbar, Rhodebar, Welbar, Whealbar, and Wybar.
Most of these breeds are either extinct or extremely rare these days.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Maybe Cream legs are the breed for you.
Cream Legbars are very productive layers, they lay medium sized light blue eggs and around 230 eggs per year. They are autosexing which means chicks are distinct at hatching. Cream legbars are a hardy breed.

 

[Birdsonghill]

Whiting True Blue lay very well and come in all colors and patterns, though they breed true for egg color, a lovely shade of blue on their mostly large eggs. Ameraucanas were nice. A rooster is not necessary for a laying flock but get only one for 10 birds if you wish to have his protection and some fertile eggs. If you get a mix of birds, try and get all about the same size and disposition and be mindful of breeds that are small or have top hats or vision problems that may get them pecked on more. Look for breeds that are usually described as calm, gentle and all close to the same size (a pound or two difference may be OK, were as 3 plus pounds is a big difference in chickens size! Some large breeds tend to be gentle enough to be with smaller breeds(not for certain!), such as the Buff Orpingtons did OK with my smaller Houdans and Polish. The Barred Rocks and the Rhode Island Reds bullied and pecked smaller birds relentlessly and forced me to butcher some early and treat for cannibalism some smaller birds. Lastly, I would recommend getting at least a couple of each variety, for a better representation of the breed and for insurance against losing a breed with each loss of a bird. (I usually get at least 3 or 4 of a variety) Best wishes and Happy Chickens for you!

 

[McChooky]

Hi, everyone!

I've registered a while back because my mom and I were thinking of having some chickens again, but it never came to pass for several reasons. We are at a point now where we're thinking about it again so I've been researching chicken breeds and would love your opinions. We had a lot of chickens when I was growing up but I'm not really well informed about them, their needs, especially when it comes to breeds, since we always had the regular ones for meat/eggs.

Here's some info:

• Climate is temperate for the most part. Winters are usually 10-15ºC, summers around 20-25ºC. Some winter nights can reach 0ºC and there's the ocasional heat waves in summer that can go all the way to 35ºC in some days. But we live close to the coast so the weather is pretty mild overall.
• We need to buy/build a new coop because the old one is terrible, but according to the space we have (for the coop and free range), we can get up to 10 chickens.
• We want eggs as much as possible, but we don't want to get just one breed that produces 280 eggs per year. We want one chicken of each breed/color to give them names and have them as pets too, so we want them to be different from each other.
• We want to buy them as chicks.
• We're going to buy them at a local farm that raises chickens of all breeds.

We're thinking about getting a rooster too, but I had so many bad experiences as a child with roosters attacking me and hurting the chickens, to the point they would bleed. I don't know if there's a particular breed with really sweet roosters that are also good for meat (just in case he ends up being a devil lol).
Do you think I should get one, or should I stick with the ladies? I was thinking that maybe eventually we could try to hatch some eggs, but still not too sure about it yet.

Also, since we're getting them as chicks, how likely is it that we're going to ask for all hens and we'll end up with more than one rooster?

I took a look at some breeds the farm had and made some research and here's the ones that seem adequate:

1. Sussex Light
2. Wyandotte Silver
3. Orpington Yellow
4. Barred Plymouth Rock
5. Pita Pinta Asturiana (mottled-black)
6. Pita Pinta Asturiana (mottled-brown)

Do you know of any others that fit what I'm looking for? The farm has other breeds that are not displayed on their page, so I'd have to ask them about it. If not, I might just also get some of the regular hens, like a Leghorn and a Rhode Island Red. I mostly just want them to be different from each other, but I don't really care for them to be fancy, eggs are more important.

Thanks!

Dominique roosters make wonderful pets!(they're very good around children) They are also smaller than most standard size chickens and are America's first and oldest breed.