How do you choose???

[gimmie birdies]

Some people want laying hens not chicks. My favorite breeds not what I have currently, Isbars. They are a blue feathered hen, mint colored eggs (good sized) med sized hen.

 

[gimmie birdies]

And their eyes are dark and pretty.

 

[Folly's place]

It is about space, and time. If it's going to be a spring project, start shopping now! And place an order late this year, so you can get those chicks in spring.
I've never done it, but a trio from a winning breeder/ shower is one way to start. Expensive, but you can see what you're getting. Or, get straight run chicks, and be ready to see a lot of variation, so be ready to move some of them on elsewhere if they don't measure up.
Have you had Brahmas? If not, start with a few and see if you even really like them.
Mary

 

[StinkyAcres]

Have you had Brahmas? If not, start with a few and see if you even really like them.

I think this is a good idea. Brahmas have different requirements than smaller breeds. They need more space, lower and longer roosts, lower and larger nest boxes, larger chicken doors, etc. They are also not super heat tolerant. Mine are really lazy too and don't wander far from the coop.

 

[Folly's place]

I love the bantam Brahmas. Our few hatchery standards were not up to size, so could cope with our roosts, but didn't like them enough to ever get more.
Mary

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Brahmas are slow maturing breed aswell.
I just sold two hens today I have a pen that stays forever they earned there keep rest will be sold or processed when no longer needed thats how I keep my numbers down

 

[3KillerBs]

How do I choose which birds to sell?

I am still in the beginning stages of becoming a good breeder, but I am, at least, trying to form a clear goal in my mind and comparing my birds to that goal.

The ones who are far from that goal go first.

What are my goals?

First and foremost, HEALTHY birds. That means that instead of making a pet of Slowpoke, the deformed bird, I put him into the freezer. Likewise the crossbeak. I would never sell a bird with a physical deformity or a health issue. Even the one girl with a major breed SOP flaw was sold only with full disclosure that the single feather on her foot was an SOP flaw and the understand that this was a pet/layer home only and the buyer had no intent of obtaining a potential show bird.

Second, which is a continuation of the first, they have to thrive in my climate and under my management system. That completely rules out a number of popular potential breeds for me.

Third, behavior and personality. I have absolutely ZERO tolerance for aggression in males or bullying in either sex. A harmonious flock is required.

Fourth, for the layer side of the flock they need to, duh, lay well. My poor layer was sold to a guy who specifically wanted an ornamental flock on his lawn and said specifically that he didn't care about eggs. My 2yo hens were sold with disclosure of their age and soon-to-molt status to a homesteading family who wanted a mixed age flock with some mature hens who would raise up their cockerels with good chicken manners.

Fifth, for the Blue Australorp purebred flock, they need to reasonably approach the SOP for Australorps (bearing in mind that I'm not showing), and to have attractive coloration. Each year that I cull the lesser birds my lesser birds will get better and better but until I am genuinely producing superior birds I make no claims of them being other than hatchery-grade.

Just because *I* don't like a bird for one reason or another doesn't mean that bird won't be someone else's ideal chicken. I haven't found the right home for my biting broody yet (I refused to sell her to two different families with young children), but somewhere there is probably someone who will understand how to manage her and wants a determined broody who will defend her eggs against all comers even to the point of drawing blood.

TLR -- Keep the chickens that make you happy. Sell the ones that don't. Eat the ones you can't ethically sell.

 

[Folly's place]

Only one thing: I'm okay with biting broodies, and don't have small children here often, and never collecting eggs! Actually, almost all our broodies defended their nests enthusiastically from all comers, including me. The one hen who didn't a sweet Favorelle, also took longer to safely integrate her chicks into the flock, being bottom hen in the flock. We no longer have SFs, although the really difficult hens (production reds) are also missing from our flock. Someday we will again have those SFs, but not right now.
Mary

 

[3KillerBs]

Only one thing: I'm okay with biting broodies, and don't have small children here often, and never collecting eggs! Actually, almost all our broodies defended their nests enthusiastically from all comers, including me. The one hen who didn't a sweet Favorelle, also took longer to safely integrate her chicks into the flock, being bottom hen in the flock. We no longer have SFs, although the really difficult hens (production reds) are also missing from our flock. Someday we will again have those SFs, but not right now.
Mary

If she were an Australorp I wouldn't be trying to sell her. I was actually going to give her this set of babies to raise, but after sitting for a full month she got off the nest 2 days before they hatched (in the incubator).

But she's a Mottled Java and I'm eliminating all brown layers other than the Australorps and the project Wyandottes.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

some of them are old and out of their prime.

I am thinning my flock and I gave all the old girls with names amnesty. So the "pandemic girls" (2020 crew) are the ones that will be leaving the flock. I figure the old gals will die off on their own eventually. The oldest will be 6 in April, followed by a couple 5 year olds.

So likely not many eggs coming until the spring 2023 chicks start laying in the fall.

It was easier for me to decide to keep all the old ladys vs trying to decide which of them to cull.

I am done naming them going forward!