I am incubating in the spring! What breeds should I hatch?

[ShannonsChimkens]

I would recommend Foxfire Farms in Idaho if you are thinking possibly shipped eggs. I’m in Washington as well, their eggs have good hatch rates since they’re not far for shipping. So many rarer breeds. I have hatched 7 or more batches from them, 50+ birds currently.

Ayam Cemani
FBCM
Blue Maran
Deathlayer
Russian Pavlovskaya
Double Laced Barnevelder
Swedish Isbar/Silverrudds Blues
Swedish Flower
Spitzhauben
Silver Laced Orpington
Liege Fighter
Crested Cream Legbar
There are more breeds, just can’t think of them currently.

Have fun with whatever it is you hatch!

 

[Weeg]

Brahmas, Cochins, or Orpingtons!

Yes! Defiantly more Orpingtons, my Buff is my favorite lady! I will have to dissipate some if my flock this winter to make room for more hens. I defenetly want more Orps, and I LOVE Cochins!

 

[HappyDuckie]

Yes! Defiantly more Orpingtons, my Buff is my favorite lady! I will have to dissipate some if my flock this winter to make room for more hens. I defenetly want more Orps, and I LOVE Cochins!

I love Cochins too! I don't have any yet, but I really want some.

 

[ladybrasa]

I would recommend Foxfire Farms in Idaho if you are thinking possibly shipped eggs.

I did do an order from them - first ever batch and I’m across the country. Eggs arrived in pretty good shape; air cells were only a little fiddly and still fairly small (ie not too old). I got about 50% hatch rate which is fair with shipped eggs. (Also it was first batch in a diy incubator!) The lady also worked with me - ordered hen’s choice/can’t choose - but did listen to my requests for not bantam sizes and ones that I’d like better than others. I would consider ordering from them again. The only reservations I have is they possibly might inbreed or not have much genetic variation to their flocks, maybe? I didn’t follow up or anything. Reason I am wondering this is because my Swedish Flower Hen cockerel has a vaulted skull, which results from breeding a crested SFH to another crested SFH, which I also read is not at all recommended. Then the Pavlovskya that hatched had leg deformities that I nor a colleague could fix, developed scissor beak, and ended up dying from unknown causes (was being very babied and was becoming a house chicken). I am guessing this was from inbred stock, which as I understand is a problem of PVs in general in the US. I also have two Quail Brabanconne ... look to be both cockerels, eating drinking pooping etc, but ... I don’t know. They just aren’t right somehow. (I may post eventually about them eventually on a new thread). So anyway ... I don’t know? Communication, shipping, and egg quality and variety are definitely good!

 

[JadeFarms]

Cochins: Super sweet, beautiful, funny, soft, not extremely bag and can be frizzled and lay brown eggs.
Brahma: Gentle giants, also feather footed, brown eggs.
Wyandottes: Come in beautiful colors, pretty rose comb, non feathered feet, semi tame.
Sultan: Feathered everywhere, even head and muffs and beard. Not a big egg producer at all, but are beautiful and are white egg layers.
Orpingtons: A lot of people’s favorite breed, brown egg producers with clean legs. The main color you see them in is buff.
Marans: Very sweet and can have feathered feet or not, dark eggs.
Welsummer: Not my favorite because they aren’t super friendly, but nice dark egg layers.
RIR: They are either sweet or nice, great egg producers.

Those are the first breeds I thought of.

 

[Weeg]

Cochins: Super sweet, beautiful, funny, soft, not extremely bag and can be frizzled and lay brown eggs.
Brahma: Gentle giants, also feather footed, brown eggs.
Wyandottes: Come in beautiful colors, pretty rose comb, non feathered feet, semi tame.
Sultan: Feathered everywhere, even head and muffs and beard. Not a big egg producer at all, but are beautiful and are white egg layers.
Orpingtons: A lot of people’s favorite breed, brown egg producers with clean legs. The main color you see them in is buff.
Marans: Very sweet and can have feathered feet or not, dark eggs.
Welsummer: Not my favorite because they aren’t super friendly, but nice dark egg layers.
RIR: They are either sweet or nice, great egg producers.

Those are the first breeds I thought of.

Thank you! I have neve heard of Sultan until now, and they are really cute! I am definitely gonna have to clean my run up before getting these featured breeds! Will have to make it a project!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

My welsumers are super friendly, & during the warm months lay lots of xlarge dark brown eggs with darker brown speckles. Since u are wanting to try some more unusual types, u could consider blue austrorps. (If u like the color blue, which i am very partial to). I have both blacks & blues, & they are very similiar re friendly dispositions, good laying ability, & tendency to broodiness. Re orpingtons, i have both buffs & lavenders. My lavender girls are much more friendly than the buffs, & none of the lavenders have ever gone broody. I also have blue wyandottes. They are also beautiful, gentle and lay well, but their egg size never gets bigger than medium. I sell eggs, so egg size and laying ability is very important to me! Im in far north texas near oklahoma border; my winter temps are very similiar to yours. Max summer temps here are usually in low 90s, but ocassionally hotter. The above breeds do well in my climate, tho temps over 90 of start to stress most all breeds. I know the breeds i have mentioned are not some of the MOST unusual breeds, but they all meet my main priorities which are good laying ability, friendliness & beauty. I dont ever sell or cull my older girls, so i want to be able to justify allowing them to live out their natural lives.

 

[Weeg]

Brahmas?

There really pretty! D they all have fluffy feet or just some? I would have to put mulch down in my run before I get them, or there fluffy feet would be ALL messy! My run is horrible right now, so mucky! I love the featured feet though!

 

[Weeg]

I was thinking maybe some kind of Maran breed, black copper, cookoo, or something like that so I could have the dark eggs!

 

[cherrynberry]

I can always give a thumbs up to BAs! I love mine. I want 2-3 more next spring. I hope one of my girls wants to be a mom.

Lets hope so...