Ideas for breeds of chickens!

[rdcowman]

I have 4 RIR and 5 Ameraucana's! I will be getting 5 or 10 more chickens next spring. i love the RIR but Ameraucana's aren't my favorite breed. I wanted to know if any of your guys had some suggestions for what breeds i should get! I like the RIR because they are cold hardy!

 

[sourland]

What are your goals ? Eggs, meat, dual purpose. self sustaining flock ------------------------------------?

 

[rdcowman]

Eggs

 

[Howard E]

Not sure this is the right forum for this......but.........

Sex links......black, red or other. They are hybrid crosses of RIR/Barred Rcoks; RIR, New Hampshires, etc. They are more than a sexed gimmick. They are hardy egg layers of brown eggs, but are a terminal cross. You use them for eggs, but not breeding stock.

Or if you want white eggs and lots of them......leghorns. Brown or white. Expect these to be a bit more high strung and flighty than breeds like RIR NH, BO, etc but will crank out more eggs than most.

 

[henny1129]

Sex Links and Leghorns are both amazing layers. Easter Egger are pretty good layers and they lay colored eggs too!

 

[Kasilofchrisn]

RIR are good layers as are my barred rocks.
I love my Easter egger as well.
All are winter hardy.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[rdcowman]

Not sure this is the right forum for this......but.........

Sex links......black, red or other. They are hybrid crosses of RIR/Barred Rcoks; RIR, New Hampshires, etc. They are more than a sexed gimmick. They are hardy egg layers of brown eggs, but are a terminal cross. You use them for eggs, but not breeding stock.

Or if you want white eggs and lots of them......leghorns. Brown or white. Expect these to be a bit more high strung and flighty than breeds like RIR NH, BO, etc but will crank out more eggs than most.

I was thinking about Leghorns! were should i get them? I got my other chickens on Craigslist. Were do you guys get your chickens?

 

[rdcowman]

I don't have a rooster!

 

[Gray Farms]

Rhode Island Reds, Chanteclers, Black Australorps, Wyandottes, & Easter Eggers are generally good layers and cold hardy breeds.

 

[Howard E]

Source?

You could try craigslist, but better bets might be from local or regional growers here on BYC. You could start with your state forum. My feelings are there are some folks who really know what they are doing and would have some excellent stock. Then there are folks who have hens and roosters who hatch chicks and that is about the nicest thing you can say about them. I would love to have the former.......but would not want the latter if they were free.

My birds came from hatchery stock. Several of those around. Cackle, Murray, etc. Our local feed store gets several hundred chicks a week in season from the hatchery, and we buy from the feed store. They will add your request to their order so they have what you want. My birds may not be show stoppers, but they are healthy and they eat bugs and lay eggs and that is exactly what I had in mind when I got them.