ISA Brown Chickens?

[thecreekhouse]

Our local Tractor Supply has some ISA Brown chickens in this week and I am surely tempted to add one or two to my little backyard flock. I am interested in a light colored hen that lays larger, brown eggs, and which is a reliable layer in a variety of weather conditions. Is the ISA Brown's laying capacity comparable to a Black Sex Link? How does the breed compare to Orpingtons ( my 2 Orpingtons only give me 2-4 eggs weekly at this point). What is their personality like? Thanks!

 

[chooks4life]

My experience with Isabrowns is not positive. They're not terrible birds, just flawed in some pretty big ways.

They are guzzlers, lay poor quality but large eggs more often than their bodies can cope with, so they burn out and run on empty nonstop before suffering the health problems that overproduction causes, they're not overly bright... And they look like a mess even in good health, or as close to that as they get anyway. They're unattractive things to have around the yard to be frank, when you compare them with most other breeds. Moulting is a huge drama for them too.

They suffer an apparently inevitable myriad of health problems especially after two years of age when they basically begin decaying into their premature graves while other hens are just beginning to enter their true adulthood and prime. Mine (and those of everyone else I know that bought from the same hatchery, and also those of people in other countries) suffered something like neurological degenerative disease after two years old, lost some vision, some brain function, some mobility, some died quicker than others but they all died.

For this reason I'd rather keep (and do keep) two mixed breed hens for the cost of one Isabrown, get the same amount of eggs (a bit smaller but better quality) from the same amount of feed one Isabrown needs (I've never seen proof of this 'feed efficiency' that's claimed for Isabrowns), they will experience greater quality of life and overall health, moult far faster, and I'll have the two hens still laying up to a decade after the Isabrown has died of old age in her youth. lol, my bias is obvious... But it was acquired honestly.

I don't doubt there's better lines of Isabrowns than what I got, but I won't buy them again as a matter of ethics. I expect the 'breed' will improve or die out soon enough. I hope so anyway. The Isabrown website claims the company is aiming at introducing longevity into them; here's hoping, for the chickens' sake. It's a miserable breed.

Some people, obviously, have better experiences with them. You may.

Best wishes and good luck.

 

[chooks4life]

Our local Tractor Supply has some ISA Brown chickens in this week and I am surely tempted to add one or two to my little backyard flock.

To answer your question more specifically... If you're tempted, why not go for it?

I am interested in a light colored hen that lays larger, brown eggs, and which is a reliable layer in a variety of weather conditions.

They might suit your need.

Is the ISA Brown's laying capacity comparable to a Black Sex Link?

Yes, but again, poorer quality eggs just for the sake of quantity. They keep laying even when their bodies aren't up to it, so their chances of recovering from health problems are severely limited because of their in-bred predisposition to funnel all resources into eggs at the expense of their health. Many of the eggs are terrible quality, to be honest.

How does the breed compare to Orpingtons ( my 2 Orpingtons only give me 2-4 eggs weekly at this point). What is their personality like? Thanks!

Orpingtons also disappointed me, lol, they've been gone from my flock for a long time and aren't welcome back.

As for Isabrowns, their personality is generally very bland. Often, to other chickens, they're cranky and sort of mildly aggressive like a schoolyard bully, to people they can be friendly in a stupid way (where's the treats?) once they become used to you. Trusting but more due to being so incredibly food-driven rather than actually liking people. They lack intelligence generally.

Not all will be like that and it's in large part a fault of their upbringing and they will 'smarten up' if you free range them, but they're very bland, unremarkable birds. Some make better pets than others, I guess is about as much as you can say for them.

Best wishes.