Laying hens are hard to find!

[ZuulLanceMaster]

I'd get the RIRs if it was me.
The BOs will get bullied by the RIRs though.
I have some BRs and BOs and even though BRs are generally nice, the BOs got bullied alot.

 

[SkyWarrior]

Quote:
Mandelyn, you don't want to use newspaper for chicks. It's too slippery. Paper towels or puppy wee-wee training pads (my choice) are required. Good luck with your new babies, whatever they may be!

I use shavings for my chicks.

 

[jeremy]

I say go with the Easter Eggers. You're guaranteed a colorful flock with a colorful basket, with chances of blue, green, olive and brown eggs!

ETA: Rice hulls or husks are a great alternative to using pine bedding, the hulls/husks are WAY WAY WAY less dusty than the shavings, plus they're cheaper!

 

[SkyWarrior]

I love my EEs. I also love my BOs, BRs and RIR. My EEs took FOR-EV-ER to lay, but they're so sweet. My BOs are very, very sweet and not shy. The BRs are pretty funny. And the RIRs are nice all around chickens.

 

[dldolan]

Another vote for a mixed bunch. Why would the feed store care as long as they are selling??!! Of my seven, the RIR is the lead and by far the smartest. She figures it all out first! My EE is the best seeker of interesting places to scratch, the Brahma enforces what the RIR decides, the two Blue Cochins shyer but good layers, and the two young Wellsummers just staying out of trouble. The RIR will come when I call "all in", and all the others follow. Good to have one that is (chicken level) trainable!!

I love the mix of colors hens and colored eggs! Yippee!

 

[fl_deb]

My EE is smarter and more defensive I.e. first to notice large birds overhead etc. and extremely curious, but, also, first to go to coop for the night etc..
My RIRs are the bullies, mind you I have hens only. And they are much louder, noisier birds than my EE, but they lay an egg a day pretty much.

Still, if I had it to do all over again, I would either have all RIR if I needed the eggs or all EEs for a quiet and adequately dependable colorful egg layers.

Just so I wouldn't have to see the bullying going on.

 

[Liexicof15]

I usually put a layer of newspaper in the bottom of the brooder then a layer or 2 of paper towels. That way when it's time to change it out, the newspaper stops the bottom of your brooder box from getting dirty as fast.

Also, a draw back of shavings is that they pick at eachother's toes more because they don't know it's a foot, they see something wiggling like a worm and peck at it.

I vote for buff orpingtons. They are so fat and funny looking, and even though they can get broody, ours still lay much of the time. They are calmer and nicer than our RIRs.
Good luck!

 

[mandelyn]

Well I finally found some older girls! Going to pick them up tomorrow evening. SO excited! Either he or his wife is a member on here, not sure who yet. He responded to my wanted add on CL. He offered a Black Astralorp and a New Hampshire Red. Then we got to talking, and he's going to look around for some more girls. He has all the breeds I like! I see many transactions in the future with this family.

And I bought all my chicken stuff today, great timing!

And on a chick note, I've always used newspaper with shavings on top so I could roll it up for easy cleaning. Paper rolled the shavings right up, neat and tidy. Kept it from being slick with the shavings on top.

Looks like breeder birds instead of hatchery, but that's what I was aiming for originally.

 

[Patoot]

I didn't know RIR were known for being mean. I have 4 girls who are about 18wks old. I got them when they were about 14 wks old and they follow me all over the place, take food out of my hands and gently peck at my freckles on my arm thinking it's food. Mine are very friendly. I'm even able to start petting them.

Bree

 

[ZombieChickens]

My suggestion is: Try to get a variety. I love my RIRs. They are good girls, are happy in the run during the day, free range in the evening, and they each lay an egg a day. No soft-shell eggs. No teeny tiny eggs, even from the start. Check it out:

But, now I'm looking at all of these great pictures and breeds and thinking "I just gotta have me a Barred Rock, and a few Easter Eggers.".....just for variety. But that means I have to have a bigger coop. If you start with a variety from the beginning, you may not have to worry so much about this "chicken math" that everyone talks about.