Less Popular Heritage Layers

[georgia123]

I've been keeping chickens for 8 months now, so I'm pretty new. I bought about 40 chickens of varying and mixed up breeds, just to see if it's something I wanted to do. Well, it definitely is.
Now, I'm wanting to change gears and find homes for the majority of them to focus on one breed (but keep a few the kids have named).
I'd like to take this opportunity to keep a dwindling heritage breed. Ideally, they'd be good layers, some broody, heat resistant (it may freeze at night for 2-3 weeks in the winter and we are totally solar powered so we can't do heat lamps) disease resistant, and good foragers.

Do any of you have personal experience with a breed like this?

Thanks for helping a rookie, please be gentle

 

[Michael OShay]

Australorps would fit your criteria perfectly. They are the best layers of the standard, brown egg laying breeds. A Black Australorp holds the brown egg laying record with 364 eggs in 365 days, and while none of mine have ever reached that level of production (and likely never will), I have still had some of them lay more than 300 eggs in a year. Despite being excellent layers, Australorps do sometimes go broody and make good mothers when they do, and they are quite disease resistant as chickens go. I've raised Australorps for years (along with dozens of other breeds) and have never had any real illness issues with them. They are decent foragers, and are extremely hardy in both heat and cold. I've raised them where summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (sometimes more) and where winter temperatures dropped to 30 F below zero, and in both climate extremes, they did just fine. I don't think you could go wrong with them. Whatever breed you decide to get, good luck with your flock.

 

[georgia123]

We have a few australorps, and I love their dispositions. Thick and good layers, too. I'm glad you think they'd be a good option!
One breed that I'm curious about is the Dorking... Does anyone have any thoughts on the Dorking?

 

[Michael OShay]

We have a few australorps, and I love their dispositions. Thick and good layers, too. I'm glad you think they'd be a good option!
One breed that I'm curious about is the Dorking... Does anyone have any thoughts on the Dorking?

Dorkings are one of the breeds that I've never had in 50 years of raising chickens, but we have a lot of members here at BYC who have or have had Dorkings. You might want to post on the BYC Dorking Club thread and take advantage of our Dorking owners' knowledge there.

 

[Michael OShay]

Dorkings are one of the breeds that I've never had in 50 years of raising chickens, but we have a lot of members here at BYC who have or have had Dorkings. You might want to post on the BYC Dorking Club thread and take advantage of our Dorking owners' knowledge there.

P.S. Forgot to put the url address for the Dorking Club on my post; it is https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/118388/b-y-c-dorking-club.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Australorps are a great choice. I would also recommend Sussex. These two breeds are fairly common and are good layers as well as foragers. Although around here we really don't get any temperatures below -6-8C they did fine in winter.


Good luck!

 

[keesmom]

Do you have a preference as to egg color or breed temperment? Do you plan to breed towards the Standard of Perfection, show, or breed for your own qualities? Some less popular breeds are in better shape than others.