Experimented with hybrids and they are ok. I am wanting to have a flock that will give me 6-7 large eggs per day average out of 10 layers. Breed true. Fairly calm and good free rangers.
So far, I’ve settled on Bar Rock. They are big enough that excess cockerels are worth the time to process.
Thoughts??
Rocks are good birds in my experience and overall one of my favorite breeds.. though I have yet to deal with the roosters. I went with Bielefelder when time came to make the choice.
I personally might go with white or partridge.. and by that I mean Partridge! The barred ones are in every feed store every spring and I rather have something not excessively common. I thought convict looking ones were the coolest in the beginning though!
White birds also look cool when mature.. and white pin feathers are less hard to disguise on a carcass than dark ones.. but I haven't had issues as long as I harvest when pin feathers aren't just coming in.. this age can vary even among the same hatch from the same parent stock.. but in the spirit of sustainable.. we are only harvesting a couple at a time and that makes it easy to just pick the right ones and plan accordingly between mini molts.. depending on what age you will harvest.. Bielefelder, I got a 4# dressed carcass at 18 ish weeks! At 16 weeks.. it took me several hours to get pin feathers out of 2 birds.. that wasn't the right age. The hens are taking too long to reach max egg production.
Get a look at these beauties (from MPC)..
Both the barred and the partridge will blend easier into the environment than white.. though I haven't personally had an issue with white birds and predation.
Otherwise maybe RIR type?
I don't think you can wrong with Rocks.. But I do think you have to order a BUNCH of them from hatchery.. and raise them all out.. keeping the best of the best and eating or selling the rest. There isn't a lot of consistency among hatchery birds.. and
selecting over the years for YOUR desired goals is key to getting and keeping what you are aiming for.
You mention big enough cockerels fro processing.. that true for MANY breeds but growth rate varies hugely.. Orpington, Faverolles.. being too slow for me. Wyandotte, Rock, Bielefelder, Marans, acceptable. Ee.. only as needed but not as a long term sustainable choice.
You could always get a variety of birds and see which ones fit the bill the closest.. maybe barnyard crosses is a good choice for some folks. But even just seeing which hens I like best and then adding in the next set including the rooster breed of choice..
So far.. NOT one bird has been the same on paper and in person, for me! And personal experience is the mother of all teachers.. personal preference and individual personality.. don't factor in which is what makes it good basic information at best.
in my mixed box I got RIR and barred rocks for sure. My barred rocks started laying first but they are all laying now. I have 11 chickens of mixed variety and usually get 8 or 9 eggs a day. I know my BR and RIR and one of my wyandottes lay every day. As for aggression, I find that my br are often more aggressive than my rir but who knows if that's true for the whole breed. Every individual is different!
