Match me a breed.

[Berniejane]

Looking for more ideas besides the ones I already NEED. (Java and Brabanter.) Much prefer recommendations from people that have or have had the breed. WAY too much conflicting info when you just "google". Look at 4 different sites and they generally say 4 different things. Which is accurate? It is quite obvious most sites are just copying what they read on a another site, rather than speaking from personal experience.

"Requirements" are:

#1 Larger size. (So no bantys, silkies etc...)

#2 Tends to go broody.

#3 Cold hardy, BUT won't suffer too much in the heat. (VERY low humidity though as I live in the high desert.)

#4 PRETTY! (I don't like plain old white, buff, etc... But I DO like solid black. LOVE mottled and spangled.)

#5 Not overly fluffy, Especially in the butt feathers. (So nothing like English Opringtons.) Just NOT practical in my area.

#6 NO FEATHERS ON LEGS.

#7. Docile temperaments. ( I don't DO aggressive animals of ANY kind. I don't take that crap from cattle or horses. Not having it from a bird either!) They don't have to be the "pet" type wanting to sit on my lap, but no going after me for sport either.) Also don't want any that are known for being on the aggressive side with flock mates. I'm not talking about "pecking order". Of course THAT is natural. I mean jerks that like to beat up on others for sport.

#8. No care at all for egg color nor number of eggs as that is not the reason for having them.

#9. Need to be tolerant of confinement. Will have large outdoor run, but no free ranging in the winter, so they need to be OK with that.

So what say you? Am I looking for a unicorn? Or do any of you have ideas for me to look into. Also wanted to say I will NOT be going the hatchery route. So no need to go into breeds that are overly rare and have 1 breeder in the USA that is on the east coast and doesn't ship! LOL

Black Austrolorp

 

[Chapel Oak Farms]

Looking for more ideas besides the ones I already NEED. (Java and Brabanter.) Much prefer recommendations from people that have or have had the breed. WAY too much conflicting info when you just "google". Look at 4 different sites and they generally say 4 different things. Which is accurate? It is quite obvious most sites are just copying what they read on a another site, rather than speaking from personal experience.

"Requirements" are:

#1 Larger size. (So no bantys, silkies etc...)

#2 Tends to go broody.

#3 Cold hardy, BUT won't suffer too much in the heat. (VERY low humidity though as I live in the high desert.)

#4 PRETTY! (I don't like plain old white, buff, etc... But I DO like solid black. LOVE mottled and spangled.)

#5 Not overly fluffy, Especially in the butt feathers. (So nothing like English Opringtons.) Just NOT practical in my area.

#6 NO FEATHERS ON LEGS.

#7. Docile temperaments. ( I don't DO aggressive animals of ANY kind. I don't take that crap from cattle or horses. Not having it from a bird either!) They don't have to be the "pet" type wanting to sit on my lap, but no going after me for sport either.) Also don't want any that are known for being on the aggressive side with flock mates. I'm not talking about "pecking order". Of course THAT is natural. I mean jerks that like to beat up on others for sport.

#8. No care at all for egg color nor number of eggs as that is not the reason for having them.

#9. Need to be tolerant of confinement. Will have large outdoor run, but no free ranging in the winter, so they need to be OK with that.

So what say you? Am I looking for a unicorn? Or do any of you have ideas for me to look into. Also wanted to say I will NOT be going the hatchery route. So no need to go into breeds that are overly rare and have 1 breeder in the USA that is on the east coast and doesn't ship! LOL

We got some New Hampshire Reds from a local breeder. One turned out to be a roo and we absolutely LOVE how friendly they are. In fact, the roo, which we named Red, will eat out of my hand and comes over to me more than the ladies. We got them when they were just a few days old and picked them up often.

We bought the reds along with some EE's, which also yielded a roo, Charlie, and also three Barred Rocks. They all integrated into our mature flock without any incidents, even with our big guy, Buster (Speckled Sussex.) They haven't started laying yet but I have read that New Hampshire Reds can tend to go broody. I hope so!

We have a large pen that we built a coop in at the fence corner. Most chickens don't need a lot of space. I hope you find what you're looking for!

 

[4 little chickens]

Wyandotte

 

[jenswinebar]

I really like my cuckoo marans! good layers, very docile but not clingy. Also second Australorps, great birds.

 

[Jmiller89]

I don’t really have experience with too many breeds but I’d say Black Australorp is a good fit. My sister had a flock of 25 with 2 Roos (that never went after people) which I didn’t think anything of until we had chickens and a roo of our own. We had a mix flock with 2 Australorps and one of them liked to go broody (it was easy enough to break, but we did let her hatch out a clutch and she was a good mom). They were also not overly aggressive and were probably at the lower end of the pecking order due to us having some more aggressive breeds with them. I believe they are pretty hardy birds as well.

 

[Vicker]

Black Australorps are big, beautiful, fluffy, hardy birds that I just love. Their feathers are iridescent in the sun. They are a cross with Orpingtons, so do have that tendency to go broody.

 

[CackleBabies]

Just some to get your research started:

• Some sort of laced Wyandotte (silver, gold, blue laced red)
• Easter egger
• Welsummer
• Sussex
• Black star
• Australorp
• Partridge or Barred Rock

 

[CackleBabies]

I don’t really have experience with too many breeds but I’d say Black Australorp is a good fit. My sister had a flock of 25 with 2 Roos (that never went after people) which I didn’t think anything of until we had chickens and a roo of our own. We had a mix flock with 2 Australorps and one of them liked to go broody (it was easy enough to break, but we did let her hatch out a clutch and she was a good mom). They were also not overly aggressive and were probably at the lower end of the pecking order due to us having some more aggressive breeds with them. I believe they are pretty hardy birds as well.

 

[SulkyBantam]

Looking for more ideas besides the ones I already NEED. (Java and Brabanter.) Much prefer recommendations from people that have or have had the breed. WAY too much conflicting info when you just "google". Look at 4 different sites and they generally say 4 different things. Which is accurate? It is quite obvious most sites are just copying what they read on a another site, rather than speaking from personal experience.

"Requirements" are:

#1 Larger size. (So no bantys, silkies etc...)

#2 Tends to go broody.

#3 Cold hardy, BUT won't suffer too much in the heat. (VERY low humidity though as I live in the high desert.)

#4 PRETTY! (I don't like plain old white, buff, etc... But I DO like solid black. LOVE mottled and spangled.)

#5 Not overly fluffy, Especially in the butt feathers. (So nothing like English Opringtons.) Just NOT practical in my area.

#6 NO FEATHERS ON LEGS.

#7. Docile temperaments. ( I don't DO aggressive animals of ANY kind. I don't take that crap from cattle or horses. Not having it from a bird either!) They don't have to be the "pet" type wanting to sit on my lap, but no going after me for sport either.) Also don't want any that are known for being on the aggressive side with flock mates. I'm not talking about "pecking order". Of course THAT is natural. I mean jerks that like to beat up on others for sport.

#8. No care at all for egg color nor number of eggs as that is not the reason for having them.

#9. Need to be tolerant of confinement. Will have large outdoor run, but no free ranging in the winter, so they need to be OK with that.

So what say you? Am I looking for a unicorn? Or do any of you have ideas for me to look into. Also wanted to say I will NOT be going the hatchery route. So no need to go into breeds that are overly rare and have 1 breeder in the USA that is on the east coast and doesn't ship! LOL

SUSSEX SUSSEX SUSSEX

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

Our silver laced Wyandottes fit that bill, nut we also have a couple of Barnvelders that do really well in our Houston heat.

Thank you. I found a fairly local (Less than 200 miles one way.) breeder with Barnevelders. (They were on my "I really want one/a couple of those" list too. But are harder to find. ) Hopefully it will work out with this breeder in the spring.