Narrowing it down. Trying to pick a good backyard breed.

[herechickchick]

Ok, you have to keep in mind that birds from different breeders or hatcheries will have different temperaments also in the way they are raised. That being said I have a Delaware and I LOVE her. Now at times she can be extremely loud and at times bossy. She is very sweet and I love her but she does not like to be held but she loves to sit by me on the porch. She is a EXCELLENT layer. Now I also have 2 Speckled Sussex and this is the breed I think you should get. I could not ask for 2 sweeter girls. They are cuddle bugs and sit on my feet. Mine have not started laying yet so I cannot comment on that. They are so beautiful and they get more beautiful as they grow. I have really enjoyed watching them mature. They are quiet and I think they would do well with children. I love the Orpingtons but they are everywhere. I had Buff Orpingtons and they were OK, not my favorite. I sold them to get a Blue Orpington (a rare color). I like your idea to get a heritage breed or an unusual breed like the Speckled Sussex.

Good Luck

 

[lanibeegirl]

I think I am going to start with about 6 chickens. From reading the replies on the hatchery board, I guess maybe I should order about 10 total and then find homes for extras to cover any chicks that are sicken before maturity or for mis-sexed roosters. Does that seem like an reasonable number? The minimum 25 chicks at some hatcheries seems like so many at once. The more chickens the merrier

Also, would it be ok to get a mixed flock including buff orpingtons or will the other breeds I am looking at not mix well with them? The BO temperment seems sort of low key and another site mentioned they might be bullied. If they are raised together will they be less likely to pick on each other? Again thank you so much for all the replies, I really appreciate the input.

Sidenote: My next door neighbor just called and when I told her that I was looking at chickens online. She said she loved chickens and had wanted to get some of her own for years. She even said that she would babysit them for me if I went on vacation. What a sweetie.

 

[cgmccary]

I have Barred Rock, Buff Orp, Lt Brahma, Australorp, Easter Eggers, Buckeyes, OEG, & mixed mutts.

If you are going with one breed, I'd select the Buff Orpington; you can't go wrong with this wonderful, sweet breed. All are nice to work with though.

 

[Astrid]

HI there,
We're relatively new to chickens as well, just getting our suburban backyard flock of four hens (two Buff Orpingtons and two Barred Plymouth Rocks) in July. All four of our girls are really sweet and come running to meet us as soon as they hear the back door open! We cannot imagine life without our four girls.

My avatar is a picture of our daughter (age 10) with Mable, one of our Buffs and the first egg they laid! It was a big day! You can see, they're really docile and sweet.

Good luck; this is a great board for advice and information!

Astrid

 

[Dbl T in CO]

I have Buffs and they have been incredible layers in winter. I live in Colorado so it can get cold here. I have 5 hens that we refer to as "The Golden Girls". A couple of weeks ago they laid 33 eggs in 7 days. They follow me where ever I go and even come when I call them (mostly because they think I have treats for them). I highly recommend this breed.

 

[speckledhen]

"The Golden Girls"

I call my two Buff Orp girls that, too. Sunny and Ginger are great girls, friendly, excellent layers and Sunny is the best broody you could ask for. I also have the Blue Orps, which for the most part, are a tad more skittish at first than the Buffs, but well worth the effort, although harder to come by. My all time favorite is the Barred Rock for personality and laying ability.​

 

[NJfarmer]

Go with the Buff Orps. I pick mine up all the time and they just sit in your arms no kicking or wing flapping and they have'nt pooped on me yet when I hold them
Also when I come home from school and I walk back to the chicken run they all run out of the chicken coop and stare at me waiting for me to play with them and they follow you around when I walk around in the run. They like to untie your shoelaces for some reason

 

[hcammack]

I got my mixed flock for egg color and hardieness they have not started to lay yet because they are still young. I have a wyndotte and she is not friendly and doesnt like to be held at all. I ordered from Meyer Hatchery which has a minimum of only 3 chicks per order. I did get 1 roo out of 8 but I just gave him to my cousin with a hen. I will be getting more birds on sunday that will include delawares and I will post about them when I get them.

Henry

 

[digitS']

This looked like just too much fun not to weigh in

. I'm going to go back to your original 4 and say just a little something about Buff Orpingtons. Can you tell that we have enjoyed having them around?

Okay, they are the only ones I've had of those 4. Since others have drifted off the original 4 and even tho' I've enjoyed the Buff Orpingtons, Australorps have been a 1st choice for many years. They are, however, very similar to the Buffies in personality.

Now about that 3 foot picket fence: We often allow the hens loose in the back yard. They can go in the front but that almost never happens. Since we are outside or they aren't allowed out of the pen, they will be shooed out of the front yard.

The backyard has 5 and 6 foot fences but the front yard fence and the gate up the driveway are only 3 feet high. The hens often walk up to the driveway gate but NEVER show any interest in going over these fences. They may be able to go UNDER the gate but have never done that, either. These are 3 foot picket fences and they can easily see thru them.

They are just comfortable in the backyard and find out-of-the-way spots for adventures. The front yard is scary and they stay out of there. And, keep in mind, if we go in the house to do more than get an ice tea out of the fridge - the hens get a treat

. . . back in their hen yard and they are closed in to enjoy it. They are not allowed out on their own.

Have fun and welcome

!

Steve

 

[greyfields]

I am a few hours north of you, about 30 miles upstream from Astoria on the Columbia River. I raise and breed:

Black Sex Links
Rhode Island Reds
Jersey Giants
Speckled Sussex
Dark Cornish
Barred Rocks
Marans

All do absolutely fine in our climate (I get closer to 80" of rain here). Just pick any breeds you can stand the sight of, because you're gonna be feeding them everyday for a very long time.