Need to pick a breed

[gp5]

Hi, very new to computers so I hope this message is getting to you all. So many choices of breeds, can anyone help me narrow down the choices. I'm in Northern New Jersey so looking for a breed that handles the cold well, I heard some have feathers on the legs and no parts prone to freezing? Would like to raise the birds for eggs but would occasionally use for meat, so dual purpose? I have limited space but want them feeling like their coop is roomy, so bantam? If a bantam fits this bill, which types. If I knew, I think I'd pick the lowest maintenance breed among them, to start. Thanks if anyone can help, Phil

 

[PDJTP2006]

IF you want a hardy breed that can handle the cold I would go with a Heavy Breed such as barred rock which are great eating and great layers also there are Rhode Island Reds,Black Austalopes and also all Orpington all great layers,my favorite are salmon faverolles and they would take to cold very well they have feathered legs with a extra 5th toe and alot of feathers and also lay a tinted egg. I dont know if you would want to get bantams because there not as hardy as the larger breeds and not as good to eat. But they are very cute and nice I have 4.

 

[gp5]

Hi PDJTP2006 thanks very much for your reply - I'm so distrustful with this friend's cast-off computer I wrote down every breed you mentioned. If an egg laying bantam's not cold hardy enough (I care less about the meat quality), what's the smallest of the breeds you mentioned? Right now I can only convert a rabbit hutch, about 10 square feet of enclosure, 6 square feet additionally of the house part. I figured just 2 hens, of a smaller breed. I'll build a bigger coop this summer for next year, but I'm dying to dabble with something now.

 

[PDJTP2006]

The smallest breed I mentioned probably the Black Astalope but if meat quality isnt an issue and you want some bantams you could get andy variety of Japenese bantams there small or Dutch bantams which I have I recommend there very nice and small. The laying bantams I would probably say the Plymouth barred rock bantams or Rhode Island Red Bantams.

 

[TheBigWRanch]

It takes about 10 bantam eggs to make just one breakfast, so I wouldn't go with bantams if you want to eat the eggs, and you can only have two birds.

 

[gp5]

Thanks to both of you - this sure beats me guessing what to get - Though I didn't know there was such a big difference in size of egg, I guess for my efforts I want more than 2 omelets a week. So I guess Salmon Favoreles. I'm grateful for the direction here because now I can start looking for a couple in the magazines and to heck with the infinite variety of choices for the time being. If you have any afterthoughts on smallish standard, dual purpose but mainly eggs, cold-resistant, low maintenance breed I'll be all ears- Phil

 

[TheBigWRanch]

Well, Faverolles lay about 180 eggs per year, that weigh about 55 grams, while bantams lay eggs about 80 eggs per year, that weigh 25- 30 grams.

 

[apbgv]

Boy I better tell red(cochin bantie) to stop laying so much she lays pretty much every day from March to early Dec and she is 3 yrs old Guess she just loves her chicken mom Boy they are hating this snow, me too.

 

[Momma Hen]

any of the heavy breeds mentioned would do fine in your climate. Pick your color perference & go from there. Personally, I like the Barred Rocks. Hardy, dual-purpose, great layers & sweet dispositions.

 

[JamesC]

gp5:
Hello all, I've just registered for this forum so I'm new here but not to poultry nor poultry boards. I've been incubating and raising poultry for 45 years, mainly working these days with Cornish in Large Fowl and Bantams but in the past few years have been working with Large Fowl Malays as well.

To get in on this discussion I want to say a couple of things. First, the 10 eggs to make a breakfast statement is a little off. I guess it depends on the number of people you are going to feed but the normal equivalent is 3 bantams eggs = 2 medium to large eggs. That's not too bad! Keep in mind that Bantams are not prolific layers, one egg every other day is pretty good for them. I find that the egg size in relation to body size is much better in Bantams than in Large Fowl. By that I mean, since a Bantam of any breed is roughly 1/4 the size of its Large Fowl equivalent you would expect the same of its eggs but, for example, with my Cornish, the Large Fowl lay an egg that weighs 60 grams while the Cornish Bantams eggs will weight 30-36 grams so their eggs are significantly larger in relation to their body size.

The other thing I want to say is that when considering a breed for cold climates, the biggest issue is with their combs. If you can't provide a coop that you can keep above freezind, males will often suffer from frozen combs and wattles so it's advisable to find a breed that doesn't have a single comb but any other type of comb will do (ie) pea comb, rose comb, cushion comb, walnut comb, strawberry comb, v comb, etc. Breeds having these types of combs usually also have very small wattles so are less likely to dip into the water and suffer from freezing. So, you could go with Wyandottes, Rosecombs, Cornish, Malays, Asils (Aseels), Crevecoeur, Silkies, Chanteclers, Sumatras, Polish, Sultans, Araucanas, Ameraucanas, Cubalayas, and there are others, You can also find Rose Combs in Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds if you look around. If you have McMurray's catalogue or one from another hatchery look for any breed that doesn't have a single comb. If you don't know ask, I've dealt with the McMurray staff in the past and they are very helpful people.

Good luck,
James