New to chickens... Thinking of these breeds

[rainy day ducks]

I am considering adding chickens to my hobby farm. I am considering the following sub breeds and was looking for some insight. I really just want eggs and beautiful chickens to admire. I would like some to be friendly. Overall, I would like calm docile chickens that can do well both confined and possibly free range at times. I would also like to know if certain breeds will not do well with other breeds.

Here are the breeds... Barred Rock, Black Copper Maran, Blue Laced Red Wyandotte, Blue Splash Maran, Buckeye, Buff Orpington, Columbian Wyandotte, Delaware, Golden Laced Wyandotte, New Hampshire, Rhode Island Red, Partridge Rock, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Speckled Sussex, Welsummer, and Salmon Faverolle.

Any comments would be much appreciated!

 

[chickendales]

Quote:
order a couple of each all pullets from a hatchery they lay u nice eggs and love mixeture of color

 

[chrislemurs]

get a few of them see what you like those are all good starter birds

 

[ejb3810]

My experience is that the Marans are very docile and gregarious, and on top of that lay dk brown eggs in good numbers. All that you have listed would probably be very good birds for you. If you start with chicks and get a small number of various breeds you may end up with many more roos than you want and few pullets.

 

[kfacres]

you have some breeds that will be harder to obtain than others, and be more expensive as well. you have quite af ew breeds mentioned, and unless you get 2 or 3 of each breed, you'll be spending quite a bit of $$

two ways to approach this...

 

[grasspack]

I have a flock of 11 speckled sussex hens and I love them. They lay nice big brown eggs and are a good sized bird so if you ever wanted/had to eat one you could. And they are friendly. I can pat them and cathc them easily if I chose to do so. I have a rooster with them and he is a good boy too.

Good luck.

Alice

 

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

Quote:
I think all of the breeds you picked would be great I would like to recenmend one more though "Easter Egger" Mine are sweet, colorfull and good egg layers. one of my easter eggers has loved to be held on her back since she was three days old and now ( she 1 1/2 years old) and she still likes to be held like that and goes to sleep just like a baby

 

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

Welcome to backyard chickens Grasspack

 

[RhodeRunner]

Sounds like a very nice flock. However, you may want to consider your climate a bit more when it comes to breed selection. I live in northern PA and shy away from single combed birds. I have found them to not handle winter as well as the smaller combed birds, and are more likely to suffer from frostbite. If this is a concern for you some other notable winter hardy daul-purpose breeds are the Ameraucana, Dominique, Chantecler, Easter Egger, RoseComb Rhode Island Red, Rhode Island White, and Orloff.

 

[rainy day ducks]

Thanks all for the replies!

I am not sure how many chickens I am plannig on getting or which breeds. The ones I listed above are ones that I am interested in but not necessarily purchase. I am also interested in the Barnevelder. I plan on getting chicks but am not sure if I will get straight run or sexed. At what age can you sex them by plumage or voice? All of my experience is with waterfowl with the exception of watching my neighbor's chickens when they are away. I have raised all with day olds.

The climate I live in is very temperate, rainy, and mild. The temperatures in the summer rarely go above 70 and the winter temps usually are around 30. Temps can plunge into the tens on a rare occasion in the winter. I live in a temperate rainforest next to the ocean. Right now is our rainy season but we are up to about 98 inches of rain with 2 months left in the year (we average 120). This climate is better suited for waterfowl however many are successful with chickens here.

Thanks again for all the input!