Newbie

[vetteche]

I've got the opportunity to get whatever kinds of chickens in the world I want...and I don't know what to choose! I want great egg layers. A couple of meat chickens...I'm overwhelmed! Any suggestions?

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. If you want to breed birds that are good for both eggs and meat, you need a good dual purpose breed. I would recommend Black Australorps. I've raised them for years and they are extremely hardy. I raised them in Texas, in both northern Kansas where temperatures dropped to 30 F below zero one winter, and in CA where summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (123 F once), and in both climate extremes, they came through like troopers. They are also very calm and gentle. My children, and now my granddaughter, made lap pets out of ours. Black Australorps are a decent size dual purpose breed for eating, and they are the best layers of the standard brown egg laying breeds. A Black Australorp holds the brown egg laying record with 364 eggs in 365 days, and while none of mine have ever reached that kind of production (and likely never will), I've had a few of them lay over 300 eggs in a year. You can further research the various breeds with the quick reference charts at http://albc-usa.etapwss.com/images/uploads/docs/pickachicken.pdf, http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/breed-list.aspx, and http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html. Also, Murray McMurray has an excellent "chick selector" tool at https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chick_selector.html to help you determine which breed is best for you. Just be sure and click on "show more characteristics." Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in anyway we can. Whatever breed you decide to get, good luck with your flock.