Official BYC Poll: What Breed Characteristics are Most Important to You?

[U_Stormcrow]

Slowly assembling a homestead in NW FL Panhandle, so my needs are predictable:

Heat Hardy
Dual Purpose
Feed Consumption
Other (ability to effectively free range / alert to aerial predators)

Nice to have is "Size" - because when it comes time to kill, clean, and part out, all of those efforts become more efficient (and sometimes easier) when there is actually some bird underneath those feathers.

Disease/Parasite Resistance is my job, not theirs - but its helped by our isolation, and the time/distance separation I maintain between the purchase of new birds and the eventual introduction into the flock. I use a month+ quarantine process.

 

[AltonaAcres]

I look for foraging ability as my birds have almost an acre sized enclosure so if they aren't good foragers they aren't going to have a very exciting life

 

[Amer]

First priority is temperament. Got no time for mean birds.

Second (other) is intelligence. Don’t need rocket engineers, but it’s nice if they don’t get lost in a corner of the coop. But even a real dunce is fine if it’s a sweetheart.

We had a rooster named Stewart who jumped on the lit grill to see what my husband was doing. Dumb as a doorknob, but the sweetest lil guy ever.

Grilled chicken! XD that’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.

 

[Parront]

Grilled chicken! XD that’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.

Grilled chicken is what it is all about!

 

[Annabellarose]

I voted:

temperament;
Mine are pets, first and foremost (that said, I just butchered a cannibalistic hen and, going forward, I'll butcher any roosters as I currently have 22 eggs in the incubator), so if you're not friendly (or at least respectful) to me or to your fellow flockmates, Imma' eat you!

cold hardiness;
I do not live in an overly cold part of the country, but I am more worried about my birds suffering because of the cold than because of the heat.

egg production;
I got into this looking for pets first, but eggs second.

egg color;
My husband and I both love and wanted brown eggs (I would love some blue and green too; the future, maybe); white is so boring! Ha!

anesthetics;
If they're here and if I have to take care of them I want something that is pleasing to my eye and/or personal taste.

lack of broodiness;
I don't have a rooster (at the moment) so a hen going broody over unfertilized eggs is just cruelty.

That said, I originally chose (after much research) mail order hatchery Dominiques. I believe that they were an excellent choice. I have always liked the look of black and white barred feathers and I love the look of the rose comb. I recently bought some hatchery Sapphire Gem chicks from TSC; the chicks were easily tamed and I like the look of the grown birds that I have seen pictures of. I have blue laced red Wyandottes (15) and Appenzeller Spitzhaubens (7) in the incubator RIGHT NOW! I deliberately sought out the BLRW after seeing a picture of some and then doing research on them, but the seller only had 16 BLRW hatching eggs available (I asked for 22 as my incubator has 22 slots) but offered to fill out my request with Appenzeller Spitzhaubens. Originally I said no, then I decided that I really hated to run the incubator half full. I might fall in love with them; if not, I'm sure they taste delicious!

 

[Alderen]

Because I knew that my 5-year-old grandson would be heavily involved with our girls, I picked breeds that were friendly and calm. I have no plans to raise chicks so I didn't want a breed that would be broody. We have 2 starlight green eggers (who we were told would lay green eggs, however, we must have gotten 2 from the 5% that lay brown eggs - LOL), 2 Black Australorps, 1 Barred Rock, and 1 Dominique. The Australorps are so friendly. I really do like the breeds that we chose.