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

[sheilahowell77]

Broodiness, temperament, heat tolerant and dual-purpose is my main go to.

 

[Ferd Berfel]

Egg production, because we sell eggs. Lack of broodiness, because we sell eggs. The health one, because we sell eggs? Because who wants sick chickens! We can’t eat or kill any is another reason not to want broodiness. If one gets old and quits laying we still can’t eat her. I gave away some drakes because we don’t eat ducks either.

 

[PicketFarmer]

I've only raised one flock, so far (and they're only about 9 weeks, now), but what we went for was temperament, heat hardiness, egg production, and poor fliers. We live in the southeast US, so we had to get a breed that could withstand the regular triple digit temps in the summer, and we live in a neighborhood with low fences, so we wanted heavy birds that can't fly very high - though that's a moot point, now that we've covered the chicken yard with a net. We also initially planned on culling for meat (dual purpose), which is why we got a rooster for chicks and continual meat and egg production, but after raising these girls for over 2 months, they've become pets and I can't see us eating any of them. Looks was another factor, though not as important, but my mom has loved the speckle pattern ever since she was a kid and watched her aunt raise Dominiques, so we went with the Barred Rocks, which fit all of the categories.

 

[HappyClucker7]

I've only raised one flock, so far (and they're only about 9 weeks, now), but what we went for was temperament, heat hardiness, egg production, and poor fliers. We live in the southeast US, so we had to get a breed that could withstand the regular triple digit temps in the summer, and we live in a neighborhood with low fences, so we wanted heavy birds that can't fly very high - though that's a moot point, now that we've covered the chicken yard with a net. We also initially planned on culling for meat (dual purpose), which is why we got a rooster for chicks and continual meat and egg production, but after raising these girls for over 2 months, they've become pets and I can't see us eating any of them. Looks was another factor, though not as important, but my mom has loved the speckle pattern ever since she was a kid and watched her aunt raise Dominiques, so we went with the Barred Rocks, which fit all of the categories.

I just thought I'd let you know, you should have a fan set up in the run for the summer, and be prepared to have to drastically cool down your chickens. My barred rock is absolutely miserable in the summer, and my temps rarely go above 95 degrees.

 

[PicketFarmer]

I just thought I'd let you know, you should have a fan set up in the run for the summer, and be prepared to have to drastically cool down your chickens. My barred rock is absolutely miserable in the summer, and my temps rarely go above 95 degrees.

The coop has plenty of ventilation and stays at least 10 degrees cooler, so when the sun reaches the zenith, they retreat inside to stay cool. I kept a close eye on them during the heat wave to make sure they were okay; had to refresh their water 3 times a day and make sure they were taking their dust baths, but they survived. Thankfully, it's been raining a lot recently, which has kept the temperatures relatively low, and it'll start to cool off in a week or so. I'll definitely look into getting a fan for next summer, though.

 

[HeidiPDX]

I'm only a 10 week old chicken wrangler but I was looking for friendly, curious, healthy, and attractive (to me) breeds. When it came time to get them, timing and who was available came into play. I have a VERY affectionate and pretty Ameraucana who currently whistles, a curious Welsummer, and a humorous blue red laced wyandotte that looks like a watercolor. All three are beautiful and fun to observe and interact with. I didn't want heavy layers or broody prone. Eggs, for me, are an after thought. I hope I can figure out how to put their poo to work.

 

[tcfoster]

When I pic my chicken breeds, I look for ones that I think look nice, ones that will be able to withstand very cold winters, that don't get sick very easily, and that will live a long time. My chickens are pets, so egg laying abilities, showability, meat production, etc. don't really matter to me.

Same here!

 

[LynnaePB]

I felt like I picked too many but they are all things I would seriously consider when picking a breed. I think a lot of breeds will tick certain boxes but may lack in others and you just have to find one where the strengths outweigh the weaknesses for your purpose. I just recently got into breeding (with a focus on pretty and sweet chickens who might make good pets) so I'm coming at this from that perspective.

I picked

Temperament - Even before getting into breeding this was one of my #1 considerations. I looked at chickens more as a kind of pet that had the added benefit of eggs. I want to be able to provide chickens that could be good pets for others and I enjoy my flock all the more when they are friendly and easy to handle.

Resistance to disease and parasites (hardiness) - I want to have healthy birds that can live a long and healthy life.

Heat hardiness and cold hardiness - Ideally I'd like to have a breed that can thrive in many different climates.

Aesthetics/looks - I love interesting looking chickens and I want to be able to breed something that I myself as well as others find interesting aesthetically.

Egg production - Producing enough eggs to be able to hatch out a decent amount of chicks from a pair or trio is important. For me egg production doesn't have to be really high but if it was very low it would become a problem.

Pedigree- Before I got into breeding this was of very little importance to me but as a breeder you want to be able to have predictable and reproducible results from your breeding efforts and birds with a background where colors/breeds weren't mixed together willy-nilly will be easier to breed and get predictable results.

Showability - I would like my birds to be able to eventually compete in shows near my area and it would be nice if they could potentially be nice show birds for others who buy birds or eggs from my line as well.

 

[casportpony]

What great replies everyone!

 

[Xouie]

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.