Official BYC Poll - Which Breed Characteristics/Traits are the Most Important to You?

[Kes]

I chose temperament. I don't need them to all crave being picked up and cuddled but my chickens are are pets so I want ones that are going to be relatively friendly towards people and each other.

I'm a little surprised noise isn't on here since that can be an issue in some areas.

 

[chickencheeper]

I choose birds that are hardy and adaptable, that are very docile(I like to snuggle XD) and of course how purty they are

 

[Akrnaf2]

@Akrnaf2, that hen is gorgeous!

I have to agree with @Ravynscroft, hardiness for me goes way beyond heat and cold tolerance. The most important trait for me is a strong immunity system. It's no good for them to be pretty, good layers, cold and heat hearty or good foragers if they drop dead from the Marek's disease that I fought last year. Breeding for strong genetics has to be the number one trait that I find desirable in chickens.

Thank you very much ! And yes, I agree with you

 

[bruceha2000]

I would have chosen broodiness as my #1 except that I want birds that are NOT broody. No rooster here, not hatching any birds, don't want birds that think trying to hatch shavings several times a year is a "good thing".

Yet, I still have some that forgot to read their breed characteristics. Of course the Meyer EE's didn't read either, none of them has been broody though Meyer says they are.

 

[Sylvester017]

Although egg production, good people-friendly/flock-mate friendly temperament, and good looks are what I checked off -- there are other equally important characteristics like breed hardiness, climate adaptation, and foraging skills, that are just as important to me. I adore the beautiful fluffy good-looking breeds but they really can't handle our humid temps. I've had less fluffy good-looking breeds that meet all my criteria but are such a rare breed they have a low immunity gene pool because of their rarity and I lose them. And the really great foragers are usually assertive, aggressive, or combative-type temperaments and don't get along well with each other and sometimes not people-friendly so I need to avoid them. Just gotta do the best I can with what works best in our climate zone. So ultimately, I pick a docile temperament non-fluffy breed with fairly decent egg production and hope for the best longevity of the breed as we cycle through some of our climactic heatwaves. Because heavier chicken breeds don't tolerate our hot climate I've resorted to limiting hen breeds to 5-lb-or under which eliminates larger breeds like Ameraucana, Brahma, Bielefelder, Orps, Lorps, Marans, RIR, BR, Java, Sussex, Jersey Giant, etc etc. Surprisingly there are a lot of lighterweight breeds to choose from that have good egg production and good temperaments and in the end sometimes lighter on the feed-to-egg ratio.

 

[tuesdaylove]

My chickens are pets. I do eat their eggs, but whether or not they lay is no concern to me. When choosing them as pets, I first look for friendliness, then pretty colors.

 

[Cryss]

Temperament is top for me. No meanies allowed. Probably tied with that is hardiness. I just went through 4 Nor'easter's in like 2-3 weeks time. This is my first flock and I didn't heat anything. Egg production is 3rd. Without the first 2 the 3rd won't happen cuz either I don't want it due to aggression or it will freeze to death in our winters.

 

[flock mommasan]

I look for climate hardiness since we lost one chicken because of the heat (Salt 'N Peppa, my avatar). Also looks are important -- I like my gals to all be different and strut their stuff! And finally, I chose temperament as I don't like super aggressive birds, though my alpha sneaks up and pecks me from time to time. (I forgive her though as she's a super egg producer. Still, she's a talker...always the first to complain if I'm late with treats or letting them out of the coop!)

 

[graciel57]

If I had to choose one, it would be egg production. But I can also check EVERYTHING and it would be true, because I keep different breeds for different reasons. If I could only check one, and only one breed based on that, it would be Leghorns for eggs. They are wild coots, but they lay a nice egg.

 

[Natanya]

I need birds that I think look good, like to be picked up and cuddled, and can tolorate the temperate temperatures of my region; up to 110F in the summer, and down to -15F in the winter. My birds are pets first, garden helpers second, and the eggs and rare carcass are a significant bonus.