One breed or many?

[jomoncon]

I'm a relatively new chicken owner, a little more than a year. When deciding my chicks, I thought I wanted a mixed flock, but I also wanted a lot of eggs. When I went to the feed store to get them, all they had was RIRs, so I got 8 RIRs.

While I love my girls, I can't tell one from the other. All the eggs look alike, and I can't tell who laid what. The pictures of mixed egg colors look so very pretty that I really think I'll get a mixed flock the next time.

 

[BWKatz]

I started out wanted colored eggs from a variety of docile, friendly breeds and have acheived just that. Some could be more productive but that's the price I pay. I can tell which hen laid what even from the same breed or the same color. I only have 9 layers but that's plenty for my DH & I, even in the winter.

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Hi, I'm Bryan, and I have only Australorps too.

I view our hobby farm chickens as livestock, and I love the flock as a whole but "generally" don't get attached to individual birds. For me, things are just more consistent with one breed. Any issues with egg quality, and animal health and welfare are easier to spot. Plus, any chicks or hatching eggs we sell are for sure purebred - no guesswork required.

From a pet perspective, though - heck yes, go with variety! Our variety comes in with the ducks, turkeys, and rabbits - one breed of each.

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Here's some regular looking pics in my average suburban yard on a cold rainy day. Does this help give you a basic idea of what chickens in the yard might look like?

I often love the look of all black chickens on my green hill. I often think the white chickens look like empty white paper bags littering the yard. I also think my white picket fence would rock the look of reddish chickens with bright red combs.

But that's just the "looks" of different breeds. All my chickens are fun pets, and the little white rooster is so tame he'll come to his name and land gingerly in my hand for a hello and a treat. Up close, he's a great lookin bird. But from inside my windows or from across the street, he does resemble a bit of lost homework blowing around the yard.

 

[Jobele]

OMG! How cute 6 chickens! They are so adorable and is that a live rabbit? WOW! He adds some eye candy too.....LOL

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

The rabbit is an American Chinchilla Rabbit. They say rabbits shouldn't live with chickens because they can die from coccidia. But he's been here since May freeranging and we got lucky. Others keep rabbits with their chickens too, but there's definitely a risk to the rabbit. The average lifespan of chin's is about 5 years anyways, so his life will be short and sweet no matter what. Our rabbit lives more like a dog, he comes and goes indoors and outdoors all day, he's a real gentleman in the house, has a litterpan which he uses fastidiously.

You have RIR's? One day my husband met a RIR rooster and still he talks about how gorgeous that bird was. Do you have a roo? The deep chestnut color is really nice.

 

[AnnieOK]

Sorry I haven't thanked y'all for your replies till now, been working my night shifts. Blech!

I appreciate hearing the different opinions and perspectives, and LOVED seeing the pics! I am strongly leaning toward Australorps; my friend who has them is thrilled with hers, and having Black Angus cattle has maybe skewed my preferences. But I have to agree, the mixed flocks are pretty. Maybe I'll start out with the australorps and see how it goes and then add variety over time. who knows--it's a new adventure!

Thanks all for chiming in, I love BYC.

 

[toomanydogs]

A newbie here and I have a mixed flock because I just couldn't decide between so many beautiful breeds. I do have plans to set up some more runs and get a couple more breeds to keep in purebred flocks. I really love the looks of Lakenvelders and splash Cochins

lisa

 

[5chicks4us]

We have all RIRs because I wanted dependable egg layers and when we ordered them we had to buy in groups of 5. The next time we get chicks though I want to try to buy a variety. It's really hard to tell 3 of ours apart. The tags I put on them have faded in the sunlight. lol.

 

[mtnviewfarms]

Just depends on what your goals/needs/wants are regarding your flock. We only have Barred Plymouth Rocks because -

1) We wanted to support 'Heritage Breeds' and

2) Wanted standard size dual-purpose chicken and

3) Wanted a breed that would lay large brown eggs and

4) Needed a breed that was hardy enough to withstand the hot north GA summer heat and cold hardy
enough to handle winter weather down to 10 degrees w/o more than a brooder lamp in their house to keep the water from freezing and

5) that were slow growers and able to reliably reproduce naturally as we also sell hatching eggs and

6) that were a healthy 'no-fuss' breed that was lively enough to be fun and interesting but docile enough that we would not be 'spurred' by the Roos and

7) We plan to selectively breed and raise/sell chicks in the future and finally

8) We did not want show quality birds but instead very attractive utilitarian birds and for us BRs meet those criteria in spades.

If we had the space and record keeping ability we would love having many different kinds but since we do not, we have chosen to stay with BR's for all of the above reasons.