Please help me pick my next laying flock..........

[texaschickmama]

I now have a buff orpington laying flock and I'm going to expand to a second laying flock of 1 roo to like 14+hens. What would you pick? I know orpingtons are great, but I already have them. I was think black australorps, but I'm open to other suggestions.

 

[speckledhen]

My very best layers are my Barred Plymouth Rocks. They compete head to head with my Rhode Island Reds. They are so consistent that I often wish they'd stop laying during their molts so they wouldn't be bare so darn long! They also have curious, friendly personalities and I've never had one of mine go broody.

 

[texaschickmama]

Oh...........really..................hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm. .........the possibilities. Have you ever had black autralorps?

 

[SportTees]

I'm going with barred rock as well. Out of my about 20 different breeds of chicks they seem to have the best personality and rocks in general are good layers.

 

[SunAngel]

What about Ameraucanas or EE's?

I have 9 Blue/Green egg layers...EEs and EE/Silkie mixes and I get at least 7-8 eggs per day. They are drowning me in Bluish eggs lol.

I just got my first 2 Australorp chicks, so can't help you out there.

My Red Sex Links out lay my Barred Rocks and are much friendlier. For some reason I can't find a friendly BR, they are all standoffish.

My Exchequer Leghorn lays very consistently also and she is great eye candy, although not as friendly as the EEs.

 

[speckledhen]

I have never had Australorps, but I have had Ameraucanas as well as Easter Eggers. They are good layers, however, seems they skip more days than the BRs and are more likely to stop laying for short periods. Their eggs are generally smaller than the BRs, but age has something to do with that, too. You are more likely to have a broody EE or Ameraucana than a broody BR. And I adore my BR roosters. Dutch, my main flock rooster, comes when called and stands still to be picked up--such a baby he is! I recently sold six BR hens and one BR rooster to lockedhearts. They never stopped laying when they moved to her place.

 

[farmerlor]

I like the Black Austrolorps very much-wasn't it a Black Aussie that laid the most chicken eggs ever? They're maybe not quite as friendly as my Buffs or EEs but by no means are they anywhere close to being standoffish or skittish.
I also like the BR but it makes me dizzy to look at them.....like they're hypnotizing me man!

 

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

How 'bout 2/3 Ameraucanas and 1/3 Cuckoo Marans?

 

[SunAngel]

True, if you want those huge eggs, you will definitely get them with the BR or Sex Links.

I thought my new trio of Ameraucanas would stop laying when I first bought them, but they never did. I have noticed a random chicken taking a few days break in laying and the eggs are mostly medium sized. I have only had 2 broodies in my standard pen in the year I have had chickens...one was a Red Sex Link and the other was a White Cochin.

My daughter loves the Barred Rocks, but has been disappointed because none of the ones we have found have been at all friendly. Maybe I need to get one from someone that breeds them with nice temperment. The hatchery ones have no personality.

 

[speckledhen]

The personality differs among any breed, but I do have hatchery BRs and those hatched here from different bloodlines. The BRs were the yardstick by which I measured temperament in my other birds since they were always interested in me and what I was doing, friendly to the point of being in the way, LOL.