Plymouth Rocks or Buff Orpingtons

[ziggy]

My BR is the most friendly of the bunch.
First to lay out of the five that we have her eggs are a touch darker than the RIR, SLW and SexLink.

She always jumps on my back and chats in my ear until I give her a treat.

 

[ugly ducky]

I've had both, and MUCH prefer the Orps. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but those Buffs just brighten my day every time I look at them. My girls are laying very well, and as for size, I don't see a thing wrong with the size of their eggs. I do have some Silver Penciled Rocks, and I'd say they eat about the same. Truthfully, it's personal preference I think. As you've seen, they're runing so close it might as well be a tie. But for the record, my vote is for the Orpingtons.

 

[silkiechicken]

I prefer BO's.

HOWEVER. Your main goal is EGG production. In that respect, do not get BO's. They are setters. They often want to set on eggs, meaning they will do that instead of laying eggs for 2 months or more every year. You won't get as many eggs from them.

So for EGG PRODUCTION I vote BR.

 

[skeeter]

just get a few of each and throw in some RIRs and Black Autralorps too,and get them ASAP so they will be laying by the 4th of July,then if there is one or the other you dont like you can sell laying hens and make your chick and feed money back

good luck

 

[jossanne]

Quote:
I like this idea best... buy 'em all!

 

[jvls1942]

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this is not a bad idea..

however,,,,I do not think it is a good idea to try hatching eggs from such a mixed batch of breeds unless you know what you are after.. I made that mistake once..
You will get some of the prettiest chickens that way, but the overall trend is for the chickens to get smaller and smaller.. If you are going for a dual purpose chicken, beware.. You probably will end up butchering one year old roosters that weigh only 3 pounds max.. and the hens are even smaller..

for beginners and non-breeders I would say stick to one breed until you research and know what to cross breed..

 

[SandRun]

New Tally

Buff Orpingtons - 24
Barred Plymouth Rocks - 25

Perhaps I should clarify about what I meant for egg production. I was looking for huge differences between the breeds. For example does the buff lay 1 egg every 2 weeks thats half the size of the BR's 1 egg a day. That kind of thing.

To be honest I have only seen roos of both breeds and was incredibly impressed with the BO. The BR was a good looking bird but did not have the "pop" of the BO. I think eventually I'd like to let a hen hatch some eggs, if for no other reason than the learning experience. That's also why I want to stick with one breed. I'd like to know what I'm going to get so to speak.

 

[SandRun]

Haven't had a post since Christmas. The Barred Rocks are in the lead, but I want MORE VOTES........

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Well, I have two older Buff Orps. They are nice birds and no problem at all. I alos have 5 white plymouth Rock hens and TWO white plymouth rock roos. I sorta like the Plymouth Rocks. They are freindly and pretty smart for a chicken. They do get a bit bigger than the BOs. I really enjoy having the roos around and they are great birds. They treat the hens nicely.

 

[cwhit590]

Oooh! Oooh! Just noticed this thread...I'm a beginner getting started with both breeds so I'll chime in!

I love the temperament of my 3 Buff Orp hens. They are all easy-going and friendly, and they don't mind being handled. They are a little boring to look at, but their personalities are great.

My 5 Barred Rocks have a WIDE range of personalities. Hen #1 is the friendliest hen I have - the first to come greet me and look for treats. Very gentle too. Hen #2 is nice...sometimes noisy but fine. Hen #3 is a friendly, kinda scrappy. Curious about everything...lol...maybe too curious cuz she'll bite and peck. Hen #4 is kinda standoffish...has a bit of a mean streak. She has warmed up to me, but she used to peck a lot. She is the first to confront 'danger'...she'll go after the cats if they get into the coop

and finally Hen #5 is very shy.

I got my hens as started pullets, so I don't know exactly where they came from. I'm pretty sure they are from a feed store (hatchery stock). The source of your birds could make all the difference, so ask around and see what others recommend!

As far as egg production goes...I can't really tell them apart! All the eggs look fairly similar and range in size from medium to large. Even now in the winter I'm getting 5 to 7 eggs a day from the 8 hens (I do have light in the coop). So I'm pretty happy with that! But we have yet to see who will go broody this spring...

Anyway, I guess my vote is for the Buff Orps. (But really I think you should try both to find out which one works best for you!!!

)