RIR, Wyandotte, or EASTER EGGER???

[1 Bad Rotti]

Thanks karimw, you just made the decision a little easier. What would your take be on the other two breeds?

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

EEs also tend to be hit or miss in the egg laying department. Maybe it is partly because of the wide variety of what qualifies as EE. As such I would not plan to cross an EE with something if the goal was to improve egg laying.

RIRs are stongwilled birds, maybe on the agressive side in a mixed flock but they can be very friendly people birds.

 

[6chicks&aduck]

i have all three and my rir is the friendliest , but thats because i got her as a chic , wyandottes are a hardy breed , actually all 3 are but wyandottes are less suseptible to frostbite in colder climate . my EE's are fairly friendly and hardy too > if you obtain them as chics and spend time w them and handle them alot all 3 breeds will be extemely friendly & tame !! good luck with your chicks !!

 

[6chicks&aduck]

oh and my ee and rir lay the best for me, my wyandotte is 3 so she does'nt lay very regular but did when younger

 

[Pelican49]

I'm very fond of my Wyandotte. She was the first hen that would come up for petting and to be picked up. She's an excellent Mother if you're interested in chicks. One of the biggest pluses for me is that Wyandottes are winter layers. We get premium prices around here for eggs in winter. I've never had a RIR, but I've heard good things about them too.

 

[Cowgirl71]

Quote:
My RIRs have been quite docile, but are high in the pecking order. I haven't noticed them being especially aggressive to each other/other hens. And they are awesome layers too. If you're wanting to breed high egg-production into your NN I think RIRs would be a good choice!

I've had five GLWs from Cackle, absolutely gorgeous hens! And broody machines, LOL! So their summer laying is not all that great.

Have you considered Black Australorps? They're a beautiful, docile, brown-egg-laying, highly-productive breed!

 

[1 Bad Rotti]

I considered australorps but I'm not crazy about black chickens. I think I would rather have one of the three breeds I asked about. Thanks for the input though.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Wyandottes!!!

Mine are friendly, sweet, cold-hardy, and lay VERY well!

 

[1 Bad Rotti]

Those are some beautiful chickens. What is it about the wyandottes that makes them better than the RIR?

 

[vtgirls]

Our SLW is the head hen - she lays well (all f our hens are 7 mos old except one) - almost everyday. We have no light in the coop and the sun is gone behind a mountain by 4. She is a bit stand offish though, she'll run for treats but prefers to not be handled. We had a RIR who turned out to be a rooster and he was MEAN. We have an older EE someone gave to us and she lays about 3 pale pretty blue eggs (large) each week. She's sweet and docile also. We have an EE rooster too - he is calm and chatty and keeps good track of the girls. I will be getting more wyandottes and more easter eggers - they both have beautiful eggs and are a joy!