Sand Hill suggestions?

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

I have a $40 credit and I'm not sure what I want to get. I placed a late order last year and they were sold out of most of what I wanted. I expected they would be so it didn't bother me much and I didn't expect them to give me a credit, but they did!

I was happy with their chicks, but I don't like ordering chicks through the mail. It's inevitable that you loose some due to the stress and I just prefer to buy hatching eggs. But after they were so generous I want to order at least one more time from them.

I was leaning towards their speckled Russian Orloffs, I received a few from them and they are adorable and cold hearty. I'm not too picky I just want a good bird for free ranging, that is a good forager, and is cold hearty. I'm in western ny and while it doesn't get super cold, we do get a ton of snow.

 

[popsicle]

If I were to order from Sand Hill, I would order: Iowa blues, flame jaerhons, and rose comb Rhode Island whites and reds. Maybe Icelandics. Oh, and the Russian orloffs, but you've already got them covered.

 

[Kelsie2290]

If you are looking for heavy birds, I have really come to like their Delawares, Wyandottes, also the Flame Jaerhon, (like them better than the standard ones), and Welsummers are nice. The Rhode Islands, Australorps or Buckeyes might be something to consider. Their Ameraucana and SR Orloffs are quite broody ime. Wasn't thrilled with the Icelandics.

 

[popsicle]

If you are looking for heavy birds, I have really come to like their Delawares, Wyandottes, also the Flame Jaerhon, (like them better than the standard ones), and Welsummers are nice. The Rhode Islands, Australorps or Buckeyes might be something to consider. Their Ameraucana and SR Orloffs are quite broody ime. Wasn't thrilled with the Icelandics.

Thanks for that. I like keeping a little spreadsheet with hatcheries and the breeds I would want from them--I'll add Wyandottes in place of Icelandics on the Sand Hill line. I've never ordered from them, but have been tempted many times--mostly because I want to try the Flame Jaerhons.

 

[1muttsfan]

My Delawares from Sand Hill have always been great layers and growers with excellent temperaments. The Speckled Sussex have also been nice looking birds and very friendly.

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

I was thinking of getting some Delawares as I've heard good things about the ones from there. I originally ordered Speckled Sussex last year, but they were sold out. Some of the first chickens I owned were Black Australorps, but I've held off getting any because I'm more interested in the rarer breeds now. My biggest concern is cold heartiness and foraging ability. I have a few Black Copper Marans I bought from a private breeder, they are great foragers, very large, and fast growing (they were being bred for meat birds so their colors are kind of bland and their eggs not very dark) but their combs are so big I have problems with frostbite.

 

[Bullitt]

I was thinking of getting some Delawares as I've heard good things about the ones from there. I originally ordered Speckled Sussex last year, but they were sold out. Some of the first chickens I owned were Black Australorps, but I've held off getting any because I'm more interested in the rarer breeds now. My biggest concern is cold heartiness and foraging ability. I have a few Black Copper Marans I bought from a private breeder, they are great foragers, very large, and fast growing (they were being bred for meat birds so their colors are kind of bland and their eggs not very dark) but their combs are so big I have problems with frostbite.

Maybe the Rose Comb Rhode Island Red?

Here is the Sand Hill Preservation Center's list of their best to worst layers. http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/pages/poultry_catalog.html (Their ordering is somewhat different than I would expect if looking at breeds from hatcheries. For example, Single Comb Rhode Island Red is way down the list. But this is based on their strains.)

White Jersey Giants, Partridge Rock, Ameraucana, Manx Rumpie, Spangled Russian Orloff, New Hampshire, Delaware, Norwegian Jaerhon, White Faced White Spanish, Buff Leghorn, Rose Comb Rhode Island Red, Silver Polish, Black Crested Blue Polish, Red Sussex, Black Australorp, Speckled Sussex, Light Sussex, Golden Laced Wyandotte, Golden Campine, Cuckoo Maran, White Dorking, La Fleche, Buff Orpington, Buttercup, Light Grey Dorking, Exchequer Leghorn, Ancona, Welsummer, Dominique, Golden Lakenvelder, Barred Holland, White Minorca, Silver Campine, Rhode Island Red, Buff Catalana, Single Comb Light Brown Leghorn, Blue Andalusian, White Chantecler, Blue Orpington,Frizzled Black Sumatra, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Partridge Chantecler, Black Orpington, Lakenvelder, Buff Chantecler, Black Breasted Red Cubalaya, Kraienkoppe, Golden Spangled Hamburg, Black Polish, Black Wyandotte, Red Dorking, White Crested Black Polish, White Orpington, White Houdan, Rose Comb Colored Dorking, Buff Cochin, Silver Grey Dorking, Black Ameraucana, Red Leghorn, Colored Dorking, Buff Laced Polish, Red Cap, Buff Minorca, Black Shamo, Buckeye, Black Crested White Polish, Golden Polish, Rose Comb Red Dorking, White Frizzle, Red Naked Neck, Iowa Blue, Blue Jersey Giant, Egyptian Fayoumi, Muffed Old English, Black Leghorn, White Cochin, Mahogany Faverolle, Light Brahma, White Ameraucana, Black Sumatra, Buff Wyandotte, Black Cochin, Long Crower, Rose Comb Rhode Island White, Black Jersey Giant, Red Pyle Cubalaya, Blue Chochin, Dark Shamo, Black Langshan, Silver Penciled Wyandotte, Silver Penciled Hamburg, Salmon Faverolle, Crevecoeur, Spitzhauben, Black Breasted Red Shamo, Silver Kraienkoppe, Barnevelder, Black Minorca, Mottled Java, Silver Laced Cochin, and White Crested Blue Polish.

 

[Kelsie2290]

That list is deceptive in other ways also... they mention they are comparing different ages of birds, ie a pullet pen to old birds in some cases. And some may be due to the birds not liking the particular situation, ie they have Black Minorcas almost at the end of the list, I have found them to be really good layers (mine free range)... they do mention on their site that they have problems with them egg eating when caged, so it is probably not that theirs are poor layers, they just have a lot of the eggs eaten... a number of the light or Mediterranean breeds are farther down the list than they should be I think, just because they don't take confinement as well.
I'll second the Speckled Sussex (never gotten their other colors) very pretty birds and good layers for Sussex... mine are rather on the lazy side though, like pretty much any SS I have had for some reason.
I've had a couple of most of their colors of Marans, they are decent layers for Marans (3+ week) but not terribly dark in most cases, the blues and black were really big birds, the others not as big... the girls do not have very big combs, haven't kept any of the roosters long term so don't know how they would wind up.

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

Has anyone gotten Narragansett Turkeys from Sand Hill? I have a few right now and was considering adding a few to my order just to expand my bloodlines.