so many breeds please help.

[greenthumb89]

really dont know what breed to get. planning on only a couple hens as layers/pets. Had chickens when i was younger, the best one by far was a RIR that would follow me around but anyway was thinking about orpingtons, brahmas, and/or favorelles. Need a cold hardy( i live in wisconsin), gentle nature chicken with personality. open to all suggestions. thanks luke

 

[amyquilt]

Buckeye might be good for you. They are on the top of my list. I plan to get some eggs and have a hatch in a few weeks. I'm very excited, since they are an endangered breed.

 

[wannabechickraiser]

mypetchicken.com website was very helpful in selecting breeds.

 

[amazondoc]

Boy, selecting breeds is HARD. There's so many wonderful chickens out there to choose from!

There are several great web sites with info about lots of breeds. In particular, check out these two:

Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart:
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

Feathersite:
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html#Chickens

Have fun, ask questions, and above all (IMHO) TAKE YOUR TIME in figuring out what you want!

You can see what I finally came up with in my sig file, below. None of my final choices were on my original wish list!

 

[Pike's Peeps B&B]

I agree trying to pick breeds is hard.

I would definitely go with orpingtons. Wyandottes are also a good choice. These 2 breeds are great especially if you want some hardy layers. GOOD LUCK!!!!!

 

[EweSheep]

Welsummers and Orpingtons are the top of my list!

 

[TMNTCkins]

Orpingtons are our fav also love the RIR.

 

[amazondoc]

Just a further note --

I finally decided against Orps because I don't really want such huge birds. Same thing with standard cochins -- size plus feathered feet, which don't appeal to me. But to each their own!

 

[seriousbill]

RIRs are a very nice breed. I always keep a few around here to lay eggs, even though my main interest is Delawares. I'll probably always have a few RIRs. You just can't beat them much for laying eggs.