Suggestions on chicken breeds?

[Quail 66]

Hi. I was thinking of hatching some chicken eggs this spring for my friend who lends me the incubator. ( I know nothing about chickens, I have quails). Some tips on what kind should I order? He is looking for (I do not know the right word) old kind of "village" chickens that can survive and breed a bit on their own in a protected large area with nests and feeders. We live in Greece, good weather, only a few snowy days every now and then, sea level zone.
I found a farm that ships.
I was mostly intrigued by a hybrid of his own he calls "greek island" . they live 8-10 years, 280-300 eggs, 2,5-3 kilos 4-5 the male). He claims it's a very hurdy breed. Those are the breeds he has in the snapshot, and in the foto is the "greek island".Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

[Fenrisulfr]

I am also not that much into Chicken, yet, but I am improving as I want to breed Chicken next year.
And I got some reports from the old breeders of my poultry club.

I am looking into the Bielefelder Kennhuhn. It is a decent layer (230 egg/year) got a good meat body (hens 2.5 to 3.25 kg and roos 3 to 4 kg) and they are weather hard.
The hens go broody and most interesting thing is, that you can identify hens and roos directly after hatch.

I also looked for Wynadotte. They are similar to the Bielefelder, just some fewer eggs (180) and a bit lighter in weight (hens up to 3 kg roos up to 3.5 kg). They are more broody then the Bielefelder and very tame.
But you cannot identify gener from hatch.

These would be my suggestions, as I am thinking about them, either.

 

[shrimpsilkies]

Raising a breed native to your own area is always nice, since they’ll be used to the climate and probably are excellent free rangers. Since they’re a hybrid they may not be “pretty” like purebreds are, but if you’re like me and don’t really care about looks then I would get those! Ask about how broody they are if you want them to nest on their own.

 

[Quail 66]

Raising a breed native to your own area is always nice, since they’ll be used to the climate and probably are excellent free rangers. Since they’re a hybrid they may not be “pretty” like purebreds are, but if you’re like me and don’t really care about looks then I would get those! Ask about how broody they are if you want them to nest on their own.

My thoughts exactly. I will, thanks

 

[Quail 66]

I am also not that much into Chicken, yet, but I am improving as I want to breed Chicken next year.
And I got some reports from the old breeders of my poultry club.

I am looking into the Bielefelder Kennhuhn. It is a decent layer (230 egg/year) got a good meat body (hens 2.5 to 3.25 kg and roos 3 to 4 kg) and they are weather hard.
The hens go broody and most interesting thing is, that you can identify hens and roos directly after hatch.

I also looked for Wynadotte. They are similar to the Bielefelder, just some fewer eggs (180) and a bit lighter in weight (hens up to 3 kg roos up to 3.5 kg). They are more broody then the Bielefelder and very tame.
But you cannot identify gener from hatch.

These would be my suggestions, as I am thinking about them, either.

Good luck. Post when you decide. Thanks

 

[Nabiki]

You may want to ask a moderator to move this post. It's in the quail forums.

 

[Quail 66]

I am also not that much into Chicken, yet, but I am improving as I want to breed Chicken next year.
And I got some reports from the old breeders of my poultry club.

I am looking into the Bielefelder Kennhuhn. It is a decent layer (230 egg/year) got a good meat body (hens 2.5 to 3.25 kg and roos 3 to 4 kg) and they are weather hard.
The hens go broody and most interesting thing is, that you can identify hens and roos directly after hatch.

I also looked for Wynadotte. They are similar to the Bielefelder, just some fewer eggs (180) and a bit lighter in weight (hens up to 3 kg roos up to 3.5 kg). They are more broody then the Bielefelder and very tame.
But you cannot identify gener from hatch.

These would be my suggestions, as I am thinking about them, either.

since my post I kept looking and I found a known young farmer/ youtuber very appreciated here, who says he tried many breeds and they all get sick at some point. Finally he decided to collect eggs from old ladies who live in relatively secluded villages with small native old greek breeds and they have never gotten ill since then. He claims he doesn't even vaccine them and never uses incubator. I'm tempted. Native animals may not be for big production but they are resilient. Their name translated would be "forelock" . I think they look a bit like Bielefelder, right? . And they remind me of my grandmother hens. The problem is he shipps a small number of eggs every year. I must decide fast but with covid everything is so vague now. Maybe I should incubate chukars instant. It seems more realistic for 2021.

 

[Quail 66]

You may want to ask a moderator to move this post. It's in the quail forums.

I know, thanks. I just wanted the opinion of people with whom I have already chatted a bit.

 

[Quaicken108]

Sooo..... I wrote out something and then it deleted itself. Let’s try this again.

I’ve owned chickens longer than my quail. I have knowledge and experience that I hope I can give you. First off the bat, the bielefelder is a breed that I’ve never owned but know a bit about. Fenrisulfur has already mentioned the important details and it is true all you quail lovers, some breeds can be sexed at hatch. Chicken genetics is a lot of fun and chickens I general are great for eggs and meat. I do know and have experience with many of the listed breeds.

Chickens go through a moult in the autumn months and depending on weather and breed some won’t lay in the winter. That hybrid breed you mentioned sounds like a super chicken! That lifespan is good and those egg numbers are AmAzInG! I wonder how long they can keep it up. Chickens laying organs will start to break down and they don’t lay forever. The decrease in laying happens at around 2-4 depending on breed and feed and they’ll lay their last egg (fairy egg) when their laying organs no longer work. This usually happens a while after they aren’t laying regularly. I’m on the breed and gender forum on BYC and there’s a lot of nice people to help you out if you ever get stuck or need to ask a question.

Now the breeds that you’ve listed are quite diverse. You said something about ‘village’ chicken breeds, I’m not sure what you were talking about unless it was heritage breeds.
Araucanna and ameraucana are two breeds that lay colourful eggs. Araucannas lay green and the breed is rumples is the USA but around my area the look a bit different (with a tail). I think because they have a dash they might be giving you EE’s (Easter Egger’s) which are a mixed breed because the standard purebred ameraucana’s are rarer and not easily bought. If you get them then I amount other people could tell you if it’s pure or not depending on tail, colour, etc. Those breeds also have muffs which are like chicken feather beards!

Australorp are a good breed that have good production rates (eggs) and can go broody sometimes. I’m not really sure how they measure friendliness in a breed because to me it’s more about how you treat them but some australorp‘s that I’ve had experience with are really nice and some are a bit wriggly and not use to handling and one (a rooster) did kind of attack me when I was younger but I still love the breed! The hens especially are at least willing to be docile. The breed colour is usually black but they can come in blue, splash and maybe some others but they’re the most common.

Brahma! This breed is bigger than other breeds and my friend has two, one went broody but they aren’t the best of layers. They have a pea comb and the most common colours that they come in are buff, light and dark.

Jersey giants are similar to australorp’s in good egg production and might go broody. They have black and white up there but they can be found in blue as well. They’re just a good breed and I would also recommend them to you.

This next breed Lakenverder is one that I know of but haven’t had any experience with. I know that they have nice feathers and are used as ornamental birds for showing. They’ve never stood out for and reason as being a bad or good breed.

There‘s not really a ‘dark brown’ leghorn unless they have something different to others. Leghorns lay BIG white eggs and are very good layers. I have a white leghorn mix and she is still a good layer (she’s 4 on the 1st of Feb ). They have a slim body structure, big comb that sometimes (like mine) flops over! They’re fast developers so if you get one and are worried it’s a male you can post about it but even the hens develop very fast. They come in white and brown and I think maybe black? But white and brown are the most common. I read this thing once on their lifespan being low because of their large eggs but this isn’t really true because my friend had a pure white leghorn who sadly passed a few years ago and she was almost 13! However, it’s not common for them to go broody.

I’ve never had Phoenix (the breed) but one of my chickens names is Phoenix. They have looooooong tails and are also used as ornamental birds for showing. I’m not too sure how good their broodiness is but I do usually see males and females as a pair or trio and I feel like people breed them.

Here it is! The breed that has struck the universe! A breed that can be sexed at hatch! *Drum roll* Plymouth Rocks! In all seriousness this is a very good breed. At hatch they’re black with a spot on their head. Genetics in birds is a bit of the opposite than with mammals and humans. Male is ZZ and female ZW. Males have two of the barring gene and females have one so when they reproduce the barring on he males is broader than with the females. At hatch they use the dot on their head to determine the sex. Although not fully accurate you can still determine sex way younger than other breeds. Males have a bigger circle and females have a smaller thinner circle on their head. They can and do go broody sometimes and they have good production for eggs.

Polish Polish Polish! I’ve always wanted Polish for my own! These chickens have crests and as far as sexing goes it’s done by the feathers at an older age. This is why crested bird (LiKe SiLkIeS!) can be harder to sex but polish are on the easier side. They can be laced (silver, gold) but also have other colours. My favourite is white crested black Polish because they’re so beautiful. They are a pretty broody breed and have a pretty good egg production.

Silkies are similar to Polish because they’re crested but their crest is shorter and fluffier. They have five toes can come in a range of colours and their egg laying is descent but their eggs are smaller than other breeds. Did someone say broooooody! These chickens are broody! Definitely! There was this one i looked after a while ago and she was either broody, raising chicks or caring for her older chicks while being with her mate getting ready for some more chicks! These c are however not easy to sex. They also lay quite a far bit later than other breeds.

Sussex (light) YAY! I used to have two light Sussex but sadly only have one now. I’m pretty sure that their laying is good because I’ve had experience with other Sussex chickens but one of mine (whom passed) didn’t lay a lot (she was young) my other chicken is turning 2 on the 12th of this month! She is an excellent layer! Lays almost everyday since August when she started up. She went through a moult in March and was being rude to me and didn’t lay until late August. The breed is pretty big and are more prone to heat because of their origin. They can also come in buff, silver, coronation, platinum and speckled.

I haven’t really heard about that breed there. It might be that hybrid that you were talking about.

Wyandotte! I love Wyandotte’s (everyone should). They are laced chickens that come in silver laced, gold laced, blue laced red and the not laced ones which are rare and not really seen which are blue and white. I had four but sadly within a few months of owning them 3 died. This is because of the kind of dodgy person that gave them to me. The one that survived sadly didn’t fit in with my flock straight away and very easily softened up to me. They’re a very good breed as they are friendly, good layers and my one went broody and we got barnevelder chicks for her. My one also has a very good immune system and when all her sisters got sick she didn’t, she has had some problems like bumble foot but I’ve dealt with that and overall she’s a really good chicken. They have rose combs which are really pretty and although some can have singles, they’re not usually pure.

I really hope this helps and if you have any questions I’m more than happy to help you out! Hope all is and goes well!

 

[3KillerBs]

Native animals may not be for big production but they are resilient. Their name translated would be "forelock" . I think they look a bit like Bielefelder, right? . And they remind me of my grandmother hens.

I have no advice to give but I must say that the photo of the "forelock" chicken is absolutely lovely.