Well, let's see. We have quite a variety of breeds and we've had them for 2 years so here we go.
What made you choose a particular breed of chicken?
Rhode Island Reds, Columbian Wyandottes, Red Stars, New Hampshire Reds, we got because they are supposed to be good layers. Speckled Sussex and Partridge Rocks we got for their beautiful colors. Cuckoo Marans we got for the beautiful dark brown eggs they lay. The barnyard mix chickens we got because they were free and from our friends. The two roosters have proven to be our absolute best and 2 out of the 3 remaining hens are awesome broodies.
Was there a chicken breed that you regretted getting?
If there was any breed that I regretted getting, I would honestly have to say it was the Red Stars. Yes they are beautiful and yes they start laying sooner than other breeds, but the remaining hen we have does not lay, and she is only 2 years old.
What other breeds do you want to add to your flock?
Oh you shouldn't have asked!! I want to add so many..Let me just name a few off the top of my head.
Silkies (=
), and maybe some heavy breed Cochins for broodiness. (Hatching with an incubator is fun, but letting mama hen do it is so much easier.)
Lakenvelders, Pheonix, and Golden Sebrights for super pretty feathering and cuteness.
Blue Laced Red Wyandottes for pretty feathers and egg production.
Dominiques and Dorkings for gentleness and friendliness.
Araucanas/Ameraucanas/EEs because I had one before and she was the FRIENDLIEST chick out of the whole batch! She would roost on my arm, and so would her sister. They were the sweetest things and I wish we had been able to keep them.
Black Stars because I'd like to try them out.
For any of the above questions, if the gender of the bird has affected/does affect your answers, can you explain why?
Well, we didn't get roosters and hens of both breeds so I can't really judge between the two genders, I'll just tell you who I found nice/not nice of which breed and gender.
We have RIR hens and they are very sweet. They are good mamas and do become broody.(Not too much but they do) When they lose some of their feathers they start to look a bit scraggly but what breed doesn't? Overall the hens are sweet and pretty.
We have Columbian Wyandottes and they are gentle and sweet also. They are good broodies and mamas. They are very pretty birds and even the roosters are pretty. However, our rooster is not very liked by our hens. When he walks into the coop you can almost hear the hens saying "Oh no not Coal Scuttel! Where's KJ?" Haha, lol. (Oh, one thing though, when the hens are feeling good they can be real pigs and will gorge themselves on treats, lol.)
The Red Star hens are very pretty but not exactly friendly. They are good egg layers during their first year, but by 2 years old our Red Star hen does not lay anymore.
Our New Hampshire Red hen is a nice bird, not very friendly but she is gentle. She is a prolific layer and I would definitely buy more New Hampshire Red hens.
Cuckoo Marans are pretty birds, the hens are a bit meaner than any of our other breeds but the roosters are nice. They watch over the hens well and are also pretty birds to look at. The hens also lay nice darks eggs, which I like. (And you can easily tell rooster from hen by the darkness of the feathers.)
We have actually owned 1 Dominique rooster (I didn't know it until I posted a pic here though, unfortunately that was after his death), he was the sweetest roo with people we have ever had. He always came up to us and if we picked him up he would not struggle to get away. He was also a nice hefty bird and I believe they would be good for meat. (If I could eat such a gentle bird) I am looking forward to the day when I can get a replacement Dominique rooster, and some hens to try them out.
I love talking about my birds and their breeds. I love them all - I just love some more than others
.
What made you choose a particular breed of chicken?
Rhode Island Reds, Columbian Wyandottes, Red Stars, New Hampshire Reds, we got because they are supposed to be good layers. Speckled Sussex and Partridge Rocks we got for their beautiful colors. Cuckoo Marans we got for the beautiful dark brown eggs they lay. The barnyard mix chickens we got because they were free and from our friends. The two roosters have proven to be our absolute best and 2 out of the 3 remaining hens are awesome broodies.
Was there a chicken breed that you regretted getting?
If there was any breed that I regretted getting, I would honestly have to say it was the Red Stars. Yes they are beautiful and yes they start laying sooner than other breeds, but the remaining hen we have does not lay, and she is only 2 years old.
What other breeds do you want to add to your flock?
Oh you shouldn't have asked!! I want to add so many..Let me just name a few off the top of my head.
Silkies (=
Lakenvelders, Pheonix, and Golden Sebrights for super pretty feathering and cuteness.
Blue Laced Red Wyandottes for pretty feathers and egg production.
Dominiques and Dorkings for gentleness and friendliness.
Araucanas/Ameraucanas/EEs because I had one before and she was the FRIENDLIEST chick out of the whole batch! She would roost on my arm, and so would her sister. They were the sweetest things and I wish we had been able to keep them.
Black Stars because I'd like to try them out.
For any of the above questions, if the gender of the bird has affected/does affect your answers, can you explain why?
Well, we didn't get roosters and hens of both breeds so I can't really judge between the two genders, I'll just tell you who I found nice/not nice of which breed and gender.
We have RIR hens and they are very sweet. They are good mamas and do become broody.(Not too much but they do) When they lose some of their feathers they start to look a bit scraggly but what breed doesn't? Overall the hens are sweet and pretty.
We have Columbian Wyandottes and they are gentle and sweet also. They are good broodies and mamas. They are very pretty birds and even the roosters are pretty. However, our rooster is not very liked by our hens. When he walks into the coop you can almost hear the hens saying "Oh no not Coal Scuttel! Where's KJ?" Haha, lol. (Oh, one thing though, when the hens are feeling good they can be real pigs and will gorge themselves on treats, lol.)
The Red Star hens are very pretty but not exactly friendly. They are good egg layers during their first year, but by 2 years old our Red Star hen does not lay anymore.
Our New Hampshire Red hen is a nice bird, not very friendly but she is gentle. She is a prolific layer and I would definitely buy more New Hampshire Red hens.
Cuckoo Marans are pretty birds, the hens are a bit meaner than any of our other breeds but the roosters are nice. They watch over the hens well and are also pretty birds to look at. The hens also lay nice darks eggs, which I like. (And you can easily tell rooster from hen by the darkness of the feathers.)
We have actually owned 1 Dominique rooster (I didn't know it until I posted a pic here though, unfortunately that was after his death), he was the sweetest roo with people we have ever had. He always came up to us and if we picked him up he would not struggle to get away. He was also a nice hefty bird and I believe they would be good for meat. (If I could eat such a gentle bird) I am looking forward to the day when I can get a replacement Dominique rooster, and some hens to try them out.
