The flock. Mixed or all the same?

[Ol Grey Mare]

Well, in all those flocks of mixed chickens, has anyone ever had a chicken like Hei-Hei? That's the (ahem) intellectually-challenged chicken in Moana?

https://www.thatmomentin.com/heihei-moana-chicken/

Ive had a few special birds, but they are no more or less likely in either a mixed or single breed flock....

 

[RumneyRoost]

I like my mixed flock. I can keep track of them from my kitchen window or from the deck. And It’s easier to tell who laid which egg.

I built a new coop in the spring and got two 8 week old barred rock pullets and two 6 week old cream legbar pullets. They came from the same breeder who is a stickler for biosecurity. In the fall he had a speckled Sussex hen and a double laced Barnevelder pullet who weren’t quality enough for his breeding program so I bought them.

The Sussex walked in after quarantine and was immediately boss hen. I had to separate the barnevelder during the day for about 3 weeks as one of the legbars wasn’t very nice to her. The Sussex let the little barnevelder hide underneath her at night though which was cute.

They all get along well now.

 

[50-45-1]

I also love a mixed flock. Love to gather the variety of egg sizes and colors.
The only breeds i have noticed that have a Hard time for me and as a result i avoid getting them are.
Polish or top hatters, they tend to be the objuct of pecking especially on top of the head. Plus they seam to get picked off by preditors easier as ther limited sight.
Silkys, sweet little personalities but the object of bullying in my flock of standard and bantams. Also they seam to me to have a harder time staying warm in winter here in michigan. Also they strugle to fly up on the roosts due to less primary flight feathers.
I love them both but due to the problems do not order them anymore.
Also just from my past experience i do not get Rhode island reds. They seam to be more aggresive tward the other breeds.

 

[WindingRoad]

In reading, I've seen it said that in a mixed flock, sometimes the different breeds don't get along...one chicken or another will be picked on - or pick on another one because of the difference. I know that the same thing can happen in a non-mixed flock, since pecking order and all that. But does it get better if they are all the same breed? I'd really love to get speckled Sussex, but I'd like thoughts on whether an all-one-breed flock makes things better or not, since my partner wants a mix of different breeds.

I have 4 birds. BO and ISAB. and 2 SLW. Chickens are like 2 year olds. Some days they get along some days they don't. But I wouldn't have it any other way. The only way I can tell my 2 SLW apart is that Thelma lost a toenail shortly after I got her. It's growing back. I'll have to find another way to tell them apart. Show your chickens love, feed them well, fresh water, safe place to live, nice bedding, and they will return the favor. I still have to get after my ISAB ( the smallest hen in the bunch) for pecking the SLW. But I love them both.

 

[centrarchid]

I am beginning to adopt the following mindset. To aid with preservation of chicken breeds and to increase the value of individual chickens, when keeping more than a handful of chickens with hatching your own replacements, then have only one breed. When fresh genetics needed, then get representatives of the same breed from someone in your area, taking sound biosecurity approach.

What I have been seeing with the keeping of assortments is the birds in those flocks are "dead enders". They are kept more for novelty and have essentially no role in the continuation of their breed because they leave no descendants. Very few of the descendants can be found in the possession of other poultry keepers just a few years down the road. Replacements are more often than not acquired from commercial hatcheries.

This has been brewing with me for some time. I think the process outlined above has contributed to the failure of many heritage to benefit from the recent increase in poultry keeping.

 

[Shorty22366]

I have Polish, silkies, sebrights, favorellas, cochrins, jersey giants, brahmas and bantams. I am planning on getting more polish, ducks and goats. I love my flock and my flock loves me
I hold, cuddle, feed and spoil all of them weather hens or roosters. They all get along but they were all raised together from day one. When I let them hatch babies they all raise them together even the roosters teach them things. My babies are all a big happy family.

 

[Peepsi]

What I have been seeing with the keeping of assortments is the birds in those flocks are "dead enders". They are kept more for novelty and have essentially no role in the continuation of their breed because they leave no descendants. Very few of the descendants can be found in the possession of other poultry keepers just a few years down the road. Replacements are more often than not acquired from commercial hatcheries.

This has been brewing with me for some time. I think the process outlined above has contributed to the failure of many heritage to benefit from the recent increase in poultry keeping.

But does it matter when many of us can't have roos? I just ordered an assorted 6 chicks from MyPetChicken.com (arriving in July!). All six are different (SLW, GLW, EE, BO, Australorp, Copper Maran), but I live in the city and can't have roos. It doesn't matter that my flock will be mixed, because I can't breed anyway. I think there are a lot of people in my shoes....not allowed to have any roos, can't breed, so can't save heritage species.

 

[centrarchid]

But does it matter when many of us can't have roos? I just ordered an assorted 6 chicks from MyPetChicken.com (arriving in July!). All six are different (SLW, GLW, EE, BO, Australorp, Copper Maran), but I live in the city and can't have roos. It doesn't matter that my flock will be mixed, because I can't breed anyway. I think there are a lot of people in my shoes....not allowed to have any roos, can't breed, so can't save heritage species.

The members of hen only flocks do not leave descendants, so make up there does not make a difference.

 

[sourland]

Mixed flocks can be fine especially when raised together and given adequate space. One exception that tends to occur time and again is Polish in mixed flocks. Frequently their crests are targeted which can lead to scalping.

 

[Ribh]

I think space is the key to running a mixed flock. I added 8 ISA Browns to a black leghorn & 3 bantams without any issues. The ISAs were not @ the top of the pecking order; one of the bantams was. However this time around I have chosen hens of the same size & temperament because I have less space to run them in. No issues so when I expand I will choose 2 more of a different breed again. I always do @ least 2 so each chook has a running mate.