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Hi everyone - I had fun catching up on everyone's chats - I did get a cheese craving though! I love cheese!

Our little society finch chick that I saved, Little T, has been renamed TT which stands for Tiny Terror! When it's hungry it will attack anything on our persons to demand food! It's like a little bulldog! Our previous two weren't like that at all. I put TT in with them in the hopes that they might help out with the feeding. But, nope - they would rather have a taste of the hand rearing formula.

My Mum had a beautiful Silver Laced Wyandotte. She was a sweetheart. I have a couple of bantam wyandottes and I don't like them. They are broody more than they are not and they are nasty broodies - I did try one on some eggs once but she ended up cracking some of them. My smaller bantams don't ever try and peck me while broody. I do love my little chickens and I enjoy them more than my big girls. I really want some Modern Game Bantams one day but they are really hard to come by in NZ.
 
KDOGG331 said:
the only one that ever went broody was Penny the Buff Orpington
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Orpingtons are "known" to be broody. Which is why I won't have them.

oldhenlikesdogs said:
Oops, I have never had leghorn. The closet are Ancona, they seem nice.
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KDOGG331 said:
Yeah, my Australorps can be nasty to the other birds.
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KDOGG331 said:
Anconas seem like nice birds. Do they lay well?
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Which just goes to show you all chickens are different! I had 2 Anconas, still have one. They ruled the roost over the other 10 chickens in their 2012 group (my first). 2 each Partridge Chantecler, Faverolles, Cubalaya, Black Australorp, EE. They were never chalenged but found it necessary to show the other birds they were on top with great frequency, including "mounting" them even Zorra my big BA who is 50% larger than they are. Very good layers, steady at 60-62g.

Zorra was docile until I gave her the 2015 chicks to raise, then she was a terror to anything that got within 5 feet of them, even the Anconas ran scared. When she flared her feathers she was HUGE, she could have hidden a basketball behind her. She goes broody once or twice a year. She settled down some when she kicked the kids to the curb at 2 months but is still near the top of the flock. She doesn't have the need to prove it nearly as frequently as the Anconas did. The remaining Ancona has mellowed some, don't know if it is because her "partner" isn't around any more or because the past year she was laying only very soft shelled eggs and maybe isn't feeling "herself". She acts fine though. The other BA was the sweetest bird I had. Just a dufus following her beak looking for food, she was one of only 2 that could wander around the 2015 chicks when Zorra had them. She never went broody and was my best layer. The other hen that could be near the chicks was a Faverolles that was accepted by Zorra as "auntie" to the chicks. She and Zorra chased a woodchuck back to its tunnel one day and it was 20' from the chicks and going away.

Penelope is a 2015 EE. Scared of and runs from ALL the 2012 and 2015 girls but chases the 2017 girls. I think she doesn't want to be bottom of the flock but I suspect she'll get pushed back down by most of them. Persephone is a 2012 EE, still laid really well this past year. She won't eat from my hand but doesn't run scared. She will move away if I try to feed her something, most of the other birds will come closer to eat. She doesn't bother the other birds any more than "normal" flock dynamics.

My only experience with leghorns are my two 2017 Exchequers. They are small birds, smaller than the whites or browns. Mint is pretty friendly, Oreo fits the "flighty" description. They started laying early then quit. They will have to redeem themselves come February.
 
Leahs Mom said:
@KDOGG331
I have visited with some Dominiques that are very friendly and enjoyable. I liked them so much that I plan on getting some chicks this spring. My Buckeyes are very laid-back friendly girls too.
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Hmm now you're making me rethink my short list haha if I got buckeyes, i don't think itd be from a hatchery

DigMyChicks said:
Be safe! I think the snow will miss us...maybe a dusting.

I had 2 sexlinks, I didn’t see that they were pushy but 1 died right after she started laying this fall. I found her dead in the coop one morning. She must have died on the roost and fell off.

I love my wyandottes. I have 2 Golden left. Both of my silvers were eaten by a fox.
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Thats sad :( sorry about your chickens!

I think i might try the wyandottes

oldhenlikesdogs said:
I did keep sex link back before I switched to a higher protein ration than layer, so I assume since both became feather pickers, and one an egg eater, they require a higher protein feed to support their laying. I haven't had a lot of them, they weren't for me.

My Ancona are my best layers with my buff laced polish being the next best layer I have. Ancona are pretty much leghorns in a pretty package.

My Wyandotte are fine, but mine are all free range and have a large shed. Confined Wyandotte seem to have a problem. I found the gold laced to be more forward, and the silver laced to be more meek, but everyone seems to have different experiences.
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Thanks for the info! I feed a slightly higher protein feed anyway so it wouldn't be too much of an issue but they just don't seem very hardy either.

Are the anconas flighty?

And thanks for the Wyandotte info! They'd be confined but I'm hoping to make the run way bigger. And of course let them out sometimes. And now i want to try both colors!

JaeG said:
Hi everyone - I had fun catching up on everyone's chats - I did get a cheese craving though! I love cheese!

Our little society finch chick that I saved, Little T, has been renamed TT which stands for Tiny Terror! When it's hungry it will attack anything on our persons to demand food! It's like a little bulldog! Our previous two weren't like that at all. I put TT in with them in the hopes that they might help out with the feeding. But, nope - they would rather have a taste of the hand rearing formula.

My Mum had a beautiful Silver Laced Wyandotte. She was a sweetheart. I have a couple of bantam wyandottes and I don't like them. They are broody more than they are not and they are nasty broodies - I did try one on some eggs once but she ended up cracking some of them. My smaller bantams don't ever try and peck me while broody. I do love my little chickens and I enjoy them more than my big girls. I really want some Modern Game Bantams one day but they are really hard to come by in NZ.
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I might have to try silvers

bruceha2000 said:
Orpingtons are "known" to be broody. Which is why I won't have them.







Which just goes to show you all chickens are different! I had 2 Anconas, still have one. They ruled the roost over the other 10 chickens in their 2012 group (my first). 2 each Partridge Chantecler, Faverolles, Cubalaya, Black Australorp, EE. They were never chalenged but found it necessary to show the other birds they were on top with great frequency, including "mounting" them even Zorra my big BA who is 50% larger than they are. Very good layers, steady at 60-62g.

Zorra was docile until I gave her the 2015 chicks to raise, then she was a terror to anything that got within 5 feet of them, even the Anconas ran scared. When she flared her feathers she was HUGE, she could have hidden a basketball behind her. She goes broody once or twice a year. She settled down some when she kicked the kids to the curb at 2 months but is still near the top of the flock. She doesn't have the need to prove it nearly as frequently as the Anconas did. The remaining Ancona has mellowed some, don't know if it is because her "partner" isn't around any more or because the past year she was laying only very soft shelled eggs and maybe isn't feeling "herself". She acts fine though. The other BA was the sweetest bird I had. Just a dufus following her beak looking for food, she was one of only 2 that could wander around the 2015 chicks when Zorra had them. She never went broody and was my best layer. The other hen that could be near the chicks was a Faverolles that was accepted by Zorra as "auntie" to the chicks. She and Zorra chased a woodchuck back to its tunnel one day and it was 20' from the chicks and going away.

Penelope is a 2015 EE. Scared of and runs from ALL the 2012 and 2015 girls but chases the 2017 girls. I think she doesn't want to be bottom of the flock but I suspect she'll get pushed back down by most of them. Persephone is a 2012 EE, still laid really well this past year. She won't eat from my hand but doesn't run scared. She will move away if I try to feed her something, most of the other birds will come closer to eat. She doesn't bother the other birds any more than "normal" flock dynamics.

My only experience with leghorns are my two 2017 Exchequers. They are small birds, smaller than the whites or browns. Mint is pretty friendly, Oreo fits the "flighty" description. They started laying early then quit. They will have to redeem themselves come February.
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I still think they are worth trying and I would get more. Penny was actually my only broody - I have 2 other Orpingtons that have never gone broody all two years. I think being from a hatchery as opposed to breeder birds maybe helps. They're very friendly.

And thanks for all the details on the other breeds! It helps my decision.

My Australorps just chase and harrass the others for seemingly no reason but seem to have calmed down for now and dont do it as much atm. They also hog all the food (treats not their actual food) and chase the others when they get too close.

But the others still get to eat, they let them to an extent plus they've learned to be sneaky. As long as they dont go in "their" area theyre okay.

And actually, i say they cause i used to think it was both but it appears to be just one being so mean. Or maybe just a fatty lol

I do wonder though if maybe it is just the lack of space and the cramped quarters and if maybe Australorps and BR (my other bully but not nearly as bad) just need more space??? We will see when they move.

Surprisingly though, they are now the easiest to catch and usually squat.

And your EE sounds just like mine! Bunny gets picked on and i thought it was just her but maybe it's a breed thing. Although my other EE, Diva, is slightly higher in the pecking order. But Bunny runs if they even look at her. And she too can't get treats. Tried to give her fish once when they were out. She wasn't allowed anywhere near and even when I spread it out, they ran over. That said, she has gotten better at figuring out how to sneak in for bites now. Or sometimes she doesn't know what I have yet and once she figures it out she fights more. Still only gets a few bites here and there though.

Therefore, i have learned that if i want her to get any treats like BOSS or corn, I CANNOT put it in one spot. I spread it around the run. Put most of it in two spots on either end but then i also put a bit on the sides of the run, a bit just under the coop, a bit spread further out from the main piles, etc. Etc. Spread in many areas so no one fights and they each claim their own area. And usually her and the Orpingtons will go eat away from the Australorps :)

drumstick diva said:
Everybody has their favorites - my friend with house chickens had silkies off and on for many years. They are her favorites but the last couple have been just plan aloof & snotty. Maybe weren't socialized enough or spoiled too much.:idunno
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Silkies are cute but i don't think id get any here - they cant see!

CapricornFarm said:
I had leghorns, they fly a lot more than bigger chickens and are sort of dumb imo. But they sure lay eggs!
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Do you think they'd visit the neighbors? I'd get them for the eggs so slightly dumb isnt too bad, some of my orps can be dumb ha
 
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@KDOGG331
I got my Buckeyes from a breeder so I can't comment on hatchery. I do have to say that ALL the cockerels became aggressively mean. Each of them at different homes so I can't chalk it up to poor management. I finally removed the boy that I kept here.

Someone took one of the boys and he became quite aggressive to the point of not being able to handle him. She gave him to another person that had extensive rooster experience. I haven't heard about him since. (I think I'll try contacting them to see if he ever calmed down.)

This lady had a previous Buckeye Rooster that was a totally different personality - almost a lap bird. He'd come to her for treats and wanted to be touched, etc. Certainly not my experience with the boys, but there are a lot of variables and I imagine that I can't judge all Buckeye boys by the ones I have experience with! They were also hatched at a time of year that made it difficult as they were coming into "manhood" in winter while they were penned away from the girls but could interact with them through the pens. That could have totally frustrated their little selves. :0
 

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