The Old Folks Home

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm in too obviously... I'll be hitting up everyone I know for fertile eggs, get some more diversity in my flock.

I wanted more diversity too. After a life of white leghorns, Cornish/rocks and pheasant, I picked up some Orps, JGs and Barred Rocks one day. Within 3 months I had 100 birds of 20 different breeds and followed up with 5 more breeds in the next 6 months.
Now I'm down to a single breed flock and a lone Ameraucana.

 

[bamadude]

I have ordered hatching eggs off byc buy sell trade from cowgirl. I will definately order from her again.

 

[bamadude]

I do want to get some leghorns. I dont have any white egg layers yet.

 

[hennible]

I want some chocolate layers, and some EEs... Might try a carton of eggs from the health food store for kicks too...
I really want Cochins Cochins

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Leghorns are champs. I've had both white and black. But I have other good recommendations for white layers.
Ancona: pretty black and white mottled Mediterranean breed, extremely hardy and great layers. Smallish thrifty bird similar to leghorn.
Minorca: the largest of the Med breeds. Lay huge eggs and good layers. Blacks are most common but I had whites (slightly smaller) and loved them. The only source I'm aware of is Sandhill Preservation.
Jaerhon: a small super layer that is hardy in both extremely cold and hot climates.

I haven't had them but Redcaps and Hamburgs are other options for white eggs people rave about.

Polish can be prolific layers of white eggs but I don't keep them anymore because they're very susceptible to predation.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I want some chocolate layers, and some EEs... Might try a carton of eggs from the health food store for kicks too...
I really want Cochins

Cochins

I guess you want setters.

Just make sure the carton of eggs says "fertile". They will have a Julian date on the carton which is the date packaged. Don't bother buying eggs that are over 10 days old for hatching.

For chocolate layers, Marans, Penedesencas, Welsummers, Barnevelders and possibly some lines of Langshans.
In each breed, without careful selection, the dark egg color can be lost quickly.
My Welsummers from Sandhill laid beautiful eggs.
There's a guy in Oklahoma with a great line of Barnevelders. I can find his contact information if you want.

 

[hennible]

Setters? As in good broodies? If so yes, I love a good broodie breed... But I also love my commercial sex-links...
The eggs at our health food store will be totally local, I think I know who's chickens they are even...I'll ask first and make sure she has Roos... Recycled cartons so any dates will be from the original eggs, not the ones actually in the cartons. Thanks for the chocolate layer info, but I will want to know what I'm doing before I order eggs. But once I figure it out... Well just try and stop the madness!

 

[vehve]

I'm going to wait until spring before we set any eggs. But then I'm up for a little hatch-a-long.

@Wisher1000 I was pulled over by a Finnish colleague of yours in the morning when I was returning from the store (We didin't have any bacon

). Then they gave me a breathalyzer test. I pointed out that their right headlight was out, only the parking light was working on that side. He said that "Yeah, the light on that side is a little faint" "No, it's out, only your parking light is on." "Yeah, maybe we should change the bulb, so that we don't get a ticket..." "Shouldn't you give yourselves a ticket?" Then he walked away muttering.

 

[hennible]

Lol
That attitude would have got you a ticket here for sure.

 

[bamadude]

I just googled those white layers. I really like the look of those minorcas best. That big white earlobe is flashy. The ancona looks alot like a Marans that i have