Tips and Tricks?

[DuncanSilkie]

I just got 5 new chickens can anyone give me tips of the breeds

Austria white (1)
Barred Plymouth rock (1)
Ancona (1)
Silver Spangled Hamburg (2)

 

[dawg53]

I just got 5 new chickens can anyone give me tips of the breeds

Austria white (1)
Barred Plymouth rock (1)
Ancona (1)
Silver Spangled Hamburg (2)

Nice variety you have there. Barred Rocks are my favorites. They live long and are able to tolerate our hot and humid summers and of course cold winters with folks who live up north. I like them for the long haul too, long life and laying eggs for years albeit off and on in the later years when other birds have stopped laying altogether. I've had Barred Rocks live longer than 10 years.
Barred Rocks can be very friendly if you're around them enough. When I'm sitting out in the yard, one will hop up on one leg and another will hop up on my other leg looking for treats. They are easy going birds and eye candy for the yard.

I've owned Silver Spangled Hamburgs and they are beautiful birds. They tend to be skittish, and can be flighty, literally. They flew up on the roof of my house several times and flew down only when I tossed some scratch out in the yard for my other birds. I caught them when they went to roost in the coop for the night and trimmed their feathers so they couldnt fly. I had to trim back feathers on both wings, same for White Leghorns. Trimming back feathers on one wing doesnt work for these birds, gotta do both. Hamburgs lay small to medium size eggs and are off white in color.
Even though they are beautiful birds, I wont own them again. I'm more into standard breeds than anything else.

Those are my experiences with Barred Rocks and Hamburgs. You might get totally different responses on either of the two breeds I mentioned. I havnt owned any of the other two breeds you have. I'm sure someone will chime in. Good luck.