Too many to choose from, too little to have.

[Squawkers]

I need help deciding which chickens to get in the near future for a small flock I want to have (later a large flock). Here’s some chicken breeds I was thinking about most, which is optimal for the best flock

This poll is a great idea! Poor RIR

 

[Blue is my chicken]

I would not get rohode island reds they are so mean we had a few and we could not even go in the pen and the roo was really rough with the hens

I love orpingtons though

 

[FrostRanger]

This poll is a great idea! Poor RIR

Hatchery quality reds unfortunately don't have the best genes for health or temperment. For that reason I refuse to own any, especially a RIR rooster

Heritage RIRs tend to be better about this but you still would need to find a good breeder who culls aggressively for bad attitudes and human aggression especially if you want a roo

I should clarify that the hens are usually human friendly, they can just be bully birds

 

[Squawkers]

Hatchery quality reds unfortunately don't have the best genes for health or temperment. For that reason I refuse to own any, especially a RIR rooster

Heritage RIRs tend to be better about this but you still would need to find a good breeder who culls aggressively for bad attitudes and human aggression especially if you want a roo

I should clarify that the hens are usually human friendly, they can just be bully birds

Yes I’ve heard of how awful the roosters can be. That makes sense, my RIR live to be 5, and she came from a breeder (I’m nearly certain)

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Hatchery quality reds unfortunately don't have the best genes for health or temperment. For that reason I refuse to own any, especially a RIR rooster

Heritage RIRs tend to be better about this but you still would need to find a good breeder who culls aggressively for bad attitudes and human aggression especially if you want a roo

I should clarify that the hens are usually human friendly, they can just be bully birds

yeah. I actually got 2 that were relatively calm, they are the only 2 pure ones in my flock(I think, I got 3 possibly pure from a family member of mine), and I plan on not hatching/ getting any more RIR unless they are even tempered, and somebody's giving them away for free. I love the colour, just had a really bad experience with my first flock and don't want it to happen again.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

Like a mix of golden comet egg laying and bresse meat; and like an americauna.

So if you were describing the horse you want it would be one as fast as a racehorse, one as strong as a draft horse, but only in a Palomino color. That horse does not exist: that chicken does not exist. The traits that make a chicken a great egg layer are the traits that keep it from being a great meat bird and vice versa.

What I think you want is a dual-purpose chicken, decent as an egg layer and decent for meat but not great at either. There are a lot of different breeds out there that could work but before I would suggest one I'd want to know your climate. Do you need a cold hardy bird or a heat tolerant bird? How do you plan to feed and house them? Will they be kept in a fairy small space where you supply all that they eat or will they need to forage for a reasonable portion of their food? I assume you will be breeding them and hatching eggs. Will you use an incubator or will you rely on broody hens?

One of my suggestions is to get different breeds at the same time and raise them together. See for yourself which ones come closest to meeting your desires and goals. That way you make your own judgments and don't have to rely on what some stranger over the internet like me says. My wants, wishes, and goals are almost certainly different from yours.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Thanks!I was thinking more on the lines of docile breed that is useful for the eggs but also sometimes able to be used for meat. Like a mix of golden comet egg laying and bresse meat; and like an americauna.

Ah, now this is helpful. Unfortunately, anything that lays like a production layer is going to be unappealing for meat purposes. Breeds that lay a lot of eggs also have a tendency to lean more towards the flighty side.they can still be docile, but in more of a look don't touch kind if way.

A dual purpose breed is probably what you're looking for. Most "dual purpose" breeds are breeds that were developed for meat before the broiler hybrids came along and outperformed everything else. They aren't going to lay 5-6 eggs a week, but that also means they aren't going to stop laying at a year and a half either. They also aren't going to look anything like the chicken you get at the supermarket when butchered either.

Of the breeds listed in your poll, your best bets are probably the orpington and favorelles. RIR are good layers and okay meat birds, but they can be very hit or miss temperament wise. I have one, because that's the breed my youngest picked and would not be dissuaded, and she's alright so far. Definitely not my favorite, but I honestly like her more than I expected to.

 

[FunClucks]

If you like the red color, could try production reds. They're supposed to be docile and the roos at least are on the larger side. I had a production red roo crossed with prairie bluebells, and they made the best green eggers with large size eggs and were all a gorgeously soft vibrant red with patterns. My best temperament chickens ever, even though the prairie bluebell moms were a bit flighty, most of the child hens weren't.

 

[JudesFlock]

oh no, if you want docile then Rhode Island Red shouldn't even be on the list! lovely birds to look at, and there's always an exception to the rule, but in my experience, RIR are much more bitey than other breeds, the roosters are rougher with the hens(only roo I ever seen to rip out feathers as a show of dominance, but proceed to not actually mount the hen), and only breed I've seen purposefully, knowingly cannibalize( ate the corpse of a hen who died under unknown circumstance, developed taste for blood, ripped big holes in a live meat bird, drank said broiler's blood.)

Oh! Thank you! Lol no wonder their names are Rhode Island Red! I never knew they were mean breed! Thanks for the input though, this is very helpful and it seems like most people are saying Orpington breed is the best so I will make sure to get them instead of the rir!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

A caveat about Orps though. They tend to go broody. They don't lay eggs while setting on them. It takes three weeks to hatch eggs. Then they have to raise the chicks, which can take another three to six weeks of no eggs. In my case, they then went into molt. Then it was fall. Short days, no eggs till spring. A few eggs, then ... broody again.