Top 5 Backyard Chicken Breeds

[Bullitt]

I don't really have a favorite breed. I think the New Hampshires are nice looking and my girl lays large eggs, but I like the look of RIR too and she has just started to laying large eggs. My black sex link is cute and she makes me laugh with her squeeky babble she makes, she doesn't lay as many eggs as the other two, but personality wise, she is the sweetest, friendliest bird out of the three. I think she would make the best mother, as she seems to take care of the other two by sharing food and she even cleans and prepares the nesting box for them, even if she isn't going to lay that day.

Your Rhode Island Red should lay better than your New Hampshire.

Normally the Black Sex-Link would be one of the best layers of brown eggs. You seemed to have gotten a different Black Sex-Link. Or maybe she is something else. She does seem like she would be a good mother, though.

 

[smallbluejellybean]

Your Rhode Island Red should lay better than your New Hampshire.

Normally the Black Sex-Link would be one of the best layers of brown eggs. You seemed to have gotten a different Black Sex-Link. Or maybe she is something else. She does seem like she would be a good mother, though.

Our Rhode Island Red was very slow to mature, but she seems to have done well with her first eggs, the New Hampshire is pretty good as well, I had a couple shellest eggs from her, but now she is like clock work and both the RIR and NH lay at the same time and together.
I really don't know what my black chicken is.
I put some of these picture up already. The one when she was young is what everyone commented on and told me it was a BSL
The photos aren't very good, but it gives you an idea what she looks like. She is the same sort of body size of the other two, but have short legs and her body is rounder, She was to lay out of all three.

 

[smallbluejellybean]

I took these quickly a minute ago. They hate the camera and run away when I try to take a photo.
I have camera shy chickens. But I think the first one shows how she is shorter and I finally got one of Omelette, our New Hampshire.
Our Rhode Island Red's name is Chili and the Black one is Pepper.



Do you have any idea what the black one is or is just a short Black Sex Link?
Do chickens have dwarfism like humans?

 

[Bullitt]

I took these quickly a minute ago. They hate the camera and run away when I try to take a photo.
I have camera shy chickens. But I think the first one shows how she is shorter and I finally got one of Omelette, our New Hampshire.
Our Rhode Island Red's name is Chili and the Black one is Pepper.



Do you have any idea what the black one is or is just a short Black Sex Link?
Do chickens have dwarfism like humans?

The black hen looks like a Black Sex-Link. She looks like a standard-size chicken. There are bantam chickens, and there may be dwarf chickens. But she isn't either of those.

Rhode Island Reds and New Hampshires have longer legs than average, I would say. Your Black Sex-Link probably got her shorter legs from whatever breed she is crossed with.

 

[smallbluejellybean]

The black hen looks like a Black Sex-Link. She looks like a standard-size chicken. There are bantam chickens, and there may be dwarf chickens. But she isn't either of those.

Rhode Island Reds and New Hampshires have longer legs than average, I would say. Your Black Sex-Link probably got her shorter legs from whatever breed she is crossed with.

Thanks for re-establishing her breed. Just hope she gets back to laying again and I hope her eggs get a little bigger too.

 

[Bullitt]

Thanks for re-establishing her breed. Just hope she gets back to laying again and I hope her eggs get a little bigger too.

You may know this, but Black Sex-Link is really not a breed. It was just a name given to a common cross. Most often a Rhode Island Red rooster is crossed with a Barred Plymouth Rock hen to get a Black Sex-Link.

There can be many reason why a hen stops laying eggs. But hopefully she starts laying again.

 

[Robert M]

Funny, Rhode Island Reds as a breed actually shouldn't be rusty red, and, I find it funny how Ameraucanas are listed yet very few people actually have real ones. Notice how nothing was mentioned on color variations, yet the other breeds were.

Just had to point it out.

I actually though don't understand the list. Sadly but truthfully very few people raise Jersey Giants for meat since most have rather undersized over-producing hatchery stock, most "backyard" type owners just want eggs since they're usually in the urbs or suburbs, and same goes for the Plymouth Rock - Most out there are average/small sized pet layers. When people do want meat, they usually go for either Cornish X crosses or the extra rooster in their chick order.

Interesting, really, the choices on the list.

Illia,

What breed(s) of chicken laid those nice eggs in your avatar? Is it one breed, or several?

 

[Chickamauga Man]

Just wanting to pick up a dead debate, I like rir's, buff orpingtons, australorps, rocks, and game birds.

 

[Bullitt]

Just wanting to pick up a dead debate, I like rir's, buff orpingtons, australorps, rocks, and game birds.

The debate will go on forever.

You have two of the breeds, Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Rocks, on the article's top five most popular list. But as I mentioned before, I think Australorps and Orpingtons are more popular than Jersey Giants.

I think your list is better for a top five list than the article's list. I would just say Leghorn should probably be on the list.

 

[Chickamauga Man]

which would you replace? australorps?