Vote on what breed I should get!

[Eggs by Happy Chickens]

Please do consider others' experiences but do NOT base YOUR selection on that!.

I LOVE barred Rocks. They have always been head hens in my flock that rule with a gentile disposition.

Any introduction of new birds, especially a bantam cockerel that isn't done correctly can go very wrong. My large fowl hens NEVER accept a bantam boy and if they do it surely will NOT be a cockerel.

I've kept a LOT of those breeds. It's simple.. NO two birds are the same, personality wise.

What many are calling aggressive is actually confidence.

You won't get better production than a RIR and white Leghorn.

The darker the egg the longer it takes to make it.. Olive eggs, blue eggs, and chocolate eggs.. every other day at best once fully mature.

Agree about avoiding Sex Links for stated reasons.. longevity is not their specialty.


Never had that happen and not sure it's possible.. Likely was going to happen anyways and had nothing to do with time spent. Chicks are highly adaptable and not nearly as fragile as folks lead on.
But, absolutely there is no room for judgement here, just sharing and support!

Orps, over rated in the friendly department to me and pushy among the flock. Speckled Sussex are beauties. How cold are your winters? Are you considering adding your general location to your profile?

I realize you are close to MPC.. for informational purposes, lots of hatcheries offer a 3 chick minimum.

A few breed comparison charts from different sources..

https://livestockconservancy.org/images/uploads/docs/pickachicken.pdf

Chicken Chart

Breeds of Chickens

100% your idea to get a few now or 2021 and a few more in 2022.. will help you combat winter lull in eggs when your older ladies start to molt. Sometimes I sell off a couple while still laying earlier in the summer to make room for the new additions each year. It allows me to try many breeds and someone else gets a layer without raising chicks.. always disclosed that they WILL molt that fall/winter and return to lay again when daylight increases and feathers have been refreshed with new ones.

Hope this helps some and happy adventures!

My Grandparents bantam rooster grew up with all the hens and is the leader of the flock, under him are the RIR’s and Barred rocks.



Also its not just me saying the RIR’s and Barred rocks are a mean breed other chicken freinds of mine dislike those breeds because of their temperament to others in the flock. And it’s not confidence it’s that they want to be on top and boss the other hens around so they beat them up.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Parents didn't seem to care. I didn't mind because we got a free chicken (we paid for 3 and got 4) If we had been purchasing the chickens, it would have been different but because we're renting them (but hopefully will buy!) it wasn't as big of an issue, especially because my parents were positive at the time that we would give them back (they're unsure now)

Yeah I’m sure it was probably easier to just let it go or whatever but you’re still paying and They should have gotten it right ha maybe they mixed up the address or something?

 

[black_cat]

Yeah I’m sure it was probably easier to just let it go or whatever but you’re still paying and They should have gotten it right ha maybe they mixed up the address or something?

I mean, they did come an hour late......they also have pretty bad reviews. Parents thought that I wouldn't take care of the chickens properly (guess who takes care of the chickens properly?!?!?) so that's why they went with rental. Overall the farm sells small, sturdy, waaaaay overpriced chicken coops, mixed up chickens, and rottweiler puppies. I'm not planning on buying from them again, aside from the rental hens that we can buy off them.

 

[ShrekDawg]

My Grandparents bantam rooster grew up with all the hens and is the leader of the flock, under him are the RIR’s and Barred rocks.



Also its not just me saying the RIR’s and Barred rocks are a mean breed other chicken freinds of mine dislike those breeds because of their temperament to others in the flock. And it’s not confidence it’s that they want to be on top and boss the other hens around so they beat them up.

There are good and bad stories with every breed though. And not ALL Barred Rocks are like that. Mine was very intelligent and nice. She was a little bit rough with new chickens I introduced sometimes but fine with the rest of the flock if she had enough space. I say if because when I had them in a smaller too crowded area she was meaner and a lot of people overcrowd their coops. I’m not saying your friends or family did but lots of people do and BR are a breed that need their personal space. But mine was not nasty at all. My Partridge Rock on the other hand was a nightmare lol she seems to have calmed down now though so but I would gladly get more BR but not so much partridge.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I mean, they did come an hour late......they also have pretty bad reviews. Parents thought that I wouldn't take care of the chickens properly (guess who takes care of the chickens properly?!?!?) so that's why they went with rental. Overall the farm sells small, sturdy, waaaaay overpriced chicken coops, mixed up chickens, and rottweiler puppies. I'm not planning on buying from them again, aside from the rental hens that we can buy off them.

Oh wow that’s ridiculous! Why did they go with them? There weren’t other rental companies in the area? They sound terrible ha

 

[MGG]

Didn't read the whole thread, but I would vote for a CCL and Silver Spangled Hamburg. I love crested birds personally though. Good luck!

 

[black_cat]

Oh wow that’s ridiculous! Why did they go with them? There weren’t other rental companies in the area? They sound terrible ha

Have you ever heard of rental chickens in your area? If you have I'll be shocked. My friends got their chicken coop from them so somehow we ended up with them. Our friends don't really give their chickens enough space in the coop/run, but free range their birds ALL day.

 

[Vickischics]

My Grandparents bantam rooster grew up with all the hens and is the leader of the flock, under him are the RIR’s and Barred rocks.



Also its not just me saying the RIR’s and Barred rocks are a mean breed other chicken freinds of mine dislike those breeds because of their temperament to others in the flock. And it’s not confidence it’s that they want to be on top and boss the other hens around so they beat them up.

Very true. I have three. Ugh!

 

[black_cat]

Didn't read the whole thread, but I would vote for a CCL and Silver Spangled Hamburg. I love crested birds personally though. Good luck!

I think that I'm going to go with a CCL! Silver spangled hamburgs are very cute but I was less into the for two main reasons:
1) I would already have a white egg layer
2) I can't seem to find a good reference on their size
people say that they're small, but I can never find how small compared to standards or bantams.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Have you ever heard of rental chickens in your area? If you have I'll be shocked. My friends got their chicken coop from them so somehow we ended up with them. Our friends don't really give their chickens enough space in the coop/run, but free range their birds ALL day.

Yes I have. Or at least have read about it. Think it’s becoming a lot more common now but probably still aren’t a ton of places that do it. And that makes sense!