want to add 2 more chickens...breed suggestion

[mtpeke]

We are fairly new to chickens having started this past April. So far we have a nice hen house plus 4 barred rock, 1 polish (just for show) and 3 leghorns. The barred rocks are the only ones laying right now and we get 2-3 eggs a day. I hope the leghorns will start laying soon. Anyway, our home will hold up to 10 hens very comfortably so I am trying to decide what 2 to add. We were planning on getting some RI Reds but feared their aggressive nature might end up with a dead polish (she is super passive). I am most interested in adding egg production. Not a big fan of the leghorns...they are pretty but I have to get them out of a tree every single night even after we cut their feathers. We have a 11 yr old who is managing the flock (with help). Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[karlamaria]

Buff orphingtons are sweet and lay well. Mine hardly take a day off. Of course one of mine is broody a lot lol. So you can always throw eggs under them and hatch out new every few years by getting fertile eggs from else where. I did and loved seeing the mommy raise her babies.
You know you can not add new birds with out them first being the same size, so you will need to separate for who know s how long. It took me quit a while to add my pullets to the flock, they had to be the same size. If not my chickens would chase them and pick on them something terrible. Believe it or not, my RIR girls are simply the sweetest, it's my astrolorps that are poops. It just depends on personality really. Any bird can be sweet , it's just what they turn out to be lol. I have 10 girls, all but one lay and the last is the chick from my buff, the other one was a rooster so I gave him away. I get between 6/8 eggs a day, yesterday only 4 seems some took a break lol..

 

[mtpeke]

Thanks for the tip on adding chickens. I would have to get them the same size as I do not have away to seperate them at the moment. My leghorns are the agressors. They were a couple weeks younger when I added them and they picked on my polish pretty hard. One of the barred rocks seemed to try to protect the polish which was nice to see. They all get along find now.

 

[mtpeke]

What do you do about broodyness? None of mine have that issue (yet).

 

[donrae]

I'd say look into sex links. They're laying machines and usually pretty docile, don't eat as much as a larger bird and don't go broody so much.

 

[mtpeke]

thanks, now I need to find some.

 

[CayugaLover]

i like bantam cochins, but they go broody a lot. have you considered ducks? they make great companions!