Well, I think I've made my decision...

[Uzuri]

As beautiful as the Wellies are, as entertaining as the Javas are... in the future, I'm going all Wyandottes.

Between the fighting with Rooster's frostbite (which is a real shame, because he used to be so handsome, and he really is well-behaved), the Javas taking their sweet time to start laying, and the one laying Wellie only laying about twice a week (and hating my guts for some reason), while the Wyandottes blast on by everyone with an egg a day with the occasional skip, it just makes sense. I'm going to acquire some gold-laced and some BLR, if I can find them, and I'll have a nice assortment of colors, plus the cold-hardiness, and (hopefully) the personable attitude.

Maybe it's fate. I do have the tiniest bit of Wyandotte blood in me myself -- the people, not the chicken! Don't get the wrong idea!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I cannot possibly under state how my husband and I argued out, over the course of several months and studied several hatchery catalogs before we chose our breed. I believe this is nothing to be taken lightly. We took our locality into consideration, which everyone should and compared it to each breed we were attracted to.

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

i have 2 bantam partridge wyandottes that have come around from being very aloof (i bought them at 16 weeks from someone), to being the funniest, curious and one of the most consistent layers in the flock. but i've noticed that they are certainly the loudest in the flock when it comes to the egg song and screeching for food when they hear me coming into the garage and heading to the coop.

if only they had foot feathering i would love them even more! maybe i'll have to start hatching some of their eggs since i have a bantam cochin roo over them.

 

[CMV]

I have mostly Wyandottes and I can't ask for better birds- tough as nails, lay eggs like champs, and beautiful as can be. Good choice.

 

[Uzuri]

Oh mine are definitely loudmouths (all the more noticeable at the moment, since Bossy, a SLW, is in hospital with one of the Wellies -- the difference in their voices and volume is astonishing!), but that just gives them all the more personality. I mean, Bossy'll "talk" back to me when I talk with her, where the others seldom do (though the Wellie she's in will today was very talkative, having laid what was likely her first egg).

I'm changing my run setup around come spring, and I think I'll start my wyandotte farm by ordering 3 GLWs from mypetchicken. I don't have any more room for them than that (and in fact, now I wouldn't have room to add even then), but that should be a good start

I don't regret trying a variety, though. You never know for sure until you try and everyone's experience, especially from the "personality" angle, is different.

 

[Mahonri]

It has taken be almost two years and as much as I love a lot of different breeds, I'm going to be sticking with W/BW Ameraucanas and Black Copper Marans. I imagine I'll have the odd Black Sex link and Legorn just for table eggs though.

 

[Freeholder]

It's really a good idea to try different breeds and see how they work out for you. That's how I found out that Brahma's don't do as well in Alaska as you might expect, for example, because they got ice balls on their feathered feet! It's also how I found out that solid black chickens are almost as visible to hawks as white chickens are, but barred or cuckoo are well-camouflaged. It's how I learned that Easter Eggers will go broody and hatch out chicks (almost the only breed I've ever had do so, over twenty six years of keeping poultry). And so on....

And I am still having trouble deciding what breed I want to focus on, LOL!

Kathleen

 

[briteday]

I raised a smattering of EE's, Delawares, and silkies this Spring. The silkies turned out to be mostly roos...not even a 50/50 proportion. The EE's stopped laying about 6 weeks ago...apparently they don't love snow and cold. The Delawares are by far the friendliest breed we've had bet not consistent winter egglayers either.

We started the whole chicken thing when someone gave us 6 RIR pullets 18 months ago. Guess we got spoiled last winter when they each gave us an egg almost every day.

I think I will go to a red sexlinked hybrid for this coming Spring's brood.

 

[Attack Chicken]

I love my banty wyandottes! They jump on my should and legs and the roos crow is just cute.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
HAHAHA we just got whatever TSC had. What they sold as "pullets" did turn out to be pullets, but they couldn't tell me any breed info. I know thanks to BYC that they are Leghorns. Just my personal preference that I won't buy anymore of them. I also got 3 straight run "assorted reds" and I am very glad to have ended up with my Redstar Queenie, she's the best!
After that I just got whatever chicks I could find locally. I really like having a mix of breeds myself. If I don't particularly like one kind (the Leghorns) then I only have 3 of them to put up with and I know not to buy more. Easy! I like being able to have a few of each kind and see the differences up close and personal. Better than a book or picture online, IMO.