im sure it's a very big question, but me and my fiancé an son just bought our first house, and i'm looking to get back into chickens. i'd like to raise some as a hobby but also to work with a breed thatneeds some help that isn't all over the place that everyone doesn't have. i'd like something unusual and small. wether that be a breed or a certain color. any suggestions welcome, as long as its bantam and would be ok during ohio winters. thanks in advance, cole.
You might take a look at the Livestock Conservancy website to see what heritage chickens are on their priority list. They have a listing of heritage chicken breeds that considered at risk, you can click on the breeds they list to get more detail. Here's a link to take you there: https://livestockconservancy.org/ Good luck!
All three below are in critical need of breeders. 1. Bantam White Chanteclers.( a Canadian breed, extremely cold hardy. see the national Club website) 2. Bantam Speckled Sussex. ( Overton or Skytop strains. top show quality. tough color to breed correctly because it is a 3 color bird. But these two strains have the color correct, all you have to do is maintenance it.) 3. Bantam Marans in Cuckoo or Black Copper or (maybe) plain Black. ( lays very dark eggs. the Clubs have egg shows which are fun and very inexpensive. Select your strain very carefully for quality in bird and eggs. Do not cross strains to found your flock. Big mistake in Marans. plenty of diversity to line breed any foundation flock you obtain. Check online show results for who is winning at conformation shows and who is winning at egg shows. Cross ref the list for a short list of breeders doing both and start looking there.) All three breeds have vigorous national breed Clubs with educational website which include Breeder Directories. Do not cross strains to found a flock in any of these breeds. It's a mistake. Follow advice from the breeder from whom you got the strain for the 1st 2-3 years until you get to understand how the strains throw virtues and faults in a breeding program. By then you will have become educated in the breed and what the breedwide needs and faults are. How the different strains interact and who is doing what in the breed. With this knowledge and your understanding of the history fo the breed, you can move forward with your breeding program while wisely seeking any additional advice from a top breeder of your chosen strain. Best Karen
