What breed is your favorite in your flock?

[SarBear78]

The first pic is beautiful , what type is that one?

It’s a magical cocktail (or should I say cock-tale) I’m making!

I’ve been pairing up odd combos in my flock, Keeping track and finally found something worth building on I hope.
The 1st pic mentioned above is the rooster. I added some more pics of him below. The females are younger -2.5 months and bigger than Silkie mama already. They, especially males, have contrasting reds & golds side by side. Hens have more of a bright shiny gold bib. Both have a distinct metallic sheen in their red & gold like I’ve never seen before. It’s hard to capture, but super obvious when you see other reds or golds colored breeds next to them. Their black-green iridescent is also eye catching.
I will call them Helm’s Monarch. Initially When looking at the gold in their individual feathers, it reminded me of a red-gold monarch butterfly wings that has a flash sheen when light hits it.
They are in their early phase still F1. We’ll see if I can stabilize them into f2 and beyond.

What I can tell you is they are a Fibro-melanistics breed with orphington and a couple other rare beauties. Before proceeding to the next phase, I need to see their egg production, egg color, cold hardiness and by mid Spring I’ll deciding who gets to continue the line. I’d love to share as I evolve them.

An adorable side note is that there’s some jumbo silkies I have to take out of the Monarch pen.
Who knows, maybe that will be something I develop as well. If they produce good eggs, I think they will be a hit.

So far the H. Monarchs are
-bearers of a unique shimmering gold/red bibbed &/or saddled
-fuzzy feathered legged
-5 toed
-modest backward swept crest
-sleek black eyes
-mostly melanistic eyes/skin/beak
-med-large bird (maybe even dual purpose)
-Naturally friendly to all including children. They follow me around more like a puppy then a chicken.
-Fearless protectors if they see a Predator. You wouldn’t think this but that’s in part from the Silkie genes.
-Intelligent
-Great free range foragers, but also tolerate enclosures if they aren’t cramped.
-egg color TBA: tan, green or blue eggs

After I’ve selected for egg production and vigor, I’ll sell some while continuing to improve the breed. Seeing if I can het them to breed true.
I’m having fun. A bit of knowledge regarding genetics has been helpful.

If I can’t get them to breed true, I may look at letting an off shoot breed on off grid homestead land to become a kind of modern landrace breed. Oh gosh, My off-grid peeps would love that. Cute + productive! Win-win

Thoughts are welcome.
Do they look and sound like a line worth tending to?

I’m new here btw. Is there another breed like these ones? If so, I’ll just hone them in for what works for my little farm.
Either way, it will be fun.

Sorry, sheesh this was a looooong answer to a simple question.

Wish me luck!

 

[CrspyChkn]

It’s a magical cocktail (or should I say cock-tale) I’m making!

I’ve been pairing up odd combos in my flock, Keeping track and finally found something worth building on I hope.
The 1st pic mentioned above is the rooster. I added some more pics of him below. The females are younger -2.5 months and bigger than Silkie mama already. They, especially males, have contrasting reds & golds side by side. Hens have more of a bright shiny gold bib. Both have a distinct metallic sheen in their red & gold like I’ve never seen before. It’s hard to capture, but super obvious when you see other reds or golds colored breeds next to them. Their black-green iridescent is also eye catching.
I will call them Helm’s Monarch. Initially When looking at the gold in their individual feathers, it reminded me of a red-gold monarch butterfly wings that has a flash sheen when light hits it.
They are in their early phase still F1. We’ll see if I can stabilize them into f2 and beyond.

What I can tell you is they are a Fibro-melanistics breed with orphington and a couple other rare beauties. Before proceeding to the next phase, I need to see their egg production, egg color, cold hardiness and by mid Spring I’ll deciding who gets to continue the line. I’d love to share as I evolve them.

An adorable side note is that there’s some jumbo silkies I have to take out of the Monarch pen.
Who knows, maybe that will be something I develop as well. If they produce good eggs, I think they will be a hit.

So far the H. Monarchs are
-bearers of a unique shimmering gold/red bibbed &/or saddled
-fuzzy feathered legged
-5 toed
-modest backward swept crest
-sleek black eyes
-mostly melanistic eyes/skin/beak
-med-large bird (maybe even dual purpose)
-Naturally friendly to all including children. They follow me around more like a puppy then a chicken.
-Fearless protectors if they see a Predator. You wouldn’t think this but that’s in part from the Silkie genes.
-Intelligent
-Great free range foragers, but also tolerate enclosures if they aren’t cramped.
-egg color TBA: tan, green or blue eggs

After I’ve selected for egg production and vigor, I’ll sell some while continuing to improve the breed. Seeing if I can het them to breed true.
I’m having fun. A bit of knowledge regarding genetics has been helpful.

If I can’t get them to breed true, I may look at letting an off shoot breed on off grid homestead land to become a kind of modern landrace breed. Oh gosh, My off-grid peeps would love that. Cute + productive! Win-win

Thoughts are welcome.
Do they look and sound like a line worth tending to?

I’m new here btw. Is there another breed like these ones? If so, I’ll just hone them in for what works for my little farm.
Either way, it will be fun.

Sorry, sheesh this was a looooong answer to a simple question.

Wish me luck!

Oh wow, they are beautiful! I think it seems like a good idea to continue breeding. I would love to get some updates on them. Seems like a bird I would want to buy tbo. Maybe you could make a seperate thread about your progression? If you do, could you tag me please? They are gorgeous.

 

[Ponypoor]

I was wondering what breed of chicken is your favorite one in your flock? By favorite I mean who is always looking for cuddles or just eager to see you, who lays eggs most consistently and who gets along with others….
I want a diverse flock but I want my flock to be friendly. I see them more as pets and producers of eggs. So who’s YOUR best breed ??
Thanks !

Well for cuteness and cuddles a Silkie is a winner, but I also have plain old mutts who are cuddlers and lay well, no matter what breed handling from day one is how your chickies get usd to you and learn that your not a big bad monster

 

[Wendy Bee]

So sorry, I haven't lost any yet, some are 5 yrs old. I feed my whole flock the All Flock type of feed though, not feed for Layers. I provide calcium in a separate feeder if some feel the need to peck at it. I don't know if that makes a difference but as I have many roosters mixed in, I heard the Layer feeds can harm them, so everyone gets All Flock here. I still get plenty of eggs but some don't lay every single day & that's OK with me. Maybe I just got lucky with mine so far? I didn't know they may die young.

We love our ISA Browns, too. We have two from our original group of chicks - about a year and a half old, now. They are so sweet and great layers, too. They are also the adventurous ones - always off exploring somewhere unusual!

We got 5 more ISAs this past Spring, and they're also very sweet, but in the last 3 weeks we've lost two of them . One never returned one night, and a couple of days ago, another one got hit by a car. Our house sits about 130 ft. off the road, and their coop/run is another hundred feet beyond the house, so adventuring she must have been . At least it was quick and she didn't suffer.

We also feed All Flock feed here (Kalmbach's version), with oyster shell free choice. Good to know you've gotten good long term results with feeding that way.

As far as favorite breeds - I'd say our ISAs are up at the top, but also love our EEs, Welsummers, and we have a really sweet Black Australorp.

We also have three Buff Orpintons, who, surprisingly are my least favorite! They tend to be drama queens and go broody at the drop of a hat. I can see how they would be committed mamas, though, and we'll likely keep a couple in our flock for that purpose if the need ever arises. It's always nice to know we have the option to raise our own protein (beyond eggs) if needed.

Some of the girls hangin' out this past Spring

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

I was wondering what breed of chicken is your favorite one in your flock? By favorite I mean who is always looking for cuddles or just eager to see you, who lays eggs most consistently and who gets along with others….
I want a diverse flock but I want my flock to be friendly. I see them more as pets and producers of eggs. So who’s YOUR best breed ??
Thanks !

My bantam cochins and banty cornishs and when I had a modern game bantam and a Rose comb bantam I used to have

 

[LateBirdFarms]

This is Goldie, my GLWx, I know she was part of some Olive Egger breeding project, but she's my absolute favorite out of my current flock. She's absolutely head over heelsnin love with me and I hear, she's always at my side if I'm out in the yard, and always needs a cuddle at the end of the day. I do headcount at night and she always insists on resting her head on my shoulder, closing her eyes and trilling quietly as I hum and ruffle her neck feathers. She's such a little peach.
Before my previous flock met an untimely demise at the will of a weasel ermine, most likely, Blondie my Silver Spangled Hamburg x Bantam Cochin held that position. She was just as friendly and a prolific layer of white eggs, only missing a day sun, rain, sleep or snow if she was brooding. I miss that bird.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

It’s a magical cocktail (or should I say cock-tale) I’m making!

I’ve been pairing up odd combos in my flock, Keeping track and finally found something worth building on I hope.
The 1st pic mentioned above is the rooster. I added some more pics of him below. The females are younger -2.5 months and bigger than Silkie mama already. They, especially males, have contrasting reds & golds side by side. Hens have more of a bright shiny gold bib. Both have a distinct metallic sheen in their red & gold like I’ve never seen before. It’s hard to capture, but super obvious when you see other reds or golds colored breeds next to them. Their black-green iridescent is also eye catching.
I will call them Helm’s Monarch. Initially When looking at the gold in their individual feathers, it reminded me of a red-gold monarch butterfly wings that has a flash sheen when light hits it.
They are in their early phase still F1. We’ll see if I can stabilize them into f2 and beyond.

What I can tell you is they are a Fibro-melanistics breed with orphington and a couple other rare beauties. Before proceeding to the next phase, I need to see their egg production, egg color, cold hardiness and by mid Spring I’ll deciding who gets to continue the line. I’d love to share as I evolve them.

An adorable side note is that there’s some jumbo silkies I have to take out of the Monarch pen.
Who knows, maybe that will be something I develop as well. If they produce good eggs, I think they will be a hit.

So far the H. Monarchs are
-bearers of a unique shimmering gold/red bibbed &/or saddled
-fuzzy feathered legged
-5 toed
-modest backward swept crest
-sleek black eyes
-mostly melanistic eyes/skin/beak
-med-large bird (maybe even dual purpose)
-Naturally friendly to all including children. They follow me around more like a puppy then a chicken.
-Fearless protectors if they see a Predator. You wouldn’t think this but that’s in part from the Silkie genes.
-Intelligent
-Great free range foragers, but also tolerate enclosures if they aren’t cramped.
-egg color TBA: tan, green or blue eggs

After I’ve selected for egg production and vigor, I’ll sell some while continuing to improve the breed. Seeing if I can het them to breed true.
I’m having fun. A bit of knowledge regarding genetics has been helpful.

If I can’t get them to breed true, I may look at letting an off shoot breed on off grid homestead land to become a kind of modern landrace breed. Oh gosh, My off-grid peeps would love that. Cute + productive! Win-win

Thoughts are welcome.
Do they look and sound like a line worth tending to?

I’m new here btw. Is there another breed like these ones? If so, I’ll just hone them in for what works for my little farm.
Either way, it will be fun.

Sorry, sheesh this was a looooong answer to a simple question.

Wish me luck!

Good luck & great idea, they are indeed quite adorable eye candy & with sweet personalities...can't wait to hear about your egg colors.

I've unintentionally began a mixed breed project, but on a much smaller & slower scale, & really it was out of necessity...cuz if I ask my sweetheart to built a 4th coop, he may think I have finally flipped . I mean I already have obviously "flown the coop" with a bad case of "chicken-itis" as it is. .

Anyway...my little breeding program actually is the result of hatching little ones (oh how cute & addictive) thus resulting in more roosters than planned...go figure, right? Well, I fall in love with EVERY BIRD & they all love me...so naturally, additional accommodations must be made!

When my very 1st Roo became an old man, I had to move him to the new Senior's Section...old Hens & old Roos get along great, no food squabbles, the perches & cabbage are hung lower, etc. That left my Marans roosterless. I happened to have a gorgeous EE Roo...Black, very iridescent (camera never does justice), with a few very Gold feathers (dude looks like he's sporting jewelry!) to introduce to the Marans, so that will be interesting to see the chicks they produce.


The RIR hens beat up on the sweet RIR Roo so he was moved & a very masculine EE, gorgeous red, moved in to keep the RIR hens in line. He is a gentle sweetheart that loves my snuggles, but he doesn't take crap from hens. Those wenches...they plucked my sweet RIR Roo nearly bald, poor guy resembled a naked neck! Valentino, the red EE Roo, hasn't lost a single feather to those brats.

Sorry to blab so much...you get me talking about chickens...yup, it's gonna be a long conversation.

Good luck with your project, it sounds awesome!!!

 

[Tamayeager]

I see a lot of people stating about spending time with them to make them friendly. Yes, there is a lot of truth to that. But, you can have the friendliest bird in the world, not spend much time with it, and it will still tend to be interested in its human. While on the flip side, you can spend all the time in the world, with an unfriendly bird, and never get it to enjoy being held or petted. And the breed of bird does matter! Yes, each bird is an individual. But some are more likely to be friendlier than others. My experience has been orpingtons and Bahamas are naturally friendly. And this year, for the first time, I have a salmon faverolle. I had not even known about them before. And I got two by accident. They were supposed to be brahma. Unfortunately, one did not live long. But the one that did, is sweet and gentle as they come! I will attach some photos of some of my birds. Notice who is ON ME! lol. While they are all tame. Only certain ones are super friendly. And they are the orpingtons, followed by the salmon faverolle, then the brahma. And these birds all received the same attention. But some want more attention than others.

 

[Charlotte68]

That's what I've heard..... I was happy to read RDean's comment on how you can possibly get Nice Delawares because I've really wanted to try them. But I've been hesitant because my friend who has 2 says they're mean and so did the guy at my local feed store who was doing the chick sexing last time I got chicks, so I changed my mind. I'm so on the fence because they're so pretty!!!! aargh....

Oh that’s so interesting! I have a little update since my last post. My Delawares have not pestered me for almost a week now. Not sure if my actions of “pecking” them on their backs and telling them no sternly finally paid off, but fingers crossed for whatever reason, they are getting nicer. Maybe it has to do with getting a bit older? They are near 13 weeks. I don’t anticipate they will ever be lap chickens, but at least they are not biting and acting aggressively for now. Maybe there’s hope?!?

 

[Gary Meeks]

Lavender Ameraucana picked me, I was never the type to cuddle chickens , I take great care and attention to my flock , for some reason this 5 month old roo flys up on my shoulder and sits there as I walk around , picks at my face and crows in my ear, he seems to listen as if he understands when I talk to him, who knows what they are thinking ? Just enjoy the fact that he’s so attached to me