What breed will you never have again? Me? It's...

[TrystInn]

I lucked out when I rescued a few RIRs, they are incredibly friendly, sing the prettiest songs and keep the flock in order. Scarlett likes to perch on my knee and let me know what's going on with everyone. She's that fabulous chicken you just love to introduce to folks. I take her along when I teach Chickens 101 - she's a professional chicken!

The thing with Rhodies is they are infinitely curious - she jumps in the rabbit pens to eat the seeds, wanders in the dog door and hangs out on the front porch when she gets bored. They have no concept of boundaries, which makes for some very interesting adventures. One day she decided she'd like to meet the mailma'm, so she perched on the mailbox until the mail came. Thankfully, our mailma'm is a lovely Philippina and used to chickens!

What I'll never do, again:

Polish. Amen! Ditsiest things on the planet. Wouldn't come back to the coop at night, screamed every time I picked them up and just needed more attention than I could give. I sold two, and gave my prettiest Polish to a dear friend as a birthday present. (Gotta love chicken folks, we're thrilled to get chickens for presents!)

Black Copper Marans, mine were Bev Davis line. They went through the adolescence from Hell, anxious and flaky, drove my dogs insane. One of the cockerels kept attacking my BIL's old Lab, much to everyone's annoyance. No one was surprised when that sweet old dog finally had enough and bit the cockerel. I nursed it back to health and sold him. Ugh.

Barred Rocks. Another tough bird to get through adolescence in my experience. Kept going after our rabbits' food and got violent when the rabbits tried to defend their feed.

Brahamas. Ditto on the theme: Too slow to grow, too much food, not enough eggs.

Ameraucanas. Ugh. They roosted in the trees at night, got half the flock to do the same. I finally sold them. I just finally got the rest of the flock back in the coop at night, though I think the weather had more to do with it than anything. Not the friendliest birds, either.

Dorkings - LOUD. I mean CRAZY LOUD. Guinea-level LOUD. I was convinced she was a rooster with that kind of racket coming out of her.

Hamburg - tiny eggs, twitchy, pretty as all get out but basically not very useful on a farm.

Andalusian - gorgeous hen, but never again. Tiny eggs, slow to grow and flighty. Screeched when I go near her. Ugh.

 

[loverOFchickens]

golden hamburgs. They are easy to raise but SO flighty!

 

[ReiMiraa]

Turkens. dino looking things. and they act like dinosaurs.

i still cant add my seabrights to the flock cos of the 3 turkens chase them and try to kill them. they are good at mousin. but no other redeming qualitys. 2 hens 1 roo. out of a large flock of 70+ and its these 3 that cause the most trouble.

 

[hallerlake]

I have a production red who is the friendliest, bravest, most curious, and smartest one in my little flock. Can you tell she's my favorite? My FBCM is next in line for those qualities. She talks a lot, but it always sounds like grumbling. I don't have a lot of experience, but I won't have leghorns (too flighty)or bantams (they can actually fly). My neighbor had bantams, and he couldn't keep them in his yard. They eventually decided they wanted to be part of a bigger flock across the street, and stopped coming home at all.





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[Dora'smom]

My RIR's are very flighty, skittish, and agressive. I might get a different temperament out of a different line of birds, but then again, I might not, so I'd rather go with other breeds if I was going to get more.
My BR's are both feather-pickers. They pluck and eat from anything that they can reach, and I have tried all kinds of supplementing, etc. One of them is very friendly, and sings, but still. . .
In my newer flock, I don't think I would get the Delawares again. Nothing major, it's just that they are a little agressive, and peck at me. The cuckoo Marans were truly cuckoo when we got them---flailing and screaming whenever anyone tried to touch them, but one of them has matured into the best little mama ever. She allowed us to look at her eggs whenever (she growled and chattered at us, but never made a move to bite) and has taken great care of her chicks from the start.
The Wyandottes have been standoffish and agressive with the other birds. They are truly beautiful, though.
If I was going to add to my flock in the spring, or have a broody who needs to sit, I would be happy to have more EE's, BO's, Australorps, Welsummers, or maybe another color of Marans.
I don't have any that I dislike so much that they would end up in a stewpot, but several that I just wouldn't add more of to my flock.
I also wouldn't have more Turkens. The free eggs that I got all turned out to be Turkens (I was led to believe that they would probably be Cochins, white rocks, or maybe a blue Marans), and every time I look at them, their bare necks make me want to gag a little. They are still tiny, but I just know they are not something I care for. With all the different looks and breeds of chickens that there are, no-one should have to go with something they are repulsed by. Nothing wrong with the birds so far, and I understand that as a breed, they should be docile, and friendly. Just sayin'. . .

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

Cochins.
Maybe mine's a fluke, but he's skittish, whiney, panicky, and not even very pretty.
I am just waiting for him to finish fattening up and growing in those lovely feathers and then he'll be craft supplies and dinner.

 

[lacasitarojafarm]

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Polish for me. We got one in an order from McMurray's. He was picked on constantly and finally I think he committed suicide. He drowned in a small ditch that we have on the farm property. I'd say Turkens too like one of the previous posters, they grow slow and are slow to lay and egg and they get picked by the other chickens because they look like they have bald spots but my husband LOVES them.

 

[dolly85]

Lakenvelder. I recieved one in a mixed order and he was a total SPAZ!! He was flighty, LOUD, mean, and attacked my daughter. The day he attacked my daughter was his last!! My girl says, lets eat that one mommy! He's mean. So by golly we ate him for supper.
Did I mention he was LOUD????

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Of the breeds I've actually had that I won't ever get again the only ones I can think of are Red Sex Links. Great layers, some make a very good size as well, but every one in my experience that laid well and made good size was also very aggressive to the other birds in the tractors.

 

[ninjascrub69]

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Hmmmmm, im gunna have to say polish. The one i have refuses to roost in the coop, picks on the other chickens, and is REALLY rough with the hens