What breeds have you kept across your chickening life and why?

[Chicalina]

I started with red sex-links many years ago (Light Sussex/RIR cross). Lost some to egg overproductive issues, so I switched to pure heritage breeds.

Since then, I have kept (some bantam, some large fowl):

Orpington
Serama
Polish
Silkie
Wyandotte
Jersey Giant
Old English Game Bantam
Cream Legbar
Sussex
Welsummer
Pekin
Barnevelder
Sebright
Groninger
Silkie mixes

Not all at the same time.

I'm hatching Transylvanian Naked Necks, English Cuckoo Marans and Araucana this year.

I have had all of the above of varying colour varieties. I may even have forgotten a few breeds.

This is my ongoing rainbow flock project, whereby I don't keep any two chickens of the same breed and colour.

My favourites are probably Serama and Polish for cuddliness and feather variety (colour, pattern, silkied, crested, frizzled), followed by Silver Sussex and Barnevelder for their sheer beauty.

I'm a sucker for a laced or pencilled pattern, and black/white chickens.

Tell me your flock/breed history and what are your favourites!

 

[fluffycrow]

Throughout my chicken keeping journey I've kept australorps, BSL, leghorns, EEs, barnyard mixes, Sex Link mixes, Blue Haze. Those I no longer have. I've also kept ISA Brown from the very beginning, but I still have those. Right now I have Tsouloufati, some mix breed bantams, and aseel. My favorite breed is the aseel

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Everyone has different objectives, equals different breed favs. For me, 3 objectives: different colored chickens, different colored eggs, nice breeds. I will always have Creme Legbar, BCM, EE, OE, Lavender Orp. Beyond that, whatever it takes to meet objectives like Cuckoo Maran's, Wyandottes, Australorps, Barnevelders.

 

[Saveria]

I really like the middle-of-the-road girls, where maybe they lay only a few eggs a week, but they aren't likely to die on me when they are 2 years.

I used to try to have the best egg production breeds only, but they are always having some issue from laying all those eggs (with the exception of my black sex-links, they have been problem free so far. Still, they are only 2 now, so the issues may come next year).

I love the personality of brahmas and salmon faverolles, but they lay so few eggs that I can't keep too many in the flock.

My favorite breeds are rocks, wyandottes, austrolorps, and orpingtons (as long as the latter two aren't ones that goes broody all the time, but that is a roll of the dice). I like having either breeds, too, so I can tell them apart, so I will deviate and get some other interesting breeds periodically.

 

[fluffycrow]

Oh gosh I forgot about the why. My goals have switched over time. Now I like a good-looking chicken, with an interesting personality, and relatively good egg production. What I have right now seems to cover my needs

 

[5Australorpasaures]

RIRs, Bar Rks, Buff Rks, Wht Rks and Delawares. Like American Breed birds with nice single comb and body build. Now have Blk Aus and am very satisfied. Slightly smaller than the rock types with nice combs, body, early maturing and great layers. Want to try some Lavender Orps because of color.

 

[Amer]

So many. To begin with, I just wanted some homegrown colorful eggs so I got EE hens.
But when I moved to the country I wanted to start breeding some for show.
My brother liked how d’Uccles looked and I thought it would be good to show Dominique bantams and Jersey Giants.
We also got Red Rangers for meat.
I really wanted Faverolles so I got those. And Mom got Welsummers and Australorps for eggs.
We were disenchanted with the feather legs so my brother got d’Anvers. I always wanted Ameraucanas, I loved the blue wheaten color and the blue eggs and the cold hardiness. That’s actually how I got my original username, AMERAUCANAS4REAL, I was serious about breeding real Ameraucanas.
I actually found their personality really boring, so now the only Ameraucana I have is a black hen for eggs.
We got Silkies from a friend who didn’t want them anymore. The farm will always have Silkies. My brother and cousin love them, and I like their brooding abilities.
My mom got Buckeyes for show.
I ended up buying some d’Anvers to go with my brother’s.
Since I was in the Buckeye club she found out that breeders were giving bantam Buckeye pairs to youth that were willing to breed them and spread them around.
I remember I once had a trio of bantam Brahmas for show but they never laid. Same with a pair of bantam Cochins. And I think my brother had a pair of bantam Wyandottes with fertility issues.
I took over my brother’s d’Anvers project and made it mine because he didn’t want anything to do with birds anymore.
Eventually the LF Buckeye project went away because I didn’t want large fowl anymore.
In subsequent years, there were a variety of breeds on the farm.
Cornish cross for meat, but I didn’t like them.
We raised many different egg layers (two accidental Easter Eggers, an accidental BuckeyexSilkie, a Marans, a bantam Sicilian Buttercup) and others and my mom bred Anconas for show and my little brother recently started a bantam Welsummer project.
I have one Dominique bantam for a cuckoo d’Anvers project.
Mom got rid of her Ancona males and will start a Delaware project. We like the dual purpose qualities and enjoy heritage meat.
I just graduated high school, so I sold all my bantam Buckeyes. I did my best to share them all over the state. I think I did them justice but they will never be my favorite.
Now, I only have d’Anvers bantams. They are my favorite breed because of their beauty, beards, and personality. I keep them for show and pets, basically. It’s funny that I never wanted them to begin with.

 

[cubalaya]

dominiques were my first breed 40+ years ago. when i moved here 20+ years ago i got a trio of dominiques. now this year i ordered 2 dominique pullets to have some winter egg layers because my other breeds are oriental gamefowl that mainly lay in the spring

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

Sussex, Barnevelders, Silkies (+ Showgirls), Frizzles, mixes, some black blue egg laying chickens that I do not remember what they were, and a little bantam rooster that I don't remember either. There's a couple other random breeds that I had for short periods of time because it wasn't uncommon for us to take unwanted roosters for meat. Like that scissor beak indian game cockerel I had for like a week...

I've liked basically all the breeds I've kept. My goals now are keeping dual-purpose heritage breeds (except the silkies, they're just a guilty pleasure ), and I also want to do some breeding projects just to have some fun cross breeding and learning genetics.

 

[Party_Chicken]

EEs are a great option. They do well in the cold with their small combs and wattles. They lay a good variety of eggs and are consistent. EEs come in many colors which can be amazing if you want a diverse flock. I have an EE cockerel and he is looking like the best temperd roo I have seen. EEs are very calm and well temperated I have one crazy one but I got her from a friend so I have no clue why she’s that way. Overall great birds they aren’t a real breed but they are a great option.