What Chicken Breeds do you Dislike & Why?

[Trimurtisan]

v. strange thank you.

No problem.

 

[legojenn]

Red sexlinks. Nasty temperaments---like leghorns, but dumb and mean---they die like flies, they eat too much to make an efficient bird for my uses, and their eggs have more meatspots than the Leghorns. Wouldn't own them again. Of course, this just goes for the sexlinks available here. I know some others love them, so... <<shrugs>> They've certainly got a place. It just isn't here. I have had over 20 different breeds and varieties and only a few passed my strict standards.

Thanks. I have two different types of red sexlinks, Lohmanns and Red Stars. They're my first chickens so I have nothing to compare them to. You've given me things to look for. In all fairness, my first car was Chevy. It was an unreliable piece of crap, as were the two other Chevys and the Pontiac that followed. I didn't realise they weren't that good until I drove other vehicles.

 

[FortCluck]

So far Cochins and Polish I do not like, we actually own both breeds. The Polish can fly over any fence due to the being small and they're scared of people (not sure if it's due to previous owner but we just leave them be). Our white Cochin gets so dirty on it's feet that we frequently have to wash her feet with the hose. We live in an area with red clay so keeping her clean is basically impossible.

 

[Dinogrrl]

Well my experience is quite limited, I've only got one Rhode Island Red and one Gold Lace Wyandotte, but I've already decided I'm not getting another Wyandotte. The entire first year I had her she laid maybe three eggs, she aggressively pecked the RIR, she was bossy as heck, she wanted nothing to do with me, generally she had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I will admit that she's mellowed this year, she'll actually approach me of her own free will, and she's turned into a decent layer, and yeah I do love saving her molted feathers for art projects, but I still would not get more Wyandottes in the future. Not to mention that she melts in the Southern summers a lot faster than the RIR.

I would however get more RIRs in a heartbeat!

 

[Kathleen Sanderson]

Someone else said that to them, chickens are for eggs and meat, not for pets, and I have to agree with that. So the breeds I don't care for are the ones that aren't productive and can't reproduce naturally. I want chickens that lay pretty well most of the year, will go broody and raise their own chicks but aren't necessarily broody all the time, and have enough meat on them to make butchering them worth the trouble when it's time.

Some of the problems people have with certain breeds would probably be alleviated somewhat if those were the only breed they had -- some chickens just don't play nice with other chickens that look different.

And there are a few breeds that I don't want just because they look odd or ugly, like the Turkens, which are actually productive birds (my aunt used to keep some -- in the coldest part of Alaska, believe it or not!). I also don't want anything with heavily feathered feet because my chickens free-range most of the time and the mud cakes those feathers. In the winter they get ice balls. So they just aren't practical unless you can give them special care.

 

[Naser]

By far Red Sex Links were the breed that gave me the worst problems. They always seemed to get some kind of ailment, or behavior issues. I know where I live that most of these come from the same hatchery, and that may have something to do with it but I just stopped purchasing this type of bird. I stay away from RIR too because I had some get nasty on me. Barnvelders, Polish, and some bantams are skittish. My favorite still is the Barred Rock, Buff Orpington, and White Leghorn, but thats just me.

Same here, I don't buy Red Sex Links, they give me same and other problems, They were bred for commercial production in battery farms I guess. I like Leghorns but Buff Orpingtons get broody so often and they are heavy on feed.

 

[Anonymous Chicken]

I mean I'd love them because it isn't their fault, but I wouldn't perpetuate the breed. lol

I totally agree with that!

 

[black_cat]

Red sexlinks. Nasty temperaments---like leghorns, but dumb and mean---they die like flies, they eat too much to make an efficient bird for my uses, and their eggs have more meatspots than the Leghorns. Wouldn't own them again. Of course, this just goes for the sexlinks available here. I know some others love them, so... <<shrugs>> They've certainly got a place. It just isn't here. I have had over 20 different breeds and varieties and only a few passed my strict standards.

I've had a very different experience with my sexlinks and leghorns! Just goes to show how much varies bird to bird.

 

[black_cat]

I'm more against a color than a breed- anything buff, aside from buff brahmas. The black on them makes the buff look good. By extension, orpingtons, who usually come in buff, and who like to run away with the treat bag that I brought them. Just not a fan of the look.

 

[4 little chickens]

serma I do not own one but they look so unnatural