What chickens would you get?

[cheryl98117]

Here on our little farm we have, 5 white leghorns, good layers year round in mild climate "very comical, but instigators." 2 Gold laced wyandottes, steady layers, very personable and quiet. 2 Black Orpingtons, they are more talkative but are also the friendlier of the group, good layers. And last but definatly not least is "big mamma," she is my barred rock, and has a tendency to go broody, also a steady layer.

With our small flock we get 10 eggs a day, and LOTS of entertainment. During the winter we were still getting 10 eggs a day. But for our family the eggs are just a bonus.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Out of curiosity, why not?

Because you get predictable results with fewer breeds. If Im going to go to the trouble to keep and maintain chickens, I want to reap the greatest reward - and that is the result of consistency. This is all the more important in the small flock, where you can't make up for mistakes with numbers.

A random assortment of birds, everything from bantams to Jersey Giants, gives you mixed results. They mature at different times, they molt differently, differences are easier to spot.... well you get the idea. It's difference vs. consistency.

I prefer consistency, that's all. It's a very old idea one based on subsistence, as opposed to hobby efforts. Stewardship is a planned way of life, one might say.