What do you have in your flock?

[ragschickens]

I have a very mixed flock, we are trying to figure out what we like.
First 3 (unsure of breeds) Austrolorp, Production Red, and White Leghorn. I REGRET the WL! She chases everyone, pecks a lot, and terrorizes our sweet Lab. Maybe she is a he?

Our newest additions-
Austrolorp (love the 1st one!)
Golden Wyandotte
Silver Wyandotte
Barred Rock
Buff Orpington (my fav chick!)
EE
Buckeye

She's a pain!

 

[tmarsh83]

I have a very mixed flock, we are trying to figure out what we like.
First 3 (unsure of breeds) Austrolorp, Production Red, and White Leghorn. I REGRET the WL! She chases everyone, pecks a lot, and terrorizes our sweet Lab. Maybe she is a he?

Our newest additions-
Austrolorp (love the 1st one!)
Golden Wyandotte
Silver Wyandotte
Barred Rock
Buff Orpington (my fav chick!)
EE
Buckeye

She's a pain!

Is that your leghorn? How old? I'm suspicious.

 

[ragschickens]

Suspicious she might be a he?! I'm not sure on her breed, but I thought maybe leghorn. She's about 4.5 months. Here's another pic.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Not a leghorn, could be a mix, or something like a white chantecler, which aren't common. Where did you get it. I'm pretty sure it's a hen.

 

[ragschickens]

Not a leghorn, could be a mix, or something like a white chantecler, which aren't common. Where did you get it. I'm pretty sure it's a hen.

Good to know, thanks! A woman down the road received extra chicks from an order and we got 3. These were our first chickens and we just got one of each color. She didn't say it was a leghorn, I just came to that "uneducated" conclusion on my own. I guess I have more research to do! Thanks for your input

 

[mamatink7]

Well you don't know what you will like until you try them. I have had all your breeds and many are some of my favorites. I have the luxury of being able to keep a lot of chickens.

I also don't care for my appenzellers, I often forget that they are there and they aren't very personable. I would have initially mention them, but I forgot about them.

wow! That bad a chicken? Even least favorites are getting little better as the closer they get to laying. EE long face (vs fluffy) is even squatting and coming up to us now

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

wow! That bad a chicken? Even least favorites are getting little better as the closer they get to laying. EE long face (vs fluffy) is even squatting and coming up to us now

Well some must like them, they are pretty to look at, but I go for the all over package. Hopefully you will get a first egg soon.

 

[Little Fuzzy]

My Golden Stars are so friendly, love to sit in my lap. If you go out to do anything in the yard they have to be right there supervising.

 

[Little Fuzzy]

I have 3 Golden Stars-great everyday layers; 2 White Leghorns-great everyday layers; 1 Light Brahma-good every other day layer; 1 Americana-great everyday layer of perfect pale green eggs; 1 white Silkie-great everyday layer of cute little tan eggs and last but not least 1 Blue Wyandotte that rarely lays an egg because she is always going in and out of broodiness. I wish I had gotten 3 more Americanas.

 

[Sylvester017]

Any crazy chicken folks out there regret your breeds in your flock?
Well..only reason why I say this is cause our hatchery is sharing different breeds available. If I was aware or could've planned better, like all breeds we wanted on one day, I could've gotten a 4 rare breed chicks in addition to the ones we wanted previously just smaller numbers. Grrr. I wouldn't have gotten brown rare layers, I'd have done olive Eggers or blue layers. No bantams or Silkies they just aren't for us.

I too am not fond of most brown egg layers with possibly the exception of Dominique or Welsummer as long as they aren't integrated with bantams. I agree Silkies/bantams aren't for everyone - they require a bit more care just like most broody breeds do. We like our Silkies as pets and regret getting dual purpose, heavy, or production breeds added to our small flock because the smaller docile Silkies got bullied too much by the bigger breeds (no matter how sweet the bigger breeds were on their own). We found pure Ameraucana and pure Breda small enough and non-combative enough to keep around the Silkies. The Ameraucana aren't prolific layers but their pretty blue eggs and good temperament around bantams and other gentle breeds is desirable - however Ameraucana and EEs aren't fond of hot climate regions like ours. Our Breda are non-combative and great to have around our Silkies and gentle Ameraucana plus the Breda are prolific MED to LG egg layers - I have one Breda that has been laying for 10 consecutive months through all weather and handles our humid SoCal climate very well where our Ameraucana did not. Where Ameraucana/EEs don't like hot humid climates, the Breda with their feathered feet don't do well in snowy muddy conditions. I've had RIR, NHR, BR, Marans, Legs, and these larger heavier production breeds are nice for eggs but not always compatible to mix with gentler breeds like Silkies, Sultans, Cochins, Brahmas, Breda, Houdan, Polish, Dominique, Crevecouer, Faverolles, EEs, Ameraucana, Araucana, or other gentle types. It's been my experience that the crested or bearded or muffed or tufted or 5-toed or feather-legged breeds seem to have a "sweetness" gene (with the exception of Marans which my friend and I tried and didn't like). My friend liked her BO except she was very mean when broody. She liked her large Mottled Java. She didn't like her Cuckoo or BCM Marans because they weren't nice to flockmates. Her experience with Red Sexlinks was sad losing them to eggbound, prolapse, mortality in general.