What mix of breeds for me?

[hensonly]

HI,

My flock of layers is turning two years old next month. They are hatchery gold sex links. Next spring I want some new layers, but I also want to hatch my own replacements after that. So - I'd like a few different breeds: a few that tend to go broody for hatching eggs and some for layers. The broodies can just be broodies, and when they lay eggs so be it. The layers I'd like to be dual purpose so I can eat the extras, or raise a flock just for meat every year. I know the non-Cornish x birds take lots longer to mature to table weight, but that's ok. I just want to be able to raise what I need for table and eggs.

I know this sounds like one of the heritage breeds, but I'd also like different egg colors, and I enjoy a variety of birds, too, so I'd like to get a mix of breeds. I'm new to chickens, my current flock is my first. So I want birds that are friendly and easily handled. My birds are in a coop at all times, though we're planning to build a tractor this spring. So they need to be breeds that do well in confinement...they don't need to be quiet, as I have no close neighbors (except the ones across the road, who also have chickens).

I've been researching, and I'm leaning toward cochins or silkies for broodies, Orps/Austrolorps/EE or Americauna for colored egg layers. I'm not sure what to get for white egg layers, and I'd like a dark brown layer, too - maybe Marans?

There's so much info out there, some contradictory. I'm hoping some of you with lots of first hand knowledge will have suggestions for me...I'm planning to keep my flock fairly small, about a dozen or so hens. One roo could fertilize that many, right?

I know none of my fellow chicken loonies will tell me I'm crazy, but please do tell me if I'm being unrealistic! However - I have great faith in the BYC folks - I know you can help me figure this out! Thanks in advance!

 

[cluckcluck42]

I knew from the get go I wanted colourful eggs, so I bought a couple Ameraucana (EE's) and an EE roo. Then I got RIRs and a buff brahma because I also wanted brown eggs. That was my start up flock. I now have a bunch of babies from the EE's and cant wait til they are laying! I just bought a BC Maran roo and 4 welsummers, my idea was to breed them for dark eggs but now I am thinking of breeding the welsummers to my EE roo for an olive colour egg instead and breeding the maran to the hens sometime in the future. It's fun to experiment. I just love different colours of eggs, I want a whole rainbow in my egg carton!! I would really recommend some EE's that lay blueish eggs and then getting some marans if you want dark eggs. EE's are not great for meat I find- they are slow to mature and the hens dont get very big. BUT my RIR x EE mix gets big pretty fast and I would definitely use a roo from that mix for meat. Maran roo's are huge, and very good for meat.

 

[CKMom]

Sounds like your on the right track. I have a cochin pullet who loves to be broody. She lays an egg quite often, is friendly and fun to watch.
I have Buff Orps and they are hardy, friendly and well behaved, Right now 1 of the 4 is broody on golf balls.
I also have 5 EE's. One is a beautiful rooster.
2 lay brown eggs, 1 lays blue, one lays olive. They are less chummy , and a bit skittish.
I have 1 rooster to 14 hens
when I placed my order last spring, I ordered Marans, and got Dominiques instead. They are ok, great layers, but not real friendly, and next time I will get Marans.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are going to get contradictory information. Not only do we all have different goals and conditions, our chickens are living animals. They are going to react differently. We mange our chickens differently, some free ranging their chickens and some keeping them perched on their shoulder in the computer room as they post on here. There is a big difference not just in hatchery or breeder stock but in the individual lines. It is very seldom that one answer to any question is correct for all of us. You can go by trends for individual breeds, but there is no guarantee that all chickens of that breed will conform to the norms.

I'd think any of the dual purpose breeds would do you. In upstate New York, I would tend toward the Wyandotte, Buckeye, and Chantecler because of the comb in the cold weather (the EE's would be good for that too but are usually not quite as large for eating). With a decent draft proof coop, any of the Rocks, Sussex, Delaware, Orpington, Australorp, Dominique would do as well in the winter as your current flock. The Jersey Giants and Brahmas get quite big as far as eating but are slow maturing and cost more to keep in feed if you do not free range them.

As far as a breed to go broody, I'd favor the Cochin over the Silkie because of the size. A Cochin can hatch more eggs at one time. Nothing else wrong with a silkie though as far as I know.

You can try the Welsummer or Maran for the darker eggs, but you have to be a bit careful. If darker eggs are what you are after, you probably should get your birds from a breeder that breeds for darker eggs. Unless they are bred specifically for dark eggs, you can easily get hens that do not lay really dark eggs.

I'm not aware of any white egg layer that really meets your criteria. Many seem to be a little smaller in size or they often do not do well in confinement. A leghorn is the standard white egg layer that does OK in confinement, but you give up something in size for the table.

One rooster should be able to keep a dozen hens fertile. One should be all you need.

 

[cluckcluck42]

Oh and as for a broody, I would go for a cochin, they are just such gorgeous birds and can cover more eggs than a Silkie can.

 

[hensonly]

I'm not trying to bump my own post....I just had the weekend from hell (work, friend's 13 year old dog hit by car, family Easter activities, then double shift at work...) and haven't had a chance to check on my post until this morning...

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for your information...some of the breeds suggested, I hadn't really considered. I will now!! Thanks again. I can't wait 'til next spring!!!!