What type of chicken is best to me

[jcouto20]

Hi, new to the forum and new to chickens. I recently was given two young "chickens" and built a coop in the yard, took care of them, etc, only to find out that they were BOTH roosters. Not good. The only reason I got them was for fresh eggs. I can't have two roosters in my back yard in the city, with very close neighbors, for obvious reasons. But now I have a coop, no eggs and two kids who miss the "chickens". So I was thinking to get two to three hens for the yard. Knowing little to nothing about chickens, I want some advice. I want a breed that lays well, and produces enough eggs for a family of four (between the three of them) but I also would prefer a breed that is quiet and at least somewhat friendly. The roosters were jersey giants and pretty docile. They would even let you pet them for a bit. I read that Leghorns are great for egg production but very flighty and noisy. Is that true?

Any advice is appreciated! Also, if I should have posted this somewhere else, let me know. I just saw behaviors and figured this was the best spot.

Joe

 

[Pyxis]

! In my experience, leghorns can be flighty or friendly, depends on the bird. The majority of mine have been skittish, however. If you're looking for a breed that is good at producing eggs but is also calm and friendly, go with sex links. As a bonus, it's impossible to accidentally end up with roosters with sex links because the male and female chicks hatch out different colors. My sex links have always been very friendly and are excellent egg producers.

Oh, and roosters are chickens too! Kind of like how all deer are deer, but a male deer is called a buck and a female deer is called a doe. Likewise, all chickens are chickens, and males are called roosters and females are called hens. Or cockerels and pullets, depending on the age.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I live in an urban area and have 6 birds/5 different breeds. How many eggs are you wanting a day for 4 people? With three hens really 3 eggs a day is what you can hope and keep in mind that a lot of birds with slow or stop for part of the winter--a light in the coop can help but they will definitely stop laying when they molt.

I love leghorns. They, in my experience, are the best and most consistent layers who lay the largest eggs. Mine have been friendly with a little patience and training. They eat out of my hand and run up to me when I bring treats. They can fly very well. Mine are in an inclosed run so it is not an issue but if you are free ranging them it could be.

For good layers I have also liked Wynadottes, Rhodes Island Reds, and Delawares. Delawares are a heavier bird so they do not fly all that well. Easter Eggers and Welsummers can be fun for kids because they lay blue/green or dark redish eggs respectively.

Good luck!!

 

[sourland]

Hi, Joe, welcome to BYC. Sex links are probably your best bet; although, Orpingtons or Australorps are also very viable candidates for what you want plus they are very mellow birds.

 

[jcouto20]

Thanks everyone!!!!! I'm going to do some looking into the sex links. By the way, what's the story behind the breed name? Just curious. I know people are going to ask me when I mention the breed.

 

[Pyxis]

Oh, it's because they're sex linked so that males hatch a different color than females. It's not really a breed, you cross two chickens of different breeds to get them and there's more than one way to do it. They're kind of like designer mutts.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

The name comes from the fact that they have been breed to have sex-linked genes--meaning that they have genetic characteristics that manifest physically that are linked to biological gender so even at a very young age you can tell just by looking at them what gender they are. This is not true of most chickens.

Think of it like a tortoiseshell cat--cats that look like that are ALWAYS girls because that coloring is sex-linked to the female chromosome.

 

[jcouto20]

Oh! Now I get it. Glad I asked.