What's a good breed for a beginer

[TK Poultry]

ive had ducks and chickens for a year now and im ready to start breeding ive successfully hatched out my own ducks from my animals and im getting somewhere with them but i need a chicken breed (or two) that is simple for me to be able to understand and under take!

 

[cochin123]

cochin bantams , and/or silkies

 

[Mahonri]

Cochins, Orpingtons.

 

[PaintedPony]

What do you want in the chicken breeds? If friendly chicks that will come up and be friendly, lay well, and you can eat the extra roos I'd suggest Buff Orpingtons or Barred Rocks. Both are freindly and easy to care for. The Orps go broody so they'll sit on some eggs for you if you don't want to incubate by yourself.

 

[call ducks]

salmon faverolle , Brahma , wyandotte , RIR, BR , BA, orps for bantams salmon faverolle,brahma,wyandotte,RIR,BR, rosecombs, sebrights,

 

[davidb]

australorps

 

[Pathfinders]

Buckeyes.

Pea comb (so no frostbite), good layers of medium to large brown eggs, extra males dress out well, they get along with each other and humans well, they free range and eat anything that moves (bugs, snakes, mice), and the hens will go broody from time to time (but not so much that you never get any eggs.)

My personal favorite large fowl breed.

See my website (link below) for pics and info.

 

[Ridgerunner]

PaintedPony is on the right track. What do you want in chickens; eggs for your use, eggs to sell, meat, pets, to show, to eat bugs, to raise chicks, just because they are neat, to raise according to breed standards, as a 4-H project, to teach kids about life, or some combination of these or maybe some reason I forgot? Are they going to be confined or allowed to range.? Different breeds react differently to confinement. Do you want a breed that is unique in appearance like a Polish's head, a Cochin's legs, of a Frizzle's feathers? Does egg color matter? What is your climate? Some chickens handle cold or hot weather better than others. How important is friendly? Although it varies by individual, some breeds are decidedly less friendly than others. Do you have a targeted size and makeup of your flock? With some breeds having more than one rooster is rough as they usually don't get along. Do you want purebred stock or mixed breeds? Is the origin of the breed important? Is size important - full sized, bantam? Do you plan to hatch with an incubator or use broody hens? Some breeds go broody a lot and some seldom do.

As someone else on here once mentioned, asking us to pick a breed for you is a lot like asking us to choose your favorite color for you. Many of us can tell your our favorite colors and might be able to guess yours if you give us enough hints. I can't even tell you my favorite color unless you narrow it down for me. It's different for a shirt, house, car, dog, or sports team. Give us some hints and we may be able to help narrow your search or tell you breeds to avoid. You will find there are a lot of choices and a lot of reasons to have chickens. The right choices are different for each of us. You just need to find the one or two that are right for you.

Good luck!!!

 

[TK Poultry]

gotcha it was late when i wrote this

i plan on using them for 4H, showing, i need them very cold hardy, and friendly............ egg color doesnt matter i already have EE's so i got my fix there. I have a few breeds in mine but i dont know the difficulty level associated with breeding them! I also want something that lays fairly well and i dont need a broody i have an incubator and plan to use it often! Something that does fairly well in heat would be nice also but not a must because i live in indiana are weather changes at the drop of a hat so i really need something that can adapt and that is easy for me to manage and possible breed suscessfully! Appearence isnt really an issue either

the breeds i had in mine are faverolle, dominique, delaware, and/or plymouth rock (of some variety)

thank you so much

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Quote:
I have both Delawares and 5 color varieties of Plymouth Rocks....I love 'em all!!

Best of any breeds I have or have had....