Which breed should I go with?

[Clucksworth12]

You say broody is important. Like, how important? Do you want a breed that every single female goes broody, as early as six months, and does three or four broods a year and keeps on doing it for ten to fifteen years?

I would say every hen, since I have a long list of people who look to me for chickens. Plus I really love chicks and have plenty of spcae and shelter on my homestead.

 

[Clucksworth12]

Cochins or Buffs. They are both docile, though bantam Cochin make good cuddle buddies because they are smaller! Really I feel like roosters are mostly luck of the draw on temperament plus making sure they know YOU are the top rooster from day one, even if you are a sweet top rooster! Except Rhode Island Red Roosters. 90% of the time they are HORRIBLE MEAN JERKS!

Thanks! I will definitely comsider this. I know about rhode island reds! I have had a few bad experiences with them!

 

[Clucksworth12]

Bantam Cochins or Japanese. So friendly, sweet, easy to handle, motherly, and you can have a few extra because they are small! My Jap roosters are my absolute favorites, I spend a lot of time with them.

View attachment 1186997
View attachment 1186998 View attachment 1186999

This is helpful! Beautiful chickens!

 

[Clucksworth12]

All of what you are looking for is subjective and every hen of every breed in one way or another.

You say you have a blended flock. What does that mean? Bunch of different breeds?

You know a lot about every breed but don't know what you want?

Pick a breed that you like the look of, meat/egg values, and egg color/size.

Yes, blended means blended, meaning a bunch of different breeds.
I know that everu breed has atleast one of those characteristics, but I asked for those who have all or most of them.

Yes I do know a little pf every breed, as I said in my post. I said I would like to get views from peiple who have had experience with them, not from my knowledge of books.

 

[varidgerunner]

I would say every hen, since I have a long list of people who look to me for chickens. Plus I really love chicks and have plenty of spcae and shelter on my homestead.

Asils are very broody. Very friendly toward their humans. Males can be made very tame, without much fear of them turning on people. Females can be a little testy when they have chicks, but are quite pleasant to handle if handled regularly. They are some of the longest lived chickens, very hardy. Not as cold tolerant as some breeds, but do OK if they have basic shelter. Very heat tolerant. Can be closely confined, but still forage well if free ranged. The drawback is that males must be separated. Adult females don't do well if confined together. With their long lives, you don't need many, and they will keep you in chickens, you can put any breed under them. They are on the livestock conservancy list, not many people raise them. Very unique birds, personality like no other. Not traumatized easily, you can take them out, with no other chickens, go for a ride, show and tell, etc. Their long history of being raised to fight is both good and bad. It is the reason for their longevity, being performance bred athletes. It is the reason for their attitude, being long bred to tolerate handling, due to the amount of conditioning that they used to be subjected to. Also, the reason they are the best mothers of any breed, their natural instincts are still very much intact. But, they are not for everyone.

 

[Clucksworth12]

Asils are very broody. Very friendly toward their humans. Males can be made very tame, without much fear of them turning on people. Females can be a little testy when they have chicks, but are quite pleasant to handle if handled regularly. They are some of the longest lived chickens, very hardy. Not as cold tolerant as some breeds, but do OK if they have basic shelter. Very heat tolerant. Can be closely confined, but still forage well if free ranged. The drawback is that males must be separated. Adult females don't do well if confined together. With their long lives, you don't need many, and they will keep you in chickens, you can put any breed under them. They are on the livestock conservancy list, not many people raise them. Very unique birds, personality like no other. Not traumatized easily, you can take them out, with no other chickens, go for a ride, show and tell, etc. Their long history of being raised to fight is both good and bad. It is the reason for their longevity, being performance bred athletes. It is the reason for their attitude, being long bred to tolerate handling, due to the amount of conditioning that they used to be subjected to. Also, the reason they are the best mothers of any breed, their natural instincts are still very much intact. But, they are not for everyone.

Thank you veru much for this detailed post. This sounds like the perfect chicken breed for me!