Who has one and only one breed?

[SunAngel]

I was out of the running with my first ever chicken/hatchery order last May. My first batch of chickens was an Ornamental Layer Collection from McMurray, plus a few extras.

My original goal was to have 1 hen of as many different breeds as possible, but I have since developed a love for Cochins and EEs. Although I am sure I will still keep 1 of each breed that appeals to me.

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
That was my original thought then I remembered the bantams, and silkie, and do turkeys count? I did get rid of the ducks(got quail in exchange) so no, more than one breed here.

 

[onthespot]

oops. plus i forgot, David gave me two Red Stars and I sold them, and the guy decided he didn't want them so I refunded and the buyer/returner gave me two austalorps back with the red stars too. Without even taking them out of the box, I traded them off for five future Bourbon Red Turkey eggs sometime this spring from some specTACular birds out of Oklahoma. oh, and my cochin/game mix broody. oh, and someone gave me a TEENSY serama chick, it is nearly a month old and it is smaller than a newly hatched marans from last night. Its feet look like toy plastic little tiny feet! Not sure what I will do with that bitsy little thing. I swear it is about the size of a hummingbird, a small one. And I had a splash game cockerel chick from the bird farm, easter orphaned, raised him up and gave him away too. I am sure I will remember others but I won't bore you with every little bird, (unless it is a really cool one.)

 

[HorseFeathers]

No way!

 

[onthespot]

Way! I will take a picture right now and show you... hang on... it is freaking microscopic!

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Is that even allowed??? I thought it was some kinda law that if you owned chickens you had to own at least 2 breeds or more.

 

[onthespot]

Here it is! This marans chick hatched out around 4:30 this morning. The serama, I swear has to be around four weeks old.

 

[HorseFeathers]

Whoa.

 

[chickorama]

Not me!! that would take all the fun out of having chickens!!

 

[snowydiamonds]

I had great intentions of NEVER owning chickens...then I was given RIR's so a year ago last November I had only one flock and one breed. In Feb of 08 I was given what I thought was a pair of Pilgrim geese who laid eggs and were due to raise a family in May of 08 but just in case of failure as was their past history, since they tried so hard for six or seven years, I ordered American Buff goslings to arrive the day their eggs were to hatch. I couldn't get Pilgrims then.

In May 08, I ordered BO chicks and two RIR chicks that were supposed to be cockerels. Then I discovered the Elementary school hatch and its future was to be eaten. I went on a mission to save the chicks and ended up with Black EE's, Mille Fleur D'Uccles and an Andalusian roo. (added: how could I forget the beautiful Blue Lace Red Wyandottes???)

Meanwhile, somewhere in there, I found out the nearest hatchery had banty BLRW chicks and LF GLW chicks so ordered those, they froze before arrival, I revived one of each so ordered more.

Then an elderly couple gave me their entire banty flock and told me I should either not take their roo or not keep him long- I think that roo and his hens are my absolute favorites and I planned to only keep them a month and then eat them

That flock is absolutely wonderful! Right after that, the man who originally gave me my first flock of RIR's gave me HIS RIR flock...
(can you believe this???) And my favorite back yard neighbors had so many people wanting future eggs that we ordered a RIR flock for them of chicks that I'd raise while we got a large coop and predator proof outside pen to contain some of my birds. Later, as we built coops and pens we switched so my birds came home and theirs went home...we decided we wanted Cornish X to raise, too.

We only raised two sets of 25 at my yard and I thought I would be raising 100 but when the chicks arrive they need a lot of personal care and its hard when I work out in the country to be there for them. Still going to try that this coming summer, staggering them so when they are past the pasty butt stage they'll go out in a heated coop with access to an outside pen that the banties use and those banties are marvelous mama's. They adopt anything I put with them.

Another friend gave me three of her last chicks that were only a week old, banties, and out of those, one was a cockerel now roo that I kept. The only pullet had severe leg problems and I put her out of her misery once I could see she wouldn't recover and the other cockerel seemed to have to rest just from breathing so when he began crowing, he lost his neck. The remaining cockerel now has his own flock of white egg layers and I'm incubating their eggs for more hens.

My plans changed from trying to keep endangered breeds purebred a bit. I still am trying to keep that but also since my banties are purebred and raising mutts, I'm directing their and my efforts to two bantam flocks. One Buff/silver and the other Black/Blue/Splash Silver but meaty bodies and large egg-layers.

And I can't help but love those EE's for all their traits...in the end, I don't know what I'll have as a very elderly old woman when someday I'll only have one flock...I think the direction is toward a bantam flock of wyandottes (and bantam araucanas)

and geese
and ducks? I forgot to mention someone rescued a newly hatched wild duckling from some boys and gave it to me, where I instantly ordered more ducklings for its companions and it died the first night so I have ducks laying eggs this past week...I think I've got 3 hens and two drakes but I might be wrong on the one drake...

Now I'm getting some beautiful SLW eggs (emoticon jumping for joy) and I'm sure its not the end of the adventure, either...

AAHH! How could I forget Tori's wonderful Silkies I insist on living w/in the house??? We were just practicing our morning crowing, Falcon and I...four of those heart stealers...so far! More to come when they mature

OOPs, I've got over thirty eggs due to hatch by the end of Jan, too!

Added: The longer I sit here, the more I have to face reality...my XDH's DW and I are going to share a bantam RIR flock from L&S

Isn't that great? And if she gets banty Barred Rocks...well we know where that's headed...