Why that breed???????

[fowltemptress]

I started out with the breeds my grandmother kept, simply because that's what was available . . . sex links, leghorns, Rhode Island reds, easter eggers, and barred rocks. I got so bored with those breeds, they were everywhere.

When I moved out and rented a place with my SO, I decided, first off, that I needed bantams so that they'd be small enough to escape the notice of the landlord, and second off, that they absolutely could not look like the chickens I'd been raised around. So I picked up a variety of different looking TSC chicks to see what I liked best, which turns out to be cochin bantams (and NNs, but those didn't come from TSC.).

Now that I've got the breeds down I'm working on getting my favorite color, which is columbian and not exactly readily available in the breeds I like. One day, oh yes, one day I will have my flock of bantam columbian cochins and naked necks!*



*You have to picture me standing on a hill in the sunset saying that last sentence, "Gone With the Wind" style.

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

I started out with many various breeds. SLW, a NN, RIRs, BOs, Leghorns, and crosses. Those are all hatchery quality, though. I don't know why, but two years ago or so I decided I needed to have sumatras. I am breeding them now. I love their personality, looks, and uniqueness. I also love my bantam cochins.

 

[Goose and Fig]

I started out with the "brown egg layer special"- for eggs and bug control. But I eventually sold most of them- except my favorite Rocks & Orps. The Cochins have to be my favorite though. The standard adults are so big, fluffy, and slow-moving. They remind me of my favorite dog- Old English Sheepdogs. The banty cochins are just plain hilarious. I love hearing them crow!

I recently added Welsummers and Speckled Sussex- not only for their beauty, but to have/raise more heritage breeds.

Bertha- the slow-motion hen:

Pepper- lays HUGE eggs:

 

[newchickmom09]

Well our chickens are only 4 weeks old. We are new to the chicken thing, hubby wanted to get them for there pest control and eggs. SO we did some research and picked out these 4 breeds.

Easter Eggers we got because of the green or blue egg possibilities

They are a smaller bird so we thought they would do good in the hot southwest heat. I also loved there puffy cheeks.

Black Australorps we got because of there egg laying and temperament. They are great with our two little children and don't peck at you or anything. I am really loving these little ones.

Wyandottes, our golden laced because hubby loved the color of the feathers. Also he liked the brown eggs. Our Silver laced was my pick because I think they are so pretty and I like the brown eggs.

 

[walkswithdog]

First I chose barred rocks, because that's what my Great Grandmother's flock was.

Then I saw Partridge Rocks and loved them.

Then I saw BLUE and Black and Splash Rocks and LOVE them. Going to entirely BBS Rocks, these are nice heritage quality birds.

Rocks are friendly, good mothers, good layers.

Then I saw Delawares and thought give em a try. They're bright, fearless, stunning and big! They're awesome foragers. They look really nifty on a meadow. They lay and they're seriously large enough to eat much sooner than a Rock. So BBS Rocks and Delawares.

I have an Australorp and a near constant temption to throttle her but she's a grand flock guard and lays huge eggs every single day and sometimes twice in 36 hours.
I got her as a companion to a singleton chick...

Then I saw Golden Cuckoo Marans - that's a next thing.

So my project flocks are Delawares and Sizzles (never MIND how they got here, it's a tale of madness and possession most unfit and hard to confess to. It's Jimnjays fault.)

And my layer flock is Rocks, and mixed others until I get enough GCM hens to add those to a project.

Banties have been a public shame of mine some how they keep ending up here. Might as well do something with them.... Oh well, they don't eat much.

 

[bearpaw]

Hi,

My Grand Father, my Father's,dad owned a small hatchery in Amarillo, Texas in the 1940's. I personally started with several breeds.
Barred Rocks, Rode Island Reds, New Hampshire Reds, Buff Orphingtons, Old English Bantams and a pair of Blue Wheatens. This was in 1979. Then in about 1989 I owned Rode Island Reds, EE's,
and a few Silver Phoenix. Now I own Black, White, Blue, Wheaten and one lavender cockerel Ameraucana. I also have Buff Orphingtons, Rode Island Reds, New Hampshire Reds, Barred Rocks, Silver Campines, a few cuckoo EE's and a few decendents of Araucana stock brought in from chile in 1970's.
About 200 chickens total. I will only be keeping my Ameraucanas and
a few Ameraucana/ cuckoo EE's that are my experiment in genetics.

Bearpaw

 

[michickenwrangler]

I got my red stars from TSC--just randomly grabbed some chicks (checking butts & legs first) but DH always wanted a cochin and I wanted a rooster and since we have a 4 yr old daughter we wanted something docile, so a cochin it was.

We love him and DH wants some hens to get some cochin babies.

 

[S&SPoultryExchange]

Ahh, my first chickens..... I think they where either RIR's or Golden Comets. I honestly cant remember that well. Mainly because when I got into them I went all out. I think my first batch of chicks where around 20-30 of them.

 

[Pathfinders]

Like many others here, I got into chickens because of my grandfather. He and his father had various breeds of poultry, including waterfowl. You can see some of the pics of my grandfather's horse barn and geese here:

http://www.pathfindersfarm.com/BKF.html

But my mom was a city girl, and I grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, far enough away from the family farm so that I could only go down on weekends, usually once a month or so. But I discovered my love of livestock then.

However, due to life being what it is, I wasn't able to actually get chickens of my own until 2000, when we were in Duluth and boarding horses with a friend. Our first birds were just hatchery birds: Silver Laced Wyandottes, Blue Cochins, and the extra "Fayoumi" thrown in by McM.

In 2003 we were able to have our own farm once we moved here to KY. Again, we got a batch of various breeds from McM: Leghorns, Australorps, Buff Orps, Polish, a mix of things and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Later that year we decided to get some bantams for the girls to show, and that's how our love of Dutch Bantams was born (I am Dutch/Irish/German on my father's side.) Also during that time I worked with Cuckoo Marans and purebred Ameraucanas, both of which I like a lot.

I got into Buckeyes in '06, when I got some from Matt John of Shady Lane (a friend of mine) and fell head over heels in love with them! They just seem to have everything I wanted: pea comb, friendly, good day rangers, good layers, cockerels dress out well, and showing them was fun too.

I also have a sentimental attachment to Buckeyes. Being from Ohio and a woman, I love that the breed was created by a woman. As well, my grandfather (who had the farm) was a huge fan of the Buckeye tree, there's one in the front yard of his house, and when he died we found a Buckeye nut in almost every coat pocket he owned. I still have one, consider it one of my most prized possessions (I adored that man, and miss him still.) ((sigh))

At any rate, my love of Buckeyes is both practical and emotional, but I'm ok with that.

 

[eggsrcool]

My first chickens were Farmyard style ones and one died within the the first 4 weeks. My first cockerel was a Light Sussex, I chose it because I thought it was just a lovely bird. I then got light sussex hens and they are excellent layers and mothers. My light sussex went broody and hey presto I got 10 light sussex chicks! They are wonderful!

Great for a beginner and are hardy birds in the winter and I love them!