***Your Opinion, and a Question Just for YOU****

[markb816]

Its WARMING UP!!
What are some symptoms of heat fatigue for my chickens?
Are some breeds more or less tolerant of heat? If so, which ones?
So how do the good people on BYC comfort/deal with the heat for their chickens?
As much input as possible would be appreciated.

 

[gritsar]

I love my brahmas. They are the only breed I have right now. My rooster weighs in at over 13 lbs. He's a dark brahma. I have light, dark and buff brahma hens. Some of my hens are in the eight pounds range.
Calm, gentle birds, nothing bothers them. They survive our hot, muggy summers in Arkansas just fine and winter doesn't bother them one bit. They have been out in the snow, ice, whatever.
P.S. Some reference charts list the brahmas as heavy eaters, mine aren't; but they free range all day, every day. Some books also say they aren't good foragers. Again, I haven't found that to be the case. My summer feed bill drops down to almost nothing.

 

[Illia]

Brahmas and Jersey Giants are a "rare expensive breed" but also found at feedstores and hatcheries in cheap form like any other.

I love both my Brahmas and Giants - The Brahmas, being from a hatchery, are 4 pounds under the desired weight, which makes them not very big at all, but the Jerseys are still young and getting pretty sizey pretty fast. They're both very docile, very friendly birds who lay large pink toned light brown eggs almost every day. They're also good foragers, and know how to stand up for themselves.

They don't grow incredibly slow as a lot of people complain, they don't eat more than other breeds, and they can tolerate just about any climate.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
The only thing I disagree with is their growth rate. My brahmas are hatchery birds, but Thor and two of my dark brahma hens are close to the standard ideal. It was obvious from the start that whoever is supplying Ideal with dark brahma eggs is also working on improving their line. I thought they were done growing at about a year old, but I was wrong. They are now a little over two years old and I can tell they are finally done growing.

 

[markb816]

What about Java, Orpington, Naked Neck, Plymouth Rock, Welsummer
Are these all larger breeds?
What are some other large breeds?

 

[Lorije1]

all of mine are still chicks, so I don't really have a horse in this race ---- My Brahma's are polar opposites of each other , the dark is a good reminder that chickens have little tiny brains

and my buff is beautiful and friendly. My Jersey Giants and Buff Orpingtons are super friendly even at 1 1/2 week old. I realize at these ages they aren't much help for what you are asking, but I had to chime in that I love them and think they are awesome birds.

 

[Farmer_Dan]

I was looking at meat bird alternatives and these seemed like the biggest ones I seemed to find other than the cornish X:



Saipan Jungle Fowl:
Hen---------8-9 lbs
Rooster-----9-13 lbs



Dark Cornish:
Hen-----------8 lbs
Rooster-------10 1/2 lbs



Black Jersey Giants:
Hen -------10 lbs
Rooster----13 lbs



Cochin:
Hen -------8 1/2 lbs
Rooster---11 lbs

 

[markb816]

WOW those are some big birds!
Is the speckled sussex a large bird?
What is the biggest bird? and some other larger breeds as well?
Are meat chickens usually larger than egg laying chickens?
Are there certain trends of health risk with larger birds?

 

[cicene mete]

It depends on what you are looking for. If you just want to know the largest bird, it's hard to beat the Shamo. Jersey Giants are also very large, but they grow slowly. Cornish cross grow incredibly rapidly, but they have a number of physical side effects (heart problems, leg problems, etc.) because of the fast growth. Naked necks have incredible feed conversion rates, because of the sparseness of their feathers.

What exactly are you trying to find out?

 

[markb816]

I guess I was just curious about larger size birds and what the largest size common birds are.
What is feed conversion rates?
I am interested in getting larger hens, just to have. My hens are more of pets than anything else.
I get a few eggs from my hens and I enjoy my one rooster. And just wanted to add to my flock.
Trying to find out maybe the top 5 large breeds so I could possibly start checking around locally to get one.