Your opinion Best Backyard chicken breeds? free range, friendly, docile, good egg layers and color

[cmom]

You have been given a lot of good recommendations for different breeds. Be prepared for some losses eventually when free ranging. Once your birds are discovered by predators they will pick them off when you least expect it. I used to free range but then the birds were discovered and I lost some to predators so now they are in nice large pens. Here are a few sites that may help you with your decision. Good luck and have fun...
https://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/which-breed-is-right-for-me.aspx
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chick_selector.html
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html#Chickens
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html
http://www.poultrydvm.com/breed-selector.php

 

[WVBirdsAndBees]

I think you'd be happy with the cream legbars for blue eggs if they're around you. You have the rocks for brown eggs but australorps are another option. We love ours. Obviously orpingtons are great too. My next brown layers will be speckled sussex or swedish flower hens. Generally marans lay the darker brown but I understand that's not always the case, depending on line and individual bird. Easter and olive eggers, essentially mixes bred for colored eggs, are great for egg colors but I know you said they're hard to find there.

One more note. You will find a lot of variation in breed profiles/info and among people's personal experiences, especially concerning personality. The birds are individuals and don't always fit the research. Just find some that should fit your climate and free range situation, then socialize them a lot when they're young. You may be surprised which turn out sweet, flighty, etc.

Good luck! They're a joy!

 

[connieconnie]

I don't have much experience with cold climate birds, as I live in the desert, but I think all these breeds should be okay. I generally make my breed choices off of personality, eggs, and appearance (in that order).

For brown eggs, I love black australorps and gold sex links. Every one I've had has been very friendly and bold. My current sex link has almost no fear, just curiosity, and is constantly following me around the yard. So far, I've found that behavior to be very stereotypical of the breed. I don't have any australorps right now (even though they're one of my favorites), but they are hardy birds with small combs and some meat, so they should fare well in cold weather. They are super sweet, too. Both are great layers.

Marans and Welsummers should give you darker brown eggs. I've only had one of each, so I don't know if my bird's personalities are stereotypical of the breed or not. They're beautiful birds, though, and I get a pretty steady flow of eggs from the both of them.

For green eggs, I was going to recommend Easter Eggers, but I see that you can't find any in the UK. If you do come across any, or if anyone else is looking here for suggestions, they're one of my favorite breeds. My current girl gives me about 5-6 eggs a week, all a nice shade of green. They come in all sorts of beautiful colors and are pretty gentle. It should be noted that, in my experience, EEs are very intelligent. This is definitely reflected in who figures out how to get into the garden or treat bucket.

Hope this helps a little! Good luck!

Thank you really clear detailed post really helpful!

The UK is quite literally the opposite to the desert all we get is rain! 🌧 apart from when corona virus lockdown occurred and we can't go outside ... now all we're getting is sunshine ☀

Been trying to do a little digging, to try and find some Australops, as all I've found are the bantum version here. Tried to find sex links and no luck ordered some french black copper maran hatching eggs to hopefully give me some chocolate egg layers

The EE's sound wonderful! I'm going to keep searching and searching but the UK don't seem to have the same chicken breeds as in america we have all the british breeds, but little else.

 

[Pretty Birds]

Are they're any breeds you could recommend? Could you recommend a few ones that work well together and also have different egg coloring?
For example a brown layer, a dark chocolate layer, a blue layer, a green layer, a white layer etc?

Do not free range my chickens, so I would not know which breeds are good for free ranging. With that being said, here are my recommendations.
Buff Orpingtons are good layers of brown eggs, are cold hardy, and are very friendly. The only colored egg layers I've had are Easter Eggers, which got along well with the other chickens in my mixed flock. The Cuckoo Marans that I had also did well in a mixed flock and their eggs added a nice variety, even though they were not extremely dark like some of the pictures I've seen online. I would recommend Austra Whites for white egg layers. They are friendly and lay well in the winter.

 

[connieconnie]

Do not free range my chickens, so I would not know which breeds are good for free ranging. With that being said, here are my recommendations.
Buff Orpingtons are good layers of brown eggs, are cold hardy, and are very friendly. The only colored egg layers I've had are Easter Eggers, which got along well with the other chickens in my mixed flock. The Cuckoo Marans that I had also did well in a mixed flock and their eggs added a nice variety, even though they were not extremely dark like some of the pictures I've seen online. I would recommend Austra Whites for white egg layers. They are friendly and lay well in the winter.

I've heard buff orpingtons have a lovely temperament (plus they're so fluffy!). Sadly Easter eggers are almost impossible to get in the UK Marans sound fantastic (definitely on the short list ). Haven't heard of austra whites, will do some research! Thank you

 

[connieconnie]

I have SLW, Red sex links, JG, Barred Hollands, Buff Cochins, Blue Sumatra, Gold Spitzenhaubens, SS, Gold laced wyandottes, Cuckoo Maran, Columbian Wyabdottes, Lakenvelder, White Rocks, and a few others I cant think of right now. They all get along but its calledpecking order for a reason.
I used to let mine free range but they tended to die from predator attacks or neighbors deliberatly running them over with thier car if they were in the road. Totally my fault for that one. So I already had an area fenced in but not big enough for all 60+ chickens, so it was expanded and now they stay in there. I also have chain link fence panels with wire overtop to prevent dive bombing hawks that they stay in if Im not home. This has saved many from those nasty buzzard hawks that nearly wiped me out years ago.
Unless your yard is fenced in, free ranging is not a good idea. They dont know property boundaries and they might cause neighbors to get angry especially if the dig up the mulch and eat thier prize winning flowers.

Wow, a whole load of breeds I've never heard of! Going to do some research Thank you so much for all the information! What color eggs do each lay?

We've fenced off a large run in the garden for times when we can't watch them. And when we are they can have the run of our garden, which is fenced high and securely (as we have dogs). We also live in a village in the middle of no where in the UK, where chickens from around the village already can safely cross the road and wonder about. So if they manage to get through the fortress barricades, they still should be okay.

Interesting point about the buzzard hawks! Didn't think about birds of prey! We have a whole load of red kites. Luckily I don't think anyone in the village have had any problem with them yet though.

Our garden doesn't have any pretty flowers, so the chickens can have a party

 

[connieconnie]

I enjoy my buff Orpington, (tried to buy another chick this spring, but when the feathers came in she was all white so I’m not sure what we got). My Rhode Island reds have a lot of character and lay well, my created cream Legbar slay pretty blue eggs, but are a bit skittish, as are my leghorns(but white eggs are fun too).
So far the only ones I probably won’t get again are the gold laced Wyandotte’s, nothing particularly wrong with them, but the ones I had just seemed more prone to having random issues.

Interesting! I didn't think about it, but of course some breeds are more prone to certain health problems (like dog breeds)! Are there any other breeds that might might be more prone to issues? I was thinking about cream legbars (as they're very common where I live in the UK and other blue laying breeds are impossible to find). And I suppose the alertness will keep the whole flock safe, but won't make them cuddlers.

I'm hatching some buff opingtons for a friend ... maybe I'll keep a few They look so cute and fluffy!

 

[Abel8989]

Hi,
I'm new to raising chickens, and I've just recently hatched some barred plymouth rocks!
However I want to have a few different breeds to have egg color variety (Cream, blue, brown, green etc.).
They'll be living in my back yard, free ranging and would ideally like them to be super friendly, docile (not pick fights and peck one another) and good egg layers.

Are they're any breeds you could recommend? Could you recommend a few ones that work well together and also have different egg coloring?
For example a brown layer, a dark chocolate layer, a blue layer, a green layer, a white layer etc?

Are they're any breeds you wouldn't recommend for a beginner and someone living in a mild cold climate (the UK)?

Many thanks,
I really appreciate any help and advice!
Connie

I don’t free range but I got 10 hens and I’ll tell you my Easter Egger lay eggs like machines and they are so tame and nice, I had once a batham and that little thing was noise like the devil lol she was such beauty but had to get rid of her too noise and my neighbors complaint.

 

[connieconnie]

This was my Gladys. She was a love and loved to be held. One day I was out painting the coops and she was in a garden dust bathing when a fox came up and snatched her during the middle of the day. I was really heartbroken. I cried. If I had only put her in her pen but I thought since I was out there no predators would come around, WRONG. I still miss her. It's been about a year since the fox got her. She was special with special needs as she was a cross beak. I still miss her. I have never had a bird like her. Again good luck and have fun...
This is Gladys in DH's lap. She would jump up when she wanted to be held.View attachment 2099204View attachment 2099208

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. She looks beautiful, was she a Rhode Island Red?

I will definitely will be using the pen then! Even though our garden is really closed off (they would have to scale a 10ft wall or a 8ft fence), I can imagine how crafty and daring foxes can be. I'm so glad I persuaded the family to help me fully fortify the garden!

I so sorry you had such a horrible experience with foxes, and lost a wonderful chicken. But thank you for sharing, it really helped me understand the need for a secure coop

 

[connieconnie]

I think you'd be happy with the cream legbars for blue eggs if they're around you. You have the rocks for brown eggs but australorps are another option. We love ours. Obviously orpingtons are great too. My next brown layers will be speckled sussex or swedish flower hens. Generally marans lay the darker brown but I understand that's not always the case, depending on line and individual bird. Easter and olive eggers, essentially mixes bred for colored eggs, are great for egg colors but I know you said they're hard to find there.

One more note. You will find a lot of variation in breed profiles/info and among people's personal experiences, especially concerning personality. The birds are individuals and don't always fit the research. Just find some that should fit your climate and free range situation, then socialize them a lot when they're young. You may be surprised which turn out sweet, flighty, etc.

Good luck! They're a joy!

I've heard of australorps, but they're another really difficult to find breed in the UK Easter eggers sound incredible, and although I can't get them I thought I might be able to breed my own olive egger if I cross a Black copper maran cockerel with a cream legbar hen?

That's a really good point on personality and socialization! Hopefully as I'm hatching and hand rearing them all myself, they'll get used to human interaction

Thank you for all the help! I'so new to this all, so any advice is really appreciated!