Ideal Chickens for the Home Flock.....

[patandchickens]

Our Australorps are on the list, funny, I didn't figure them for 'heritage' breeds since they weren't developed until the 1920's, but hey, whatever!

The great majority of poultry-fancy (as opposed to landrace) chicken breeds only date back to 1880-1900. A number of them even less old. (Chanteclers for instance only date back to 1920)

I had no idea that Black Australorps were in any danger, nor that they're listed as 'recovering'. I would have thought, that as a quiet, docile, non-flighty dual purpose egg laying machine, they would never have gone out of style. They're pretty too, in an understated sort of way.

A thing to remember about the ALBC/SPPA conservation lists is that they are based on the best available data but it is largely pulled out of thin air (self-reporting, plus a bunch of folks sitting down and thinking 'now who-all can I think of that has a big flock of campines?') and not particularly to be depended on. Also it pertains only to North America. Some things like Australorps, Light Sussex, Dorkings, etc are in QUITE large populations overseas.

The US Government once recommended 2 chickens for every individual in the household, saying that it was a citizen's 'patriotic duty' to raise hens for meat and eggs. Wish that attitude was still prevalent, particularly in this economy!

That's cool! I agree. Hope it rolls back around to that again someday (and not just out of dire necessity).

Pat

 

[wifezilla]

 

[wifezilla]

I'm looking for a dual purpose bird which will free-range well and be a respectable layer

That's why I have Welsh Harlequin ducks. Well, if by "respectable layer" you mean "cranks out eggs like a machine"

 

[journey11]

That ad is so cool, Wifezilla.

My EE's are great layers, but they are usually medium to small eggs. I was really disappointed with the BA's I got (probably just a poorly bred strain), but they lay odd shaped/size eggs with poor quality shells. I can't pinpoint it as something nutritional because the brahmas and the EEs are all on the same diet and their eggs are fine.

 

[patandchickens]

I was really disappointed with the BA's I got (probably just a poorly bred strain), but they lay odd shaped/size eggs with poor quality shells. I can't pinpoint it as something nutritional because the brahmas and the EEs are all on the same diet and their eggs are fine.

That is a good example of why it bugs me to have chicken breeds so often represented in happy little articles/books as if they were mass-produced in a factory in China and all you have to do is browse down the aisle picking the make and model that COnsumer Reports recommends and there ya go.

In fact different strains of a particular breed often bear relatively little resemblance to each other except in gross appearance -- there can be a whole huge lot of variation in important traits like laying, temperament, healthiness, etc -- so IMHO it is really misleading for people to say "oh, <such and such> breed are great layers of large eggs" or "<some other> breed is calm but kind of stingy on the egg production".

So you get people just ordering from catalogs and then, surprise, often the chickens do not have the practical traits they were purported to. (I am not saying this is how YOU ended up with your Australorps, I am just saying, boy is it ever common)

Pat

 

[dragonlaurel]

Whitewater- " Anyway, my definition of 'heritage' is somewhat tainted by the fact that I live quite a lot in the 17th century and usually have to find things that are appropriate for *that* time period (speaking of which, which chicken breeds WERE around in the 1600's in Europe?) "

Dorkings definitely, probably the Sussexes too. There are probably more kinds, but I remember those right away. Came across the info accidentally and since I'm in SCA- the info stuck in the brain.

 

[journey11]

Sometimes you get lucky with the hatcheries, but more often than not you don't. They are cranking them out to meet demand and don't select to breed very carefully. If you have the money and it's really important to you, you're always going to be better off to go with an independent breeder with a good reputation. They usually specialize in only one or maybe a few breeds and will be more careful to breed to standard. Of course this limits you to what birds are being worked with within what you consider to be an acceptable driving distance OR if you have an incubator, you can have hatching eggs shipped to you.

Golden comets are what most people around here where I live tout as great layers of jumbo brown eggs. RIRs and Buff Orpingtons are also popular. I have been "sampling" chickens just for fun the last few years, but now I want to get down to business with a good dual purpose homestead flock. I am looking forward to settling on one breed and working with it to get the flock I desire for my own purposes. Buckeyes are looking most promising to me right now. I am also considering black copper marans. I think it will be really interesting to work on breeding for improvement. I have a little more money I can spend on good chickens nowadays too!

 

[newchickmom09]

I'm looking for a dual purpose bird which will free-range well and be a respectable layer

That's why I have Welsh Harlequin ducks. Well, if by "respectable layer" you mean "cranks out eggs like a machine"

Thats why I kept one of my ducklings from my swedish and bought three scovies. Well, I guess the scovies more for looks and no more loud quacks.

I would call my Black Australorps anything but compact. My hens are huge. Right now I have Black Australorps, Easter Eggers, Silver Laced Cochin, Gold Laced Wyandotte, Silver Laced Wyandotte, and Blue Andalusian. I would say out of all of the breeds the wyandottes are the best large egg layers in my flock. Out of that list I would go with the wyandottes for a dual purpose breed. Nice, large, free range well, confine well, lay 6 days a week, great birds.

 

[jamespm_98]

I think the temperment of you flock really affects the individual birds as well. I have a gentle calm mixed (BO and BR) rooster in my mixed flock of BOs, RIRs and one EE and the whole flock is calm. He calls his girls when he finds food, keeps them in order etc... My Marans have a high strung rooster who keeps his girls stirred up all the time.

The other thing is I had a $6 chicken who I think was a mix of RIR and something else, she was one of the best chickens I ever had. I have some well bred Marans who I paid much more for and after I got them don't like them as half as much as the mixed six dollar chicken so price and breed don't mean as much to me anymore.

 

[hoodat]

I'm looking for a dual purpose bird which will free-range well and be a respectable layer

That's why I have Welsh Harlequin ducks. Well, if by "respectable layer" you mean "cranks out eggs like a machine"

Aren't Khaki Campbells supposed to be the best layers among the ducks?