Your favorite Hen breeds?

[skeeter9]

I've had a laying/breeding flock for years that has included many breeds. I've bred some very nice purebred birds from excellent bloodlines and I've had lots of birds from our local hatchery. I love them all, but if you're like me, you can't keep a thousand birds! At this time I no longer breed any special birds, I just have a nice laying flock consisting of the breeds that work best for me: Buff Orpingtons (super sweet and friendly/great layers of light brown eggs), Australorps (exceptionally sweet, curious, and amazing layers of light brown eggs), lots of Easter Eggers (very different personalities and consistent layers of beautiful blue/green eggs), barred rocks (calm and sweet/great layers of light to medium brown eggs), Rhode Island Reds (not quite so friendly, but great layers of light to medium brown eggs), New Hampshire Reds (sweet and great layers of light brown eggs), Welsummer (calm and sweet with beautiful dark brown eggs). I know I'm probably forgetting a breed or two. . .

I can only think of 2 breeds that I wouldn't recommend: Wyandottes never layed very well for me, and Leghorns, while excellent layers, are just too flighty for me (they kept everybody else all stirred up!)

The Turken (naked neck)thing is definitely a matter of taste. Some people love them and others not so much. They kinda creep me out, so I don't have any.

Hope this info helps a little bit.

 

[catjac1975]

Roosters do protect the hens to a certain extent. Hatching chicks is SO MUCH FUN. Roosters are noisy and will crow all night under a full moon or a streetlight. However, they do need to be locked up at night to protect them from predators and light can be eliminated. The nicest birds are Buff Orpingtons, considered an dual purpose bird. They are gentle and very soft. We currently have Lavendar Orpingtons they are an unrecognized breed that just a few breeders are working on. We had a hard time finding chicks. They are beautiful. We bought 10 chicks from someone on the Backyard Chicken Site. 9 of them were roosters. Chicks can be sexed at birth I doubt that was by chance. But we did get a few hens from another site. The roosters are in the freezer but that was not something we intended to do. We had so many roosters before we found a slaughter house that they were extremely aggressive with the hens. We have a balanced amount now and there is peace in the henhouse.
The aracaunas that lay the colored eggs seem to live and lay eggs a log time. In the dead of winter I can always count on a couple easter eggs when the other hens are on strike. A night light does solve the egg production problem in winter.
I would never have a rhode Island red chicken again. They are an unpleasant aggressive bird.

I want to get blue laced red wyandottes in the future. I don't know much about them but they are a beautiful bird.

 

[thistlebloom]

It's interesting to read about peoples experiences with different breeds. I had RIRs years ago and found them to be a friendly bird, and the two I have now will come and sit on my lap.

We had two Buff Orp. roosters that were intent on attacking the kids when they went in the run and were dispatched. The Buff hen I have now is a clown and very sweet.

My Wyandotte has just started laying, so we'll see how that turns out. The Black copper Marans only saving grace is that she lets my favorite, the Dutch bantam snuggle up to her on the roost when it's cold. That and I love the color of her eggs, But BCMs aren't great layers and mine is rather _itchy, and aloof.

I think that there are certain general characteristics common to a breed, but so often their individual personalities can contradict what is generalized about them.

 

[ninnymary]

I agree with Thistle in that they each have their individual personalities. You will find that some people will love a certain breed and some do not. All 6 of my chickens were raised from chicks and were socialized alot/held and they grew up to be skeetish.

My favorite was a Rhode Island Red who died suddenly. She was the only one who would squat and I could pick her up.

My Buff Orpinton is probably the meanest. She also goes broody every 6 months which is a pain since I have to seperate her from the nest boxes for a week. During that time she also stops laying.

My Barred Rock always comes to me but doesn't let me pick her up. Same with the Welsummer. The easter eggers are o.k. Last year one laid a green egg and the other a blue. This year they have started laying again and now they BOTH lay green eggs. I really liked the blue. I wonder why that changed? Could be the feed. I was mixing 50/50 with a higher protein and went back to just using the 16% protein.

My silver laced wyndotte is also mean and lays about 3 eggs in the spring and that's it! I keep her because she is beautiful with great lace markings and for her poop!

Our chickens are our pets and I chose them mainly for their beauty and egg color. I don't like white eggs! I grew up eating brown.

Mary

 

[AllyRodrigues]

I'm in my first year of having chickens and have a very diverse flock of 30. (about half of them being young pullets and cockerals that I hatched a few months ago).

I have a couple of Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, Easter Eggers, Rhode Island White, a Polish, White Leghorns and several backyard mixes. My one rooster is a Buff Orpington.

The only hens that give me any trouble are the Barred Rocks in that they are brutal to any new chicken that comes in, both young and old. My other chickens are much more easy going. The Polish is the most popular when visitors come over, but she's very flighty and the rooster does not "take care of her" like the rest of the flock. A lot of it has to do with her not being able to see where she's going, I'm sure!

The mixed chickens I have are my best layers. I have an ugly little black hen that I bought all beat up at an auction for $2. It is very rare to find a day where she hasn't laid an egg since coming to my house.

Another hen was supposed to be an Easter Egger, but instead lays a beautiful HUGE dark brown egg that looks like it should come from a much larger hen.

With regard to a rooster, I say if you can have one where you are, you may enjoy it! Besides enjoying his crowing, he actually manages the whole flock..That was somethng I did not realize before having and watching the way they interact. He tells them when to get up, where to lay eggs, when he has found food for them, when to hide, and when to go to bed.

Anyhow, here's a quick pic of my crazy flock!

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

SO tell me what your favorite breed is and why, please.

My new favorite breed is Australorp. We have a mixed flock that includes two of them. I have already placed my order for 15 more and will over the next few years switch to an all Australorp flock. (at least that's the idea now) They lay huge tan eggs quite proficiantly and are really docile. Their black feathers with the bright red comb are a striking combination and they have beautiful eyes. (as far as chickens go!)


Also, not sure I want a rooster. Any thoughts on NOT having one?

Thoughts on NOT having one. You would be fine, unless you want fertile eggs of course. After having chickens for 4 ish years, we now have our first Roo (Partridge Rock). I love hearing him and he is nice to his ladies and not aggressive to us. BUT...he is not neccessary for our set up what-so-ever. I just like him, so he gets to stay.

 

[AllyRodrigues]

That's a pretty rooster!

I've heard horror stories about grumpy roosters, so I'm sure that would be the deal breaker. Ours is very good to the hens and has been fine with us, too, so that probably sways my opinion.

 

[April Manier]

That is a beautiful rooster! That might interest me down the road.

Ally, I noticed that you are vining something on your greenhouse. What is it?

 

[digitS']

What I'm going to suggest is something I don't really have much experience with: hybrids.

My brother always had Red Sex-links so, I have some familiarity there but, other than Cornish X, I've never owned a hybrid that I can remember.

The reason I say maybe hybrids is because you want these chickens for eggs. I have really enjoyed my Buff Orpingtons & Light Brahma but, you know, those chickens can EAT! And, they don't lay many eggs.

I had a Barred Rock flock once and was kind of disappointed with them. Then, I got a couple of BR pullets and they were the best!

Most of my flocks have been Australorps. I tend to get one variety at a time . . . . I like their personalities and some of them were really good layers. The last Australorps were real so-so in the laying department. I think these hatchery-run breeds are something of a gamble. It has just been my experience. There has been so much difference between them!

Hybrid birds are from in-bred lines. Their parents' flocks were very, very similar. They are bred for production. That could lead to health problems but I don't believe that it is necessarily so.

I haven't had a rooster in about 30 years. Other than their good looks, I don't miss them.

Steve

 

[AllyRodrigues]

That is a beautiful rooster! That might interest me down the road.

Ally, I noticed that you are vining something on your greenhouse. What is it?

I'm not actually! There are several Nandina that are there against the gardening shed wall. I have that obelisk sitting there for now until I find a nice place for it.. I'm hoping to spruce this garden shed up at some point. We haven't been in our old house very long, so that's a project for another day..