Chicken Breeds

[woodsymom]

We are looking to get a new breed of chickens (layers) and are looking for some ideas. We've raised RI reds, & Cornish white rocks in the past, but are looking for something a little different? We live in the Northeast (not sure if this even makes a difference). Probably just be raising a small batch too (10 or so).

Any ideas are welcome, thanks.

[Ldavis24]

Australorps are supposedly amazing layers. really amazing and hardy too. They can also serve as meat birds. 

That is what I am getting!

[limette]

I'm not actually impressed with my Australorps. They keep themselves and lay okay, nothing spectacular. I actually find that my Barred Rocks have way more personality and they lay big eggs. I don't like RIR or any of them hybrid brown layers, they are really mean to other chickens.

I really want Buff Orpingtons which are supposed to be decent layers, friendly and hardy. Easter Eggers (mislabeled by hatcheries as Ameraucanas) will lay coloured eggs and they are a smaller bird. Brown leghorns are pretty and super layers but they are also flighty.

[Ldavis24]

ugh don't tell me that about the Australorps! I am picking up a couple this weekend or Monday...

[justamama]

My barred rocks are my meanies. One even pecks at me occasionally...but then other times she will let me pick her up and will be all sweet with me. Go figure. She has bloodied every new hen we've gotten, though. Once our chicks are laying we'll likely give her away.

Our RIR is my kids' chicken. She's a little nervous, but generally lets them do what they want with her (carrying her, etc).She's at the bottom of the pecking order (under the two barred rocks), so she'd pretty compliant.

We just got a 19 week old Australorp. No real experience with her yet. She's nervous, but had a traumatic start here (dog broke into the quarantine coop and killed her buddy, so she's alone for now). I know she'll be bottom of the pecking order once she's in the flock (starting to let them roam the yard together a few minutes a day).

And we have an Easter Egger chick and two California White chicks. I know people tend to dislike the CA White and leghorns because they can be flighty, but the best chicken we've had was a leghorn. She was outgoing, sweet, social with us people. Just the biggest sweetheart ever. We're hoping by raising these ones from chicks they'll be similar and not flighty.

[jadekat]

We have a Silver Laced Wyndotte and RIR. They both seem to be decent egg layers and not too flighty.

[SubliminalDarkness]

If we weren't moving we'd be adding some Buff Orpingtons. We have RIRs(they are mean), Sumatras(no issue with them), and a Polish Top Hat. 

[MrsSurplus]

We have had RIRs, White Leghorns, Easter Eggers, and Black Sexlinks.  (I also have a ton of new chicks of several different breeds in a brooder but I can't speak to their laying ability.)  The Leghorns out lay all of my birds hands down.  The Easter Eggers are very good layers too.

[VBMama]

We've had a lot of different breeds, and Buff Orpingtons are so fun for the kids. They are really mellow & friendly.

[Ldavis24]

This thread is so interesting. We are going to pick up our chickens this weekend and we have a wide variety to choose from. 

I am thinking an Australorp, A buff Orpington because everyone says their friendly and DD will want to touch them, and maybe a couple RIR or a Red star or something..

Thank you OP for even bring this all up!

I love backyardchicken.com just because they give you concise little descriptions of many breeds that you can google for more in depth research..

[chattyprincess]

So has anyone had silkies?  What are the best birds to have for minor laying and super friendly?

[mattemma04]

I have red sex link hens and easter eggers(blue/green eggs). Both are nice to us and lay eggs throughout the winter. They peck the heck out of each other though! I wish I had a secure run so I could let them out more often.

Silkies are cute.Bantams too,but with our many hawks they would not last long.

[limette]

Originally Posted by mattemma04 

I have red sex link hens and easter eggers(blue/green eggs). Both are nice to us and lay eggs throughout the winter. They peck the heck out of each other though! I wish I had a secure run so I could let them out more often.

Silkies are cute.Bantams too,but with our many hawks they would not last long.

If they are pecking each other (beyond the usual pecking order stuff) then you have too many chickens in too small a space.

[hildare]

we have buff orps.  i LOVE them.  they are so super sweet, even the roosters (so far).  they are super layers, but if you're doing them as dual purpose, it takes them a while to get big enough to eat, for meat chickens, i'd pick something else.  otherwise, we can depend on each hen to give us an egg just about every day.  plus they like the cold (doesn't do our particular ladies any good though).  i've never had any other kind, though, so i can't compare, just rave about these.... plus, they're pretty...  (do you get that i love the chickens?  love them!  love them!)

[SuburbanHippie]

I would have Silkies if I could.  They are so stinking cute!  We couldn't get them though because we could only get them straight run and with my luck I would end up with 5 roosters.  Plus, their eggs are really small and we're a big family that eats lots of eggs.  We're getting RIRs next week (our first chicken experience).

[lovermont]

We have one RIR, one RI White, one Buff Orpington, one Barred Rock, and two Easter Eggers. The RIR and RIW and Orp are the friendliest.  The Easter Eggers are the most nervous. We're happy with all of them though. We're moving in three weeks (eek!) to our farm so will move from being urban chicken
people to rural chicken people :)

On the farm we are adding more of the above breeds plus Silver Laced Wyandottes, Black Marans, and I think one other. We are getting all straight run females except for the buffs and the black marans.

[diana_of_the_dunes]

I started with chicks last year and got 2 Australorps, 1 buff Orpington, and 1 gold-laced Wyandotte.  The Wyandotte started laying first, followed by one of the Australorps.  Then the BO, and very, very much later, the last Australorp started.  The Wyandotte, though not terribly friendly, lays like clockwork - 9 am, and she's always on the nest.  The Australorps and Orpington also lay every day, rarely skipping, though I lost the Orp and one of the Australorps to a neighborhood dog around the beginning of the year.  Both were very friendly and calm, and weren't scared at all of dogs (which is our fault, since they were raised around dogs!).  I got EE pullets from a friend to replace the two I lost.  Those don't lay as often, maybe 2 eggs every 3 days each, but the eggs are larger.  All of them laid throughout the winter, though production slowed way down.  The Wyandotte was by far the best winter layer, though her larger comb did get some frostbite.  I only turned on the heatlamp when it was going to be below 10F at night, and I never added supplemental light to try to increase laying.  In the summer the birds free-range, and they hardly eat any of their layer ration.

When my two birds were killed by a dog, I found them shortly afterwards.  Since the dog had only bitten their necks, the bodies were in good shape.  I was able to remove the breastmeat just by slitting the skin.  These birds might be considered "dual purpose", but if you're used to chicken breasts from cornish crosses, you're going to be disappointed.  They looked more like little chicken tenders, not full breasts.  If I was going to raise birds for meat, I think I'd try the "freedom rangers" or maybe dark cornish (I have something of a philosophical aversion to the cornish crosses, though they'll undoubtedly grow bigger/faster than any other bird).

[nigellas]

My favortie chicken was a Buff Orpington, but a close second are the mottled Javas we got last summer.  They are an endangered heritage breed and really great.  They are spunky (they chase off my cockapoo when she gets too close), but still sweet to the humans, very good layers and are excelent free rangers - I just had a mama go broody and she is a terrific mama to the day old chicks I gave to her a few weeks back.

My least favorite breed so far is the Black/Copper Marans I currently have.  She's super flighty and lays maybe 1-2 eggs a week.  There's so much excitement about this breed currently, and to be honest, I just don't get it.  Sure, her eggs are super dark - when I get one, lol...

We had very good luck with our easter eggers in the past laying quite well - usually really big, blue eggs.

The prettiest chicken I've had so far was a Langshan.  What a beautiful bird.  A little standoffish, but a decent layer and what a looker.  ;)

[steffanie3]

We have Speckled Sussex, Welsummers, Ameraucanas, and Wyandottes (chicks).  I personally like the Sussex best overall, but I think all of them so far are pretty good.  To me their friendliness has more to do with the fact that we come being gifts or are unearthing them in the garden than anything.  We have all so had Barred Rocks too.

[agholmes]

We just hatched Dominiques. We got the eggs from the farm we work at, and we love the birds there. They are considered a dual purpose breed, but are primarily layers. They are a hardy foraging breed, the original breed in this country, and they have such great personalities. You can see our chicks and read about them here. I highly recommend them if you can get them!