What chickens do you have?

[Celice]

I'm just wondering how many of you guys out there have chickens and what breed are they? why did you pick that breed?

I have dixie rainbows, 2 barred rocks, a silver laced wyandotte, 2 silver dorking modern games, and I just got 10 blue cochins, 10 bluff laced polish, and 5 americanas. I'm looking for a pretty chicken with good meat and layers. My rainbows are huge birds that are really good for meat and eggs but they will not sit so I got the cochins. the Polish and games are for pest control, and the americanas are there 'cause I want green eggs.

what about you guys? any suggestions on what breed you think is best? Feel free to Bombard this thread with PICTURES!!! opcorn:

 

[Zass]

My favorites were the black australorps and buff orpingtons. Nice birds, fantastic layers, and solid bodies for meat. One of my buffs was a broody, but none of the australorps were.

 

[Celice]

My favorites were the black australorps and buff orpingtons. Nice birds, fantastic layers, and solid bodies for meat. One of my buffs was a broody, but none of the australorps were.

is it the black australorps that lay the really dark brown eggs? I would have liked to get some Buff orpingtons but McMurray didn't have them up for grabs so I got cochins. I'd LOVE to get my hands on a lavender orpingtons!

 

[Zass]

My favorites were the black australorps and buff orpingtons. Nice birds, fantastic layers, and solid bodies for meat. One of my buffs was a broody, but none of the australorps were.

is it the black australorps that lay the really dark brown eggs? I would have liked to get some Buff orpingtons but McMurray didn't have them up for grabs so I got cochins. I'd LOVE to get my hands on a lavender orpingtons!

Nah, just medium brown eggs.
It's supposed to be the marans that get really dark.
Here's a neat pic with colors and breeds:
https://www.google.com/search?q=egg+col ... wk4PyZM%3A

 

[Zinnia]

My favorites were the black australorps and buff orpingtons. Nice birds, fantastic layers, and solid bodies for meat. One of my buffs was a broody, but none of the australorps were.

Exactly my favorites in that order. Only my BA are broody, too. Love these two breeds.

 

[Celice]

wow! that is cool!! hopefully my Easter eggers will be laying some pretty green or blue eggs I may get the Marans just to get olive eggs. that's cool!

 

[skysthelimit]

I used to have a laying flock of Barred Rock. They are just big, meaty, beautiful birds, winter hardy and reliable egg layers. For the most part they were pleasant.

 

[FourRingCircus]

Lets see if I can name them all:

Blue Laced Red Wyandottes (gift from a friend when I lost my whole flock to a snake) - beautiful birds, but the most finicky health-wise - the temperament of the rooster I have can't be beat though. Love him. My lone survivor from last years chicks looks just like him but much darker (I guess from the BA/BLRW mix over 2 generations?) - seems to be taking after his dad (erm, and grandpa?)

Black Australorps (whim purchase at the end of season when I realized I was going to be short layers for the next year)

Buff Orps (been wanting them, the one "pullet" that made it from last year ended up a roo - my friend picked up 3 more "pullets" this year - another cockerel)

Easter Eggers/Americanas - just fun birds of all colors with fun colored eggs... lawn decoration with a purpose

Black Sex Links - one is from my original group of chickens 6 years ago, the others from DH's cousin

Dominiques - my goal is to develop a good, solid flock of mutt layers that will be hardy - these are supposed to be well suited for the temps in our area... time will tell

Barred Rocks - at the store with the Buff Orps - why not, right?

A handful of mixed breeds from past broody hens - random mix of BLRW, BA, EE, maybe some RIR or BSL

 

[Celice]

Blue Laced Red Wyandottes (gift from a friend when I lost my whole flock to a snake) - beautiful birds, but the most finicky health-wise - the temperament of the rooster I have can't be beat though. Love him. My lone survivor from last years chicks looks just like him but much darker (I guess from the BA/BLRW mix over 2 generations?) - seems to be taking after his dad (erm, and grandpa?)

Yet another breed I'd love to get my hands on they sell them at the Hatchery but they are a little pricey for straight run. maybe next year!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Three crested cream legbars (currently at 10 weeks old, not laying yet). I am completely smitten with them. Great personalities/very sweet, great foragers. Cream legbars are sex linked (can be sexed as chicks by down markings) and lay blue eggs. I may get some copper marans down the road, keep a rooster, and try making sex-linked olive eggers (Maran rooster over CCLB hen). Blue egg color is throughout the shell, and brown in laid on top, so brown laid down over blue equals green - if it's a LOT of brown (like a good Maran), it's an olive green. The CLB are homozygous for the blue egg gene, and the blue egg gene is dominant, so any of her female chicks will lay blue eggs and also carry the brown overlay from dad - so all pullets from this cross can be sexed at hatch AND should all lay green eggs. Fun!!!

I'm going to try meaties this fall - there's some excellent info over on backyardchickens.com on limiting feed and free ranging Cornish crosses and getting great results with happy healthy birds that don't drop dead of heart attacks or break their legs by 8 weeks. I'm going to give it a go, I think.

- Ant Farm

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

A pair of jubilee orps, looking into getting a cockeral. Ordered some Cochins too. Not sure when/if they're ever coming lol.

 

[Dood]

Partridge Chantecler - my dad wanted a Canadian heritage breed but not in white

Black, blue and lavender Orpingtons - my sister wanted more of a meat breed and wasn't a fan of the Buff

Easter Eggers - I wanted a smaller egg production hen to feed over winter to minimize the food bill and I like their self sufficiency and their quirky temperaments

 

[Marinea]

We've gone through breed after breed, and kept coming back to Orpingtons. These day, we have mostly Lavenders, a couple of Buffs, and a few crosses of the two, which kind of remind me of gold laced Wyandottes. I need to take some good pics of the flock.

We have stuck with the Orpingtons because they are good layers, good setters, they're not nervous birds, and they seem to have a brain. They go back to their coop at dusk, we don't have to herd them back for the night.

Celice, if only you were closer. We have six 4 week olds we are raising to sell. I would be happy to see them go to a fellow RTer.

 

[Celice]

We've gone through breed after breed, and kept coming back to Orpingtons. These day, we have mostly Lavenders, a couple of Buffs, and a few crosses of the two, which kind of remind me of gold laced Wyandottes. I need to take some good pics of the flock.

We have stuck with the Orpingtons because they are good layers, good setters, they're not nervous birds, and they seem to have a brain. They go back to their coop at dusk, we don't have to herd them back for the night.

Celice, if only you were closer. We have six 4 week olds we are raising to sell. I would be happy to see them go to a fellow RTer.

Ugh!!! If only I was closer!!! I'd love some of those birds! Lavender is a really pretty color! and YES please do take pictures!! I'd love to see what a cross looks like between the lavender and buff!

 

[FourRingCircus]

Some of my mutts are a beautiful grey - I am thinking almost a lavender? I do like the different colored buffs! Copper Marans were on my list this year, but the F&S didn't get them in according to schedule for some reason.

For anyone wanting to raise chicks, broody hens are the way to go. SO much easier than dealing with a heat lamp and brooder.

 

[Celice]

For anyone wanting to raise chicks, broody hens are the way to go. SO much easier than dealing with a heat lamp and brooder.

I strongly agree!! I had a cochin that used to go broody all the time and she hatched out lots of chicks and I just watched!!! However if you need hatching eggs or chicks Murry Mcmurray is the way to go, they have wonderful birds!

 

[Zass]

Now I have to share some of my chicken pics.

I didn't keep my hens, but not due to any fault on their part.
It was just being in town that was the problem. Not as much land as I would have liked to free range them on, or space to build them bigger pens. Not enough flat areas for chicken tractors.

The erosion caused by having them on a steep slope was a nightmare.

I third that opinion about letting mamma hen do all the work.
She's happier. The babies are happier. My electric bill is happier..

 

[Celice]

those chickens are so pretty, Zass!!!

yep, it's my turn here are the peeps I got in the mail today:

 

[Marinea]

Congrats, they are adorable!

 

[Dood]

Our BIG blue Exhibition bloodline Orp Roo

Orps and the orange ones are Orp x Chanty