What kind of chickens.................
- Thread starter SKR8PN
- Start date
My first winter with chickens here in N.E. Ohio has been amazingly great. 10 below 0 in unheated coop, only problem was frozen water. I made the cookie tin heater from BYC forum about a month ago and that's working fine.
I've got mostly dual purpose birds: Barred Rocks, Silver laced Wyandottes, Light Brahmas, Blk Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, EE and sex link. They were hatched July 1 and began laying late November and I'm averaging 13-14 eggs per day. No added artificial light, either.
No meat chickens because I'm ovo-vegetarian.
I want some Blue Andalusian but like you unsure if they are hardy enough.
I've got mostly dual purpose birds: Barred Rocks, Silver laced Wyandottes, Light Brahmas, Blk Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, EE and sex link. They were hatched July 1 and began laying late November and I'm averaging 13-14 eggs per day. No added artificial light, either.
No meat chickens because I'm ovo-vegetarian.
I want some Blue Andalusian but like you unsure if they are hardy enough.
- Thread starter
- #3
greyhorsewoman
Enjoys Recycling
No real advantage. I bought 50 Blk Stars (sexlinks) last sprng and have a great flock of cold hardy high production hens. I have a separate 'flock' of cochins & EEs at the barn. In times past, I've had a flock of RIRs & Barred Rock, also very cold hardy & great layers.
Sometimes when folks can only have 6-10 hens, they like seeing a mix of breeds to 'adorn' their coop. It's all a personal choice.
Sometimes when folks can only have 6-10 hens, they like seeing a mix of breeds to 'adorn' their coop. It's all a personal choice.
Yep I was going for the visuals, absolutely. Easier to tell them apart, haha. I love looking at them.SKR8PN said:
I ordered all girls, no roos. I've read too many regrets about ordering straight runs and ending up with 12 or more roos. Because we have no intention of eating them, the grab bag with roos made no sense for us. We requested no packing peanuts and 16 shipped fine.
patandchickens
Crazy Cat Lady
The most economical meat you can raise is CornishX chicks from the feedstore. Unfortunately you can't breed these yourself; also some people don't like them for various reasons. If you don't mind not breeding true but want non CornishX, Colored Rangers (formerly Freedom Rangers til company went belly-up) are probably the best second choice, or whatever your feedstore sells as colored broiler chicks.
If you want something to raise for meat that you can breed yourself, it won't be anything like you get in the supermarket (but will taste way better!). Rocks (whatever color) are the usual choice. Meat is sort of a secondary reason I chose Sussexes -- I want to select for earlier growth and larger size at 16 wks, but they are already 'decent' size. There are others to consider too, such as white Chanteclers. Of course you can eat *any* kind of chicken in some way shape or form
For layers, again, if you want maximal laying production, you want Leghorns (make sure you understand their temperament) or sexlinks. Egg production will not be as good in future generations if you try to breed your sexlinks to each other but will still be good for some while. There are particular lines of Barred Rocks, White Rocks, orpingtons, easter-eggers, etc etc that lay pretty well too although not as well as leghorns or sexlinks; but you would have to get birds FROM THOSE LINES, as birds from other sources won't lay as well.
It also depends a bit on whether you will be rotating your flock out at 3 yrs or so (stewpot) or want to keep them for longer. Sexlinks have a reputation for better short term production but not so reliable in later years (tho any hen will lay less as the years go by).
(e.t.a. - an advantage of getting several different breeds is you can see which one works out best for you. Then stick with that one in the future if you prefer)
Have fun,
Pat
If you want something to raise for meat that you can breed yourself, it won't be anything like you get in the supermarket (but will taste way better!). Rocks (whatever color) are the usual choice. Meat is sort of a secondary reason I chose Sussexes -- I want to select for earlier growth and larger size at 16 wks, but they are already 'decent' size. There are others to consider too, such as white Chanteclers. Of course you can eat *any* kind of chicken in some way shape or form
For layers, again, if you want maximal laying production, you want Leghorns (make sure you understand their temperament) or sexlinks. Egg production will not be as good in future generations if you try to breed your sexlinks to each other but will still be good for some while. There are particular lines of Barred Rocks, White Rocks, orpingtons, easter-eggers, etc etc that lay pretty well too although not as well as leghorns or sexlinks; but you would have to get birds FROM THOSE LINES, as birds from other sources won't lay as well.
It also depends a bit on whether you will be rotating your flock out at 3 yrs or so (stewpot) or want to keep them for longer. Sexlinks have a reputation for better short term production but not so reliable in later years (tho any hen will lay less as the years go by).
(e.t.a. - an advantage of getting several different breeds is you can see which one works out best for you. Then stick with that one in the future if you prefer
)Have fun,
Pat
keljonma
Epicurean Goddess
A couple of my friends here in Ashtabula County raise Buckeyes and Wyandottes as dual purpose. I personally think the Dominique is a great bird for our climate.
We don't eat our birds. Each of our birds is the only one of its breed or variety; we have more than one Wyandotte, but not two Golden Laced, etc. The variety makes for very colorful yard ornaments.
We don't eat our birds. Each of our birds is the only one of its breed or variety; we have more than one Wyandotte, but not two Golden Laced, etc. The variety makes for very colorful yard ornaments.
- Thread starter
- #8
keljonma
Epicurean Goddess
EE is Easter Egger ... sometimes erroneously called Auracana by some.SKR8PN said:
Sex link chicks ... you can tell female and male chicks apart at hatch. Someone will post about details, I'm sure.
FarmerDenise
Out to pasture
"EE"s is short for Easter Egger. They usually are a cross of Ameraucanas and Araucanas. There is confusion about what an Ameraucana or an Araucana chicken is supposed to look like, so it is just easier to lump them all under "Easter Egger". They lay greenish to light blue eggs. I think they can have other breeds mixed in too, the identifyer essentially being the color of their eggs.
Sex-links are crosses bred for better egg production and the gender of the chicks can easily be identified, because the males and females are different colors.
Sex-links are crosses bred for better egg production and the gender of the chicks can easily be identified, because the males and females are different colors.
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