What kind of chickens.................

[me&thegals]

In zone 4 of WI, we have had great luck with our Ameraucanas, SL Wyandottes, black Australorps, buff Orpingtons and some crosses I can never remember the names of. Even the larger-combed birds have done fine in this terrible cold in their unheated barn. We have a light on in there, but it's a CFL and not a heat source. Many of the heritage breeds are supposed to be dual purpose, including Australorps and Wyandottes. We just butchered all the males of those 2 breeds. It seemed to take FOREVER to get them to a decent size, but they were on their own side of an unheated barn during much of that time, free ranging before that. Still, we're talking 8 months. But, we may have done something wrong.

We have variety for several reasons:
1. They're beautiful.
2 We got the usual variety lust new chicken tenders seem to get (oops, no pun intended there)
3. We wanted a variety in egg colors.
4. Genetic diversity never seems like a bad idea.

 

[SKR8PN]

You guys are the BEST!! Thanks for all the great info!! Wife definately does NOT want the easter eggers! She wants BROWN eggs!

SO far I am looking at the Brahmas and the Wyandottes for eggs. We are probably only going to get 6 to 10 to start out with for the laying hens. The breed for the meat chickens I haven't decided on just yet.

Since I have never raised chickens before, this may be a silly question to some of you but....... can you raise a bunch of roosters in with the hens or will they fight a lot?? Do you have to keep the roos separated from each other and from the hens??

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

FYI, Brahmas mature at a much slower rate than other breeds. Where many breeds start laying at 20-24 weeks or earlier, Brahmas don't start until 30+ weeks. I have 8 month old Brahmas that haven't laid YET!

 

[patandchickens]

If you care about egg production, if you really want to go with those breeds (not usually among the best layers, as a whole) at least try to find private breeders who've got lines that lay pretty well. Hatchery birds, you may well be unsatisfied with their laying.

One rooster with hens will not really fight, as such, just, ahem, fulfill his biological purpose on as regular a basis as possible. Like every time someone turns their back If you have too few hens, or he has a couple 'favorites', he can easily wear the feathers off the back of 'em. When he's young and first figuring things out there may be a bunch of squawking and flapping and lost feathers, but once he clues in to the job and matures the hens seem to be kind of like 'yeah, whatever, now back to scratching

More than one rooster housed together is a roll of the dice. When young they may get along okay. (Or, they may not). I gather that if they free range and have plenty of space and plenty of hens, they may sort of form two separate flocks and ignore each other. (Or, they may not). I don't think I'd PLAN on confining two roosters together long-term, though, with hens. Someone is likely to get their clock violently, possibly fatally, cleaned at some point.

Have fun,

Pat

 

[keljonma]

I agree with Pat about the roos. And it seems to me the hens are happier without them.

 

[SKR8PN]

I agree with Pat about the roos. And it seems to me the hens are happier without them.

Sorta like some women I know...........LOL!

 

[me&thegals]

Yeah--what's up with chicken sex? It seems like the 20 min I am in there gathering eggs, feeding treats and fluffing up nests one rooster might have about 5 tries at it

We used to have 3 roosters with about 50 hens. Then, we went for 6 roosters with about 90 hens. One of them was not nice and is now departed. From my minimal experience, it really seems to depend on the nature of the roosters. We watched them carefully in the beginning and automatically separated out the aggressive ones. I have my kids (while I am there) walk among them all, me watching for any signs of aggression towards them. We really tested them out and they seem to do fine. But, like I said, one got nasty, we had a very bloodied hen and that one is out of there.

On the positive side, they are exceptionally good at guarding their little broods when they're outside most of the year.

 

[Beekissed]

If I had to choose egg layers all over again, I would have bought mostly New Hampshire Reds....steady laying, early maturing (5 mo.), meaty and large, good personalities, a heritage breed, and their eggs are the most lovely I've seen yet....a dark, glossy, extra-large, thick-shelled brown...sometimes with little darker speckles.

And the birds are simply beautiful!

I'm not overly impressed with the black star sex-links that I bought. The Doms are good and steady and the White Rocks are big ol' gals....but the NHRs out performs them all!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Bee, I'm adding NHR and Black Australorps to my mix this year I've already got them on order from McMurray Hatchery. I also ordered some Gold Laced Bantam Cochins for my hubby's lonely GLBC roo...hope we get a couple girls in that since they are straight run only...

I chose the NHR's and BA's for my laying coop. Our goal is to have 100 brown egg layers by next spring. I think I'll have half that this year. We also ordered some RIR's and Red Stars. My mom's Red Stars lay every day! HUGE dark brown eggs, too! If they were Marans, they'd nearly be a 4 on the Marans chart!

 

[Beekissed]

I'll remember that, Aly! Instead of black stars, I should have gotten the red stars! I'm not too impressed with the size of my Aussie's eggs, but they are big, meaty chickens!

I'm hoping to get a broody this year, so I can grow my own chicks from now on!

100 layers!!!!!! Girl, you are getting ambitious!