Reviews by LAChickens

I heard Nankins were a good breed to use to hatch out quail eggs, so I found them at Ideal Hatchery and ordered a bunch. I was surprised at how quickly they could fly! And by how lovely these little birds are. They are pretty and sweet little guys. Mine are all calm, easy-to-catch and gentle when held — that's without my spending a lot of time handling them. I also have roosters living together and there has been no squabbling, they even roost beside each other at night. They can be shrill but mostly they're quiet and keep to themselves. I have them in with a black Cochin, and they get along great. One hen is setting a clutch currently and I'm hoping for a successful hatch. Big thumbs up.

Ameracaunas are among my favorite breeds, but they are not the friendliest chickens I have. Still my flock would be lacking without them. I have a few chicks and I hope that spending time with them now, while they are young will help to lessen their fear.
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I now have 9 Ameracaunas in total, they remain the prettiest birds in my flock but all of them are super shy and won't come near me at all. It's funny given that so many people have friendly birds. I now have 3 year-old laying hens, 2 seventeen week old pullets, and 4 eight week old chicks.Would they be less shy if they had their own pen? Or a pen with other calmer birds...like Brahmas? I'm not sure how to befriend them and would welcome any advice on this front.

I picked up 2 Silver-laced Wyandottes in January, just because I love their markings! I was plesantly surprised to find out that they are also lovely birds. Gorgeous markings? Yes! But also, calm and friendly. Mine are at the bottom of the pecking order and still finding their way in my coop. I was worried that I was going to lose a hen yesterday as she off her feed, but she seems much better today. At are 25 weeks old and have not yet started laying. Hopefully soon!

I have 5 Black Barred Rocks. Unlike most of my hens, the Barred Rocks blend in. It's hard for me to tell them apart and they don't have the range of personality that my other birds have. They are the core of my flock though and solid, stable birds. They are not flighty, and are friendly and curious. I bought them at 4 weeks old on October 1, It's now mid-February and only one has started laying — this week. They have continued growing and are filling out and turning into lovely shaped birds.

Okay, I'm coming to this sideways. I picked up 3 "blonde chicks" and was told that they were Buff Orpingtons, but their shape was wrong and their color didn't develop correctly ether. Then I was told that they were perhaps red splash Wyandottes. I have have Silver-laced Wyandottes and these are not Wyandottes. They are hard-feathered, long-necked birds closer in shape to the Game Birds. They are still growing, but very boxy in shape with a long neck and small head. Pea combed, yellow legs. The friendliest chicks I started out with, one of them has turned out to be an aggressive pecker. I'm keeping hens for eggs, I feel these may fall short of the mark. They are the guard dogs of my flock, and the policemen.

If I were starting my flock over, I'd consider having all Brahmas. I just love these birds. They are beautiful, calm and peaceful and have been good layers for me. I love that they are big girls, and their feathered feet. Mine are big diggers and like to spend afternoons wallowing in dust baths. They are a delight.

I started with a dozen 4 week old mixed chicks from the feed store. 5 Easter Eggers were added about a month later. The previous owners fed them scratch and Timothy hay so they were not in healthy when they came to me. They were older, so they immediately took over as the lead hens, (the lone rooster was gorgeous but died within a week). When we added other hens a few months later, the Easter Eggers dropped in the pecking order and have become more reserved. Mine do not like to be handled and are reluctant to be hand fed. They hang out as a group and stay away from most of the other hens when they can. One started laying this week, beautiful blue eggs. The others are likely ready to start as well. YEAH!