Reviews by Montana-Hens

It wasn't the star egg layer I was hoping for, but I could have lived with that. Unfortunately she always had a dirty bumm. No matter how many times I cleaned it, it was dirty again. I culled her for that reason alone. She dressed out nicely and was a nice couple of dinners.

I just bought another Australorp chick yesterday and am going to give it another try.

I have had Plymouth Barred Rock in my flock for 8 years from 3 different hatcheries. All have had pleasant personalities. They are good layers and lay most of the year without auxiliary light. They work well in a mix breed flock. They are good foragers, and do well free ranging. Hens are large enough to put on the dinner table when butchered.

The only drawback is that the points on the comb are prone to frostbite if you live in very cold climates (Montana). It makes me question if I want to replace my Barred Rock with the same every time we butcher, but so far I always include them.

I got one blue laced red and two silver laced and they have exceeded expectations. They have laid all winter in Montana in a coop without supplemental heat or light.

They are not wicked or mean, but they are not naturally friendly like a brahma.

I tried a Welsummer, not because this hen really met any of my criteria for a backyard flock in rural Montana but because this breed was known for eggs the color of terracotta. I just had to try it. Her eggs were beautiful, but she was a crummy layer compared to the others. She was re-homed to a 4-Her who wanted to try the breed to show the bird and the eggs. She was perfect for that. As much fun as her dark eggs were, I am not sure that I would try one again. She was flighty, had a big comb and her eggs didn’t come as often as I like.

She was a hatchery chick, and really no surprises based on what was possible with the breed. I just wanted those dark eggs, knowing full well I was choosing well outside of my criteria.