Barnyard mix

2 broody mamas hatched 10 chicks last year, but I could never handle them because they would zoom away. They are very skittish, but that's because I never handled them. If you hatch some out, there is definitely going to be more roosters than if you got them in a pullet bin at a feed store (you will still get some but not as many.) I got 5-6 roos which I gave away and 4-5 hens. One that we gave away we weren't quite set on the idea that it was a roo, so that's why I say 5-6. I like sticking to the breeds at hatcheries and not the mixes. Why? Well
1. With pure breeds you know for sure how many eggs they are going to be laying, for instance around 250.
2. And you have a better chance of getting a nice chicken when getting a breed from a hatchery because that breed might be known for being calm and docile, whereas barnyard mixes you will never know how the personality might be.

Here are my mixes (they are much older now). #1 is an easter egger x sapphire gem. She always gives me the evil eye

#2 is a sapphire gem x olive egger.


I have a few mixes that I ended up giving away, here are some pics of them as a few weeks old.

this one is a light brahma x olive egger


this one is another brahma mix, he is a brahma x sapphire gem or olive egger

Barnyard mixes are one of my favorite breeds. They are like those wrapped presents that you used to get from "Santa Claus". You never know what you got until you opened it! These gifts unwrap themselves, but it is still very exciting.
Overall, a very good breed for beginners. Only problem is that sometimes you can get bad chickens. But doesn't that happen with every breed?
Shabby