Looking for a new breed to try

[Clay In Iowa]

Does and bird fit these requirements????

1---Primary requirement is COLD hardy

I'm tired of frost bitten birds. My coop is unheated, but insulated and draft free. Still I have to put 4 birds down last year due to severe frost bit (poor birds : ( )

2--- A Primo egg layer

with feed prices here hitting the rediculous level .. I need to maximise my returns.

3--- A decent table bird would be nice....

4--- Good with kids a must

5--- likes to forage..

They'll have 15,000+ feet inside a poultry fence to roam and eat lots of bugs, mice, snakes, frogs, Mulberrys, plumbs etc. Sadly WAY to many preditors outside the fence to let them just go free...

Thanks
Clay

 

[sourland]

Do a search on Buckeyes. I have no experience with them, but from what I have read it sounds as if they might meet your specifications.

Oops, just read your sig line.

Are the Buckeyes not meeting your needs?

 

[Illia]

Buckeyes, Chanteclers, Wyandottes, Houdans, Araucanas, certain strains of Easter Eggers.


Emphasis on the two italic ones. Very cold hardy, very good table birds, and although I don't know of Chantecler production, Araucanas lay nearly every day except when they're broody.

 

[Clay In Iowa]

Quote:
LOL no worries.

I gave then a try and they are ok... Poor eggs layers though and for no explanable reason.. will NOT leave the coop.. I've thrown them out and closed the pop door and waited fro a few hours, the very second I open it they are right back in... I was told they are GREAT FORAGERS.. what ever... really odd.

They do take the cold very well and are gentle with my kids are a good table bird but really fail in the egg laying catagory. They also like a much higher protien feed which is redicuolouosly expensive.

So I'm just exploring my options.....

C.

 

[moodlymoo]

I absolutely love my Delaware and my Buff Brahama. Not sure about egg production but boy those girls love to forage and are BIG girls who produce a lot of heat

 

[MomToTheZoo]

On paper Salmon Faverolles fit a bunch of your requirements. This is my first time with chickens and SF's so not much help sorry

 

[nuttyredhead]

My first set of chickens were AmberLinks (sex link). they started laying at 18 weeks, and were very cold hardy! I have 5 kids and they were good therre too...not sure about the table though lol...... Good Luck!!!

 

[Stacykins]

Ditto on the Araucanas! My cockerels that I am keeping for breeding are beastly, nice plump legs and a very filled out breast. They're about 17 weeks old now. They would have been good table birds even if butchered earlier. And Araucanas have pea combs, small and compact so as not to get frostbitten. And they forage like champs. They're always in the grass and brush eating plants a bugs when they free range.

 

[stubbornhill]

How about some Speckled Sussex. Sounds like they would be a good match.

 

[Rocky Road]

I have Plymouth Rocks (barred and partridge) and Light Sussex, both love to forage and grow well.