Barnvelder or Salmon Faverolle?

[Ilovechickens2525]

Hello! I have hatching eggs in the incubator right now for Bielefelders, probably only going to get one or two hens as there are only 4 viable eggs in there right now. They hatch next week. Then, later in March, I have hatching eggs being delivered for crele legbars, mosaics, swedish flower hens, and marans (splash, blue, and black).

I currently have silverrudds and black copper marans.

My current predicament, is I think I want to get a few more hatching eggs in between these two orders lol! I found one farm nearby that may have salmon faverolles and another breeder farther away (who I have heard is great, don't know much about the nearby one). The farther away breeder has barnvelders and bielefelders (so if I don't have a great hatch with this current hatch I can add on more!)

It is important to me that my chickens are fairly docile and get along well with other breeds, as I have a mixed flock. Currently all of my chickens are fairly nice to each other. I have a couple with crests, and am hatching legbars, so I don't want them getting picked on the head. It's also important to me that they are cold hardy and can tolerate the heat in the summer (though I'm less concerned about the heat because my marans don't seem to enjoy the heat so I already have to cool them down and our summers are not as long as our frigid winters that go on forever). So, I feel like I know the barnvelders might be the way to go, but the salmon faverolles are just so pretty looking! Any advice or anyone very familiar with this breed?

And while we are on the breed discussion, I also have the opportunity to get Mille Fleur D'Uccles which are also on my wishlist, but is this a bad idea based on my winters? We are talking temperatures that are regularly below -40 in the winter here, and winter is November to late March. It was -49 last week. I use wall heater panels, not a heat lamp. I suspect it would be a bad idea to get a bantam breed but wanted to confirm that since they are adorable! The people who breed them here say they handle the cold fine but I wonder if they are using multiple heat lamps or something..

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rose the Legbar]

I wouldnt suggest getting any sort of bantams with how cold your winters get. Their tiny bodies cant hold in much heat, no matter how incredibly fluffy! My salmon faverolles are incredibly sweet and docile and have done beautifully in our cooler (down to the 30s F in the day) winters. They are quite large birds but have been super sweet. Faverolles are absolutely not smart in any capacity though Kind of like bigger and less fluffy silkies personality wise.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

As far as barnvelders go… according to google they are highly prone to Mareks? Can anyone speak to this?

 

[Amer]

Belgian d'Anvers and Buckeye bantams handle the cold well, in my opinion, due to their smaller combs and wattles and sufficient fluff.
I imagine it would be the same for Chantecler and Ameraucana bantams.

 

[Lulu Chicken Lady]

I have (4) nearly 1-year old Barnevelder hens and (3) 6-month old Faverolles hens that we're working on merging together right now. I have raised all of them from a day old and love them all so much. I can say that the faverolles seem less bothered by the cold, although both sets have done well (the lows have been in the teens and 20's a lot where I am this winter, but we're a looong way from Manatoba). The Barnevelders panted during the humid months in the summer, but they still foraged and stayed active. I can't speak for the Faverolles in the summer, but I do plan to trim down some of their beard and feet to help them stay cooler. They are interested in playing in water (even when it is cold) so I am hoping they will use the kiddie pool that my Barnevelders ignored.

All of my hens are friendly and come running when I see them, so cute! The Barnevelders have always gotten along perfectly with each other. I've never seen any of them display dominance over the other and there has been no pecking or disputes that I've seen. That said, I was hoping that the flock integration would go well. It has gone okay. The Barnevelders quickly took to pecking order roles and have given the Faverolles a hard time. Mostly just chasing them and some pecking. The pecking has gotten better with time and they seem half hearted about it now. I do wish I would have gotten the Faverolles first, I think maybe they are more welcoming and I hate watching them get picked on, despite understanding the importance of their pecking order. For their part, the Faverolles typically just run away screaming in dramatic fashion That I think bewilders the Barnevelders. One or two have stood their ground a few times. Afterwards the just go off to happily do their own thing while sticking close to each other. They are exuberant little characters with a lot of zest for life.

I love both breeds and am thinking they are what I'll get again in the future. As a side note the Barnevelders are said to be more prone to Marek's disease and were vaccinated by the hatchery I got them from. I don't think you can go wrong with either breed, but keep in the mind that the Faverolles may get picked on and need more hiding places for relief. I am keeping mine in their own coop until things settle down between the little flocks.