Hey everyone! I’ve been thinking a lot about what breed of chicken I want to try next, but I keep hitting snags. I want birds that have been bred to meet the breed standard, rather than from a big name hatchery (Sandhill is an exception if they have a breed I otherwise cannot get, or if they have good birds of a breed). This is the list of what I’m looking for:
- Not aggressive; preferably roosters are known for not being aggressive.
- Not flighty. They don’t have to be super friendly, but flighty will get them culled immediately.
- Not broody. After having Orpingtons, Australorps, and broody Rhode Island Reds, I am DONE with broody hens.
- Great layers of large brown eggs; I would love birds that lay 230+ eggs per year, but 200+ is a happy number too.
- No crests, feathered feet, or other fancy feathers.
- Good food efficiency. My (admittedly hatchery stock) Buff Orpingtons ate a lot and laid few small eggs (when not broody); I cannot find much information on food efficiency with different heritage breeds, but anything better those Orpingtons would be worth looking into.
- Small to Medium single comb. Large single combs always get frostbite, and I cannot heat my coop. I don’t want the fertility problems of rosecombs, and other types trigger my anxiety and gag reflex if I look too long (I don’t know why). Buttercup or v-shape would probably be okay if they can handle hot and cold weather, but I don’t know anything about them.
- Can handle hot and cold weather. Our summers get up to 95 for extended periods, with some jumps to 100. Our winters get down to -4 every year for several days, but sometimes even lower (last year we had ten days of below 5 degrees, and several below -7).
- Not stupid. My red and gold sexlink birds were too stupid to hide from a hawk that sat on an fencepost for ten minutes before diving at them or being chased off by me, and it happened nearly every day. I do not want stupid birds again.
- Good at free ranging. Very important as my birds free range on our 12 acres.
- For color, I’d like to try something other than black or white. Black birds with green sheen are lovely, but I just want something with a bit more color. White I worry about being boring and also being preyed upon. Some black and/or white on a bird is fine. Color and size are is the last things on my list, as they’re for aesthetics.
- Big birds, like 9-10lb roosters and 7-8lb hens. This is strictly for aesthetic purposes; I just really love to look at and handle big chickens. I will consider a smaller breed if it fits the other criteria.
I thought about getting Welsummers, but they’re smaller (does that make them more food efficient?), and people seem to disagree on both their flightiness and egg-laying. I also admittedly prefer a more medium brown egg, rather than their dark brown. Still, Sandhill says theirs lay extra large eggs, so maybe a medium sized bird that lays a lot of large eggs would be better?
Any help (or reality checks) would be really appreciated!
- Not aggressive; preferably roosters are known for not being aggressive.
- Not flighty. They don’t have to be super friendly, but flighty will get them culled immediately.
- Not broody. After having Orpingtons, Australorps, and broody Rhode Island Reds, I am DONE with broody hens.
- Great layers of large brown eggs; I would love birds that lay 230+ eggs per year, but 200+ is a happy number too.
- No crests, feathered feet, or other fancy feathers.
- Good food efficiency. My (admittedly hatchery stock) Buff Orpingtons ate a lot and laid few small eggs (when not broody); I cannot find much information on food efficiency with different heritage breeds, but anything better those Orpingtons would be worth looking into.
- Small to Medium single comb. Large single combs always get frostbite, and I cannot heat my coop. I don’t want the fertility problems of rosecombs, and other types trigger my anxiety and gag reflex if I look too long (I don’t know why). Buttercup or v-shape would probably be okay if they can handle hot and cold weather, but I don’t know anything about them.
- Can handle hot and cold weather. Our summers get up to 95 for extended periods, with some jumps to 100. Our winters get down to -4 every year for several days, but sometimes even lower (last year we had ten days of below 5 degrees, and several below -7).
- Not stupid. My red and gold sexlink birds were too stupid to hide from a hawk that sat on an fencepost for ten minutes before diving at them or being chased off by me, and it happened nearly every day. I do not want stupid birds again.
- Good at free ranging. Very important as my birds free range on our 12 acres.
- For color, I’d like to try something other than black or white. Black birds with green sheen are lovely, but I just want something with a bit more color. White I worry about being boring and also being preyed upon. Some black and/or white on a bird is fine. Color and size are is the last things on my list, as they’re for aesthetics.
- Big birds, like 9-10lb roosters and 7-8lb hens. This is strictly for aesthetic purposes; I just really love to look at and handle big chickens. I will consider a smaller breed if it fits the other criteria.
I thought about getting Welsummers, but they’re smaller (does that make them more food efficient?), and people seem to disagree on both their flightiness and egg-laying. I also admittedly prefer a more medium brown egg, rather than their dark brown. Still, Sandhill says theirs lay extra large eggs, so maybe a medium sized bird that lays a lot of large eggs would be better?
Any help (or reality checks) would be really appreciated!
What the others said, however I have some suggestions for breeds!
