Breed Recommendation Thread

[chris]

I've been thinking about this for a while, but couldn't find something similar here. Since having to replace my lot actually - I've noticed more and more people stopping me when I'm in my garden and asking if I keep chickens as they can hear them. They then go onto asking what birds I'd recommend. Thought it'd be a good idea, particularly for new members for us to collaborate on some recommendations?

I don't keep pure breeds - but I'll start with my experience of hybrids (from what I've owned, and had exposure to via close friends).

- Warren. The classic "battery" bird, pops eggs out as regular as clock work, but also extremely docile. My little warren is practically "silly tame". I haven't handled my new lot like I did my old ones, as I've been busy doing work in my house - which has meant that the majority of my new flock don't really like human contact. This warren though, from the get go she's been so tame - my eldest daughter adores her - as she'll put up with a 3 year old patting her. Excellent for starting out keeping chickens - as recommending pretty much everwhere. I can now see why

- White Star. A Leghorn cross, small bird - funny looking lady, her large comb flopping over to one side which is totally opposite to her small frame. I'm not sure what the leghorn is crossed with, but boy do they lay. The chap I got her from said if you want eggs, get a flock of these. I can see why, she lays large white eggs daily. The shells are rock hard in comparison to the other eggs I get. She is not at all keen on being handled though, and will not even come for corn out of my hand (where as the others will). One I'm working on trying to trust me a bit more!

For something a bit different, I decided to get a couple of blue and dark brown egg layers.

I've got a couple Cotswold Legbar hybirds (who look totally different - but both are 'crested'). They lay a lovely sky blue egg, and are quite docile. They are loud though, perhaps due to the fact that they're from the Cream Legbar who I've also heard can be a bit noisy. However, my two seem to go off lay at the slightest issue (one was really tame and used to goto sleep on my daughter - there's a picture in this forum for the noesy - but was spooked from a dog attack and really has never recovered, the other one is trying to molt and has stopped laying for the past couple of months).

I also have a Black Marans hybird (not totally sure what the marans is crossed with mind), who lays a lovely dark brown egg, which compliments the white and blue eggs perfectly Obviously, results vary with hybirds as they're designed to pop as many eggs out in the shortest space of time, so will most likely stop laying before a pure breed in terms of age, so if you're buying on egg colour and you want to guarantee you get a blue, or dark brown egg then you'd be better off getting a pure breed. Example being, I had a black marans hybird previously, who was killed by a dog - her eggs were a lot darker than the current one I have.

I would love to recommend my others, either on looks (such as a bluebell - stunning looking bird (who coincidentally sometimes lays an egg darker than my black marans bybrid.. she is also enormous, much larger than my previous one.. I keep expecting one day to find her crowing)) but the above really do stand out for me and would be the ones I'd recommend for people starting out

I might take some photos and add them to the post too.

Obviously you can find all this information out on various websites etc, but I thought I'd be nice to get personalised recommendations.

Over to you ladies and gents!

[Nicos]

Good idea Chris!
I have white Light Sussex, Pure breed French Marans and Cayenne Banties ( you'll not find that name anywhere on the internet !!)

I have 16 gals and 2 bantie cockerels ( brothers) running together behind an electric fence.

Light Sussex
I have 3 of these- all coming up for their 2nd year. They have laid and laid and laid- all through winter too.
Nice big cream/beige coloured eggs weighing about 70g. We've had quite a few double yolkers too- even now!
They are very docile birds and chatter away to themselves all the time. Lovely company!
Lovely white colour with a black frilly looking collar.

Black Copper Marans - pure French breed- with feathery feet.
We have 2 of these. Dark chocolate brown eggs- with a creamier tasting yolk than any other egg I have eaten. These are now coming up to 3 and would commercially have been in the pot as apparently their egg laying drops off dramatically after their 2nd year.
These have always stopped laying in September- and start again in March. Eggs weigh about 80g and are really quite rounded.
Again a calm bird, but they really prefer you not to handle them ( apart from a hand reared one with a twisted beak- so with constant attention I'm sure they'd be more affectionate)
(We hatched ours from 8 eggs so ate the boys)
Meat is sweet and nicely flavoured
We were a bit worried about the foot/leg feathers in the muddy field- never had any skin problems, and if very wet the feathers just seem to break/drop off.

Banties
The locals call these Ceyenne but I can't find them anywhere on the internet.
I wonder if it's a rural term for 'salt and pepper mix' of breed? (Cayenne being a type of pepper/chilli)
Alternatively there is a place called Cayenne in French Guiana...so the breed may have come from there???
Mine are not pure breed so have other bantie blood.

Mixture of colours- very bright and quick and good layers.
Small eggs about 30/35g - creamy coloured.
They lay all year too- but not quite as prolific in the winter
Gals tend to be broody but can only really cope well with one large egg under each wing...although cope well with 6 of their own ( probably more) Fantastic moms too!
Cockerels attentive and gentle with their chicks and gals. Tolerant of other males so long as they keep their distance.

[elizajay]

Great idea Chris

I started with pekin bantams and they were mostly very friendly, apart from one who didn't like people and made sure any chicks she reared kept away from people. She was a great mother and broody.

I had a bantam maran who laid lovely dark brown pointed eggs and was a real character, much loved by all but died at about 2 years from a tumour. She liked people. I would definitely get another.

I have a lemon pyle brahma. She is huge and friendly but not keen on being handled. After a predator attack last year she stopped laying and had a problem with her crop (pendulous crop). Her crop looks better now and she has just started laying again every day or so.

Wyandotte bantam - also friendly and popular with the family and a reasonable layer. A bit of a victim, got attacked by a bird of prey 3 times over a period of months and died presumably from shock the 3rd time. A solid bird much heavier than she looked.

Japanese bantam - very perky looking and pretty, not keen on people, not that keen on the other hens, always slept on her own perch when the others cuddled up together. She laid small cream eggs, but I seldom found the eggs as she would move nest sites all about the garden every time I found out where she was laying and she seldom used the nest box. Currently living in a tree down the road after a cat attack.

Bantam Orpington x silkie, chocolate brown with a crest. Not a good layer but decorative with lovely big brown eyes.

Warren type hens called Mendelsham rangers - fantastic layers, good looking birds and very healthy, only problem is I can't tell them apart from each other. One lays a darker egg than the other but I don't know which, one always checks to see if I have dropped any corn just inside the back door and is in danger of getting her head stuck in a closing door if I am in a hurry. I have to be really careful not to slam the back door shudders

[Strawberry delight]

Araucana- lays fantastic blue/green eggs, beautiful tufty heads. Cockerel is large has a beautiful pea comb and no wattle, which i think is fairly unusual and different! Eggs are meant to be lower in cholestrol than other hens eggs but im not sure why! sometimes the eggs are a little whiter or greener but mostly blue!

[RichmondHens]

Based on what I have kept both in the past and now:

Light Sussex - Generally placid and lay lots of eggs. Can go broody although this is more likely with the bantam size than LF. My personal favourite pure breed for beginners. There is a Light Sussex hybrid which is sometimes passed off as a pure breed to the unwary, but these are generally lighter in stature than the pure breed which have a heavier more matronly look about them.

Rhode Island Red - Ditto above although can be bossy with other chickens. If you have a Rhodie in your flock she will usually be head honcho.

Welsummer - Placid, good foragers, and the eggs are superb (rich terracotta) and well worth the wait. Downside is they are very fair weather layers - you won't get any winter eggs from these ladies.

Buff Orpington - Balls of fluff on legs. Eat a lot for what they lay (not much) so relatively expensive to keep. Go broody a lot so unless you intend to rear chicks quite frankly not worth having. I keep them purely for brooding purposes at which they are excellent.

Leghorns (any colour) - Outstanding year round layers, if you want lots of eggs these are the best pure breed there is. However they are very energetic and prefer large enclosures or ideally free range. Big floppy combs which need keeping an eye on in very frosty weather.

Minorca - Not as productive as Leghorns but eggs equally superb. Again like lots of space and watch the combs in cold weather.

Cream Legbar - Pretty active birds who lay a blue egg. Not to be confused with the Cotswold Cream legbar who are a hybridised version and do not necessarily lay blue eggs. Can be flighty. My legbars are very good at escaping and need high fences to keep them in, even with wings clipped.

Cuckoo Marans - Another good choice for a beginner. Large and friendly and lays terrific dark brown eggs.

French Copper Black Marans - Produces the darkest egg out of all the marans. Not as large as the cuckoos though. Very soft feather and mine got easily worn out by the cock. Feathery legs and feet which obviously need a bit of care if you have muddy conditions.

Indian Game - Short thickset birds which lay a small egg for their size. Often crossed with other breeds to produce meat birds. Cocks can be aggressive.

[petal]

ours:
PEKINS; great with children, very friendly, come in lots of colours, hardy and have a good sense of humour. We don't find the leg feathering a problem as they free range on grass. They lays lots of small eggs from Spring until Autumn and regularly go broody. Cockerels have a somewhat shrill crow for such a small chicken!

SILVER LACED WYANDOTTE BANTAMS: these like biting children, cantankerous but stunningly beautiful. Surplus males make a decent roast dinner if you do 2. females are great little layers. Very hardy, eat hardly anything! and do well in the show ring. There are many colours you can get!

SALMON FAVEROLLE LARGE FOWL: delightful temperament and tolerate children. talkative and cuddly. Excellent utility bird - females lay very well indeed- some even in winter. Ours have not gone broody, I wish they would. males make a fabulous meat bird and have a lovely nature too. They come in other colours. Prone to scaly leg and mites in their 'beard.' You can tell sex of chicks at 5 days as they colour differently.

BUFF ORPINGTON: rubbish layers, good broodies. live a long time and are good with kids. Giant feather dusters. They eat loads! Everyone should have one, they make good friends.They come in other colours.

GOLD BRAHMA: another type that are not great layers but are magestic, stunning and even tempered giants of the chicken world. Eat tons! They like kids. males prone to strokes, due to size. Watch out for scaly leg on legs. They also come in other colours!I like blue!

LAKENVELDER BANTAMS: (white and black) utter morons, flighty, don't seem to lay anything. rare, can't think why?!!!!!

CHAMOIS THURINGIAN bantams : rare and really shouldn't be! Talkative, cuddly, gentle - don't seem to lay much but their colouring is divine. you can get them in other colours too but very hard to source.

[RichmondHens]

Weird the favs get mites in their beard petal, how do you treat? One of my cats gets fleas under her chin!! Obviously Frontline sorts this but with hens you have to be careful. Quick squirt of Johnson's?

[petal]

the johnsons antimite , when applied on their bums makes all mites run away, including muff mites. lol.