Will all breeds happily mix?

[Darwin.]

So I'm having a look at what's available locally. So far I only have a Brahma chicken and Welsummer rooster, I want 6 more hens. The plan was 4 hybrids for eggs and 2 bantams because I like them. Having a look around there's a great selection available.

I was thinking 2 hybrid and 2 leghorn or aracuna for eggs, a Wyandotte and a Maran for looks and because the Maran has brown eggs. I can decide from that what works best for me and in future stick to that, based on looks, personality and eggs.

[Guest]

I have only briefly had wyandottes and marans and both had fairly good temperaments, however there will always be exceptions to the rules. My bantums are pekins and they don't really mix with the chickens but they don't get hassled either. I have one brown hen that is a stroppy ole mare and she will sort any other hen that fancies trying. All the brown hens I have had were not so much troublesome but very definite on the hens they were. My girls are a mix of allsorts pure breed and x's (18 birds) the only one that I have issues with is a Norfolk grey and that is only when she is shut up in the coup so she stays out nowadays.

Edit: The more you mix and match, the more I think you need to prepare yourself encase of worst case scenario (separation, rehoming, vets and dispatching. What would happen if any of the supposed to be hens matured into a cockerel a year down the line?)

[mrsbusy]

No some are quite aggressive and some much more docile and friendly. Trouble is - which are which! from experience - ex-batts are pretty evil! Australorps are very calm. (My 4 are coming tomorrow - but they will have their own hen house and run and will outnumber my ex-batts as I only have 3.) I will wait and see what they look like and if the new girls are as big as the ex-batts I will let them out together sooner - but if they are still quite small I will wait until they have grown as size matters here!
So just looking at my trusty Poultry Handbook - Wyandotte are docile, Maran is calm, Leghorn very active (at least it does not say aggressive!) do you mean Araucana - also fairly active, or Ancona which is active. I was just looking at a u tube clip this morning about which breed is a good choice and the person was saying that if you just have 2 of a more aggressive breed in a mixed flock they won't be too dominant. You might have to look out for the bantams as they might get bullied -certainly my niece got 2 bantams to put in with 3 hybrids and she ended up going out and getting them their own hen house and run so they could get a break. Eventually they settled and the others accepted them. I'm sure the others will have some thoughts too.

[Darwin.]

I hadn't heard Hyline mentioned but a local lad sells them so I've ordered two, they're just starting to lay now.

[veggiechicken]

Hyline are one of the many hybrids that are available. They have lots of different names but all the brown ones look the same to me

[Ms-T]

I have a skyline ,she lays lovey blue eggs.but stops in oct and starts in jan.

[veggiechicken]

Darwin, each time you introduce a couple of chooks to a flock (even a flock of 2) there'll be a bit of aggro and one will be bottom of the pecking order. If you're going to get 6 it would be better to get them all at the same time so that they can spread out the aggro a bit.
I was told once that you should never have one white hen as that will be the one they all pick on. Don't know how true that is !

[Ms-T]

I had one white hen and she was the smallest and the bossest.the others was scared of her.

[veggiechicken]

So much for that advice then!!

[Ms-T]

I think she was a bit nuts all round..

[Snadger]

Araucana lay blue or green eggs. I mix mine all up and create the farmyard effect, I don't like the ones with feathered legs although I had Faverolle cockerels which were lovely docile birds.
Normally banties are more flighty and like to get up a height. Banty cocks are evil gits and will happilly take on cockerels three times there size.
No, mix em up, mine are like liqorice allsorts and add a bit of colour to the plot!

[Darwin.]

Chickens are racist? I didn't know that.

[Guest]

^^^So are ducks. My first ducks were 6 white indian runner girlies and I fell in love with a choc drake still in his fluff and all the girls ran away from him (as though they were being herded by a sheep dog) If anyone still has children up don't let them read this next bit.........
as time went on they had more reason to run away, as he had a huge wind up willy after the deed he would go round in circles and it would go back in. It was gross yet hilarious and I understand if the last bit is deleted before the morning.

[Darwin.]

I'm picking my Hylines up tonight after work, I changed the order to 3 that should be 17 or 18 eggs a week. I'll get a mix of others now, with the Brahma I have and 3 other new ones I should hopefully get 12-15 eggs a week. That's 30+ and should keep me going.

The only thing now is how much pellets will 7 hens and a rooster get through in a week. A 20kg bag of pellets is €14, 30 free range eggs is €6. Unless that 20 kg bag lasts over two weeks, I'm not saving any money. I know that's not what it's all about but you don't want to be spending a small fortune feeding them after spending a large fortune setting the place up for them to start with.

[veggiechicken]

If you're thinking about the hens as an investment, ask yourself how many eggs a donkey would lay - or why are you feeding a cockerel?

I don't know whether you have Countrywide Stores in Ireland but they have an offer on at the moment - 3 x 20kg bags of layers pellets for £18.