Author Topic: Recommend me some breeds that meet my criteria please (Read 4006 times)

porkandapples · « **on:** March 02, 2011, 04:12:09 pm »

Hi, I am looking at expanding our chicken flock by about 8-10 with a variety of breeds. I have been trawling books and the net but would appreciate real peoples opinions on breeds that would meet my criteria. Which is, in order of importance...

1. Must lay colourful eggs
2. Must lay a reasonable amount of eggs per year
3. Ideally wold like to do something positive by choosing a rare breed but this isn't vital.
4. Chickens will share a 200m sq run and 6 x 4 shed with a few Lincolnshire buffs
5. Must be able to cope with a bit of mud in the winter
6. Ideally would like a nice friendly sociable type that my daughter will enjoy feeding as she gets older

All suggestions gratefully recieved to focus my research a little!!

bloomer · « **Reply #1 on:** March 02, 2011, 04:20:35 pm »

marans lay beautiful dark brown eggs i don't keep them but would if i expanded my flock

leghorns lay pure white eggs ( i have 2 of these and the kids love there eggs as they are easy to identify)
leghorns are obviously not endangered but survived a lot of mud this winter :-)

ellisr · « **Reply #2 on:** March 02, 2011, 04:51:52 pm »

Cream crested Legbars are smaller birds that lay lovely green/blue eggs and are pretty to look at

Fleecewife · « **Reply #3 on:** March 02, 2011, 04:55:14 pm »

Ellisr got there before me

but this is what I had typed anyway:
Araucana, columbine and cream legbar lay the blue eggs and have cute tufty tops (the hens

) I don't know how their laying compares with other breeds, but the columbines are very curious and friendly. Their feathers are a soft mix of browns and fawns and ours have come through prolonged deep snow and temps down to -18 so far this winter.

porkandapples · « **Reply #4 on:** March 02, 2011, 06:27:14 pm »

Thank-you that's really helpful

Marans, Cream Legbars, Leghorns and Columbines are definitely on my wish list so far!

Cinderhills · « **Reply #5 on:** March 02, 2011, 07:14:41 pm »

Fleecewife - I have two columbines and they just lay very pale brown eggs. I was quite disappointed as I thought they would lay pale bluey ones. They are pretty to look at but ours are quite skittish and are the lowest in the pecking order.

bloomer · « **Reply #6 on:** March 02, 2011, 07:23:44 pm »

just googled colombines

apparently the egg colour is only 80% fixed and they are renowned for being skitish.

however they look cool, so maybe one day

Glentarki · « **Reply #7 on:** March 02, 2011, 09:15:39 pm »

Rhode Island Reds lay well and provide a good size medium brown egg…..Salmon Faverolles a favourite of mine absolutely brilliant with kids and people very friendly, lay well and provide a good size tinted egg. However they do have feathering to the feet!.
Buff Orpingtons again very friendly and good with kids OK layers although some strains are better than others, very nice in a mixed flock though! They lay brown eggs.

Already mentioned cream legbars and Brown Leghorn's. in particular Leghorns I always feel get a bit of bad press but for me as a layer they are my number one, tough as old boots and great foragers. Yes they can be flighty at times and appear unfriendly keeping their distance but they do settle with good interaction.......Huge white eggs and plenty of them throughout the year, the Exchequer Leghorn in particular is a beautifully marked bird

Hope this helps a tad ,but just my take on chooks……….enjoy your project!

Dave

CameronS · « **Reply #8 on:** March 02, 2011, 11:11:43 pm »

Wellsummers lay dark eggs, are larger, therefore above the mud and look really pretty

kingnigel · « **Reply #9 on:** March 02, 2011, 11:44:50 pm »

marans lay loads of dark brown eggs that taste brill

kn

Fleecewife · « **Reply #10 on:** March 03, 2011, 01:04:24 am »

Quote from: bloomer on March 02, 2011, 07:23:44 pm

just googled colombines

apparently the egg colour is only 80% fixed and they are renowned for being skitish.

however they look cool, so maybe one day

Ours are not at all skittish, in fact they are the ones who tend to get their heads under the fork just as I am digging and they have to get that worm

. We must have been lucky with the egg colour as ours all give powder blue or greeny blue eggs. I think there is little difference between Columbines and Cream Legbars - or is there?

I am desperate for Welsummers but I can't get hold of any. We had a couple of Welsummer bantams which were the most wonderful little things. They lived to about 6 yo.

porkandapples · « **Reply #11 on:** March 03, 2011, 05:10:53 pm »

Thank-you so much. I think i have decided on Marans, Brown Leghorns, Cream Legbars and Welsummers to extend my flock initially and i'll see how we get on with them. They will go with our ex bats, lincolnshire buff and black bantams of unknown breeding and we will be rehoming the Lohman Browns. I have found a breeder not far away who lists them all so will be contacting him to find out what he has at the moment and go and have a look. Best get the run built first though!!