A friend mine would like to aquire chickens once again. They are both disabled & need chicken breeds that are easy to care for since they aren't able to get around very well.
Requirements she is looking for:
Heat tolerate
good layers
brown eggs or even tinted possibly.
Cold hardy
calm & friendly
does well free range or cooped (foragers but doesn't dig like RIR's do perferably.)
They had trouble with thier RIR's but i'm not sure why. They got them from the same feed store I had problems with. They want all hens but i'm working on them getting one gentle roo for them.
Any suggestions?
Easy to care for chickens?
We bought Gold Star layers from Hoover Hatchery in Rudd, IA.
http://www.hoovershatchery.com/
They meet all the things you mentioned.
Ours were hatched October 1. They spent the winter in an old corn crib, (sheeted up of course), with just a couple heat bulbs. Bought 125, only lost one that had birth defect.
They started laying end of February. About 3 weeks ago we kept track & they gave us 120 eggs from 121 hens!
They are so tame, they are in the way when you go to feed & water them. They even untie shoes & pick at a loose string on your clothing. Funny!
Bernie
any kind of sex link would be good and welsummers is what i'd recomend.
Hi GK,
There are 2 breed charts on the web that may help your friends decide:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/breeds/breed-chart
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
Becky
Thanks Becky i didn't know there was breed charts over on BYC and thanks for posting them.
Great info on the breeds and their temperaments.
I had some buff orpingtons and they were very sweet chickens and so was my australorps.
I recommend Buff Orpingtons. They are very calm and friendly, lay big light brown eggs, and tolerate our hot humid weather well (I don't know about cold tolerance, some of mine have big combs) . Mine don't dig much and are ok confined although they normally free range. They are "early-to-bed" types and put themselves away at dusk. They are rather talkative, but I consider that an asset. So far they are my favorite breed.
LOL Buff Orpingtons that go early to bed?! wow can I trade you chicks? Mine are the very very very last ones in the coop & it had better be full dark or they don't step a toe in there. :) Thats good to know that they tolerate the heat well. I hadn't noticed mine having problems yet but this is the first year I've had them. idk what happened with her RIR's bc mine never had a problem with heat. They are up on top of a hill tho & might not get much air flow there. I haven't been to the new house much yet to notice things like that.
I agree about the sexlinks,especially the golden comets(red sexlink) they are very calm and friendly,cold hardy(I live in northern Maine) go to bet early,do not peck at each other,have stayed healthy,I did let my free range some last year but I have to many flower beds and they were in them digging,so they have a huge pen now.Excellent layers of large brown eggs,layed all winter with a light,sart early around 5 months.I had nine pullets and one rooster last winter in a very small coop and they did very will confined.
Hey Harmony,
The breed chart on BYC if fairly new. Great info though, since it comes from people who actually have that breed.
So far my Wyandottes are fairly calm (3 mos old) and get along together well even the 2 roos. I'm waiting to see what happens when they get older and the pullets start laying. Then I'll probably need to get rid of one or maybe both.
Becky
Thanks Becky i was wondering why i hadn't seen it, I still find things on BYC all the time just so much info there :)
I also found light Brahmas to be fairly nice chickens and Barred Rocks lay a nice brown egg
My Barred Rocks are very people-friendly but they are bullies with the other hens, mug them for no apparent reason. They would be fine in a single- breed flock.
I like my silkies. They don't fly and they are sweet and friendly. The show quality silkies are absolutely gorgeous! All I have to do is lock them up at night and let them out in the morning.
They do dig small holes though for their dust baths, not many, but a few. For someone disabled that might not be good. They aren't deep holes, just deep enough to trip in if you aren't careful.
Their eggs are a bit smaller, and are beige, but I think they are lovely. You just use three eggs instead of two. Since they are bantams they don't eat as much as the larger chickens.
I've never had any other chickens, so have nothing to compare them to, but I like my silkies!
I agree with Porkpal, Barred Rocks are friendly.
I currently have Ameracana's (Known as EE) they lay colored eggs and raised since birth, they are very friendly. They will eat our of Billys hand, and he can carry the roo around under his arm.
They tolerate the desert temps which can range from Hot to snow..
Although they are colored eggs..
Thank you everyone. I'll pass on this info to her. Its going to be a month or so till they do get chicks again so please if anyone else has ideas feel free to leave them. :)