Quite a few years ago I got a mixed selection of chickens from a mail-order hatchery. It was a really fun experience and my daughter fell in love with one she named Grey Lady. It was a fairly small chicken, but not Banty, and was a pearl grey in color. I do believe that it laid blue eggs, but that might only be in my memory. The chicken was very tame and could fly better than many, for short spurts. My daughter now wants to try her hand at raising chickens and would love to replace "Grey Lady." Can anyone give me an idea of what breed we should be looking for? She was all one color and might have tended a bit to blue-grey, but I am not sure of my memory. She did not have any unusual feathers such as on her head or on her feet. Thanks so much.
Can you help id a variety of chicken?
Gray in color could be a "blue" of some sort which are ususally more gray looking from a light to a dark.. What type comb did it have?
She had a normal size comb, red in color.
Could it have been ans Andalusion (sp?)
I'm thinking it might be. Do they lay colored eggs?
I don't know. I have never had one. Somebody here had a hen and posted a pic of her. It was the first one I had ever seen and she was sure pretty.
The blue Andulusian is a small slate grey chicken, very good fliers and great foragers. I raised six of them a few years back. They lay a white egg kinda chalky egg. They are wonderful birds but hard to keep fenced as they fly very well and love to forage as far as two hundred feet from pen which is twice the distance of most chickens. I would be interested in what your daughter is looking for? Eggs, table birds or just pets...Haystack
Hay, is there any kind of chicken you have not raised? LOL How has your weather been?
Hello My Dear Friend. There are lots I have not raised. I got the Andalusians when I bought a rainbow mix from McMurray hatchery several years ago.
The weather here has been lousy, it was warm, around the mid 40's for a week but rained and rained, now it is in the mid twenties and frozen solid, the days are sunny and beautiful but very cold. From what I have heard everyone is having abnormal weather. I am very tired of winter and want some spring like, dry weather...Hay
We have had a few very nice days. Sunny and in the 40's. I have made good use of them and worked on my 2nd planting bed. Feels good to be out and about and accomplishing extra stuff.
I have never bought chicks from a hatchery. Usually hatch my own but I have bought a few from TSC. The RSL's I bought after the stray dog masacre are nearly grown. 2 of them layed today.
Hay I think you know most everything when it comes to chickens :)
It is getting colder here too, a cold front blew in last night and I do mean blew in. I heard there were winds of 70 mph in some places. Not sure what they were here, but I know they were strong. And Hay, I'm getting tired of the wet too. It was so dry here and then in January it started raining and it seems like it has done nothing but rain. Our yard is SOOO wet. One up side, the ducks like it.
I had to laugh Smedge, I guess if you have enough variety of livestock, no matter what the weather someone has to enjoy it...LOL...No Smedge there is more about chickens that I don't know than what I do know. Many times just and educated opinion. No humility here...LOL. I do hope the weather begins getting back to somewhat normal soon...Have a great day...Hay
Thanks for the responses to PNW's question. I am the "daughter" in question, and am really looking forward to my first attempt with chickens.
My main goal with the chickens will be egg production and weed control, and I will have to have a fully enclosed coop and a chicken tractor as we have dogs that will probably harm the hens otherwise.
Fond memories are the biggest reason that I am trying to determine what my Grey Lady was. She was the sweetest chicken in the world and I loved her dearly, and would be thrilled to have another like her. I have looked at the pictures of the blue Andulusian, and combining that with Haystack's description I think that is exactly what she was.
I am planning on starting out with about five chicks, and have a catalog coming from the McMurray hatchery (that is where Mom had gotten hers many moons ago, and if people are still ordering from them, they have to be doing something right!). I am not looking for the "fancies" as much as I am for pretty healthy hens as pets with the side benefit of a few eggs here and there.
Haystack, you are in our neck of the woods... any advice on varieties that I would definitely NOT want here? I have heard some people say that our wet climate is harder on some breeds?
Thanks again all for your help.
Haystack, you are in our neck of the woods.... any other advice on
Hi Rarejem: What a pleasure and welcome to the forum. There are so many good breeds, one of the best breeds for this area and for beautiful eggs are the Cuckoo Marans. They are not especially beautiful to look at but they are wonderful egg layers with beautiful brown eggs. Some say they aren't friendly but if you spend time with them they are wonderful. Cochins are very friendly but I don't like the feathered leggs around the wet climate. The white plymouth rock's are gorgeous and great layers. McMurray has the red stars that are very docile and excellent egg layers, but once again not much to look at. I love the Ameracuana, they are the green egg layers and sometimes blue. If you should ever be interested in just a pet chicken let me know and I'll show you some seramas you might be interested in. They are the worlds smallest chickens and thrive on being with people. Some only weigh 3/4 of a pound up to two lbs...LOL...Haystack
I gotta say, getting a big giant perfect light brown egg every single day makes those plain ol RIRs look really good!
Hay, did you ever find your special rooster?
I agree with you ZZ.
I think the RIR's and ameracuana's are my favorite, however some just don't like RIR's because they are so common. I love em.
No LFJ I never found him or any signs of him. I'm grateful I have pic's of him though... Sorry I just could not resist, he will always be special.
OOP'S Don't ask me what I did wrong...LOL
This message was edited Feb 2, 2011 11:00 AM
If I'm able to keep chickens all summer, I'm gonna get a dozen RIRs or so.. I've got a nice lil group now, but not enough good layers.. and I've been wanting more RIRs since last year!
Dollar for dollar I have never found a bird that is as consistient and utterly dependable as the RIR. I love the white rocks, cuckoo marans, ameracaunas, and buckeyes, but I have not found the sexlinks to be better than the RIR's. That is just what I have experienced when it comes to egg laying...They say the leghorn is the best of all but I don't like them as they are to flighty...Hay
RIR are very good layers and Smart! I like them a lot! But I found out that possums like the Hens really well too.... they got all 4 of my girls and left me with the Roo this past Fall.
Got one of the Boogers today though! Me-1 Possums -0 , Yaaaay Me!!
Yes indeed, YAY YOU!!! You Rock Woman...Hay
Good for You Eufaula!!!
Thanks again for the welcome and the wonderful input!
I didn't realize that possums were chicken danger too.... guess I am going to have to totally enclose my coop... dogs, possum, coons, coyote, cougar.... not much of a chance for my featherd friends if they aren't fully protected!
I have tentatively decided that my first group of chickens will have 2 blue Andulusians, 2 Aracuanas, one Rhode Island Red and one Wyndotte. I am really excited for this first attempt... have been waiting several years to have the time and energy to get ready for them (pen, coop, etc). We have the fence for the pen now, just have to get a coop built before spring!
You will be thankful if you build a nice tight coop, use 1/2" hardware cloth instead of chicken wire etc. Predators can cause heartbreaking damage.
Rarejem, if you just google "The City Chicken" You'll find a website with lots and lots of coop ideas. The gal that owns the website is not that far from you and I think you will enjoy the ideas you will get...Haystack