Your Opinion on Your Breeds

So I will start;
This is not mean to be argumentive, Please don't anyone take it that way. We all have our loves. This is purely from a personal observation. Simply put:

The perception of the customer is reality.
So I will start with mine, let us hear from you.

Buff Orphington
• Carmel colored smooth roundish brown eggs, X-large, high whites large yolks
• Nice, friendly bird, lap sitter, announcer of egg laying, not much for trying to be top hen.
• Frostbitten this year, even with lights and heat on coldest days, panted a lot on hot days.
RIR
• Med size brown eggs, nothing special, oval, normal yolk & whites.
• Very curious bird, in your face, wants to be the first to see everything, last to be petted. Stands at the coop door counting who comes and goes.
• Very cold hardy, no frost bite this year, handled summer great last year.
Ameraucana
• Nice large green & green/blue eggs, Oddly enough, around here, most of the people buying my eggs do not want the green ones.. says it “grosses” them out.. The older farmers wives, they don’t care.. they say, give em here. But I don’t think I will breed for eggs on them, just for birds. There is a market there.
• Inquisitive birds from birth, always watching from afar.. tilting their heads like little puppies when you speak to them.. Must be their little muffs that give them such character. When I sit on the ground, they are the first to climb on my leg to see what I have.
• Handled the harsh cold winter and hot 100 degree summer without a blink.
Barred Plymouth Rock
• Very FERTILE Roo! Tame & Spoiled, will hop on your shoulder. No flogging, Maybe because when he was little, he was so small we all just loved him and handled him a lot. He is a fair rooster. Takes good care of his girls. Every egg we have incubated has hatched.
• Frostbitten this year, even with lights and heat on coldest days, handled summer great last year.
Partridge Rock
• Med size brown eggs, nothing special, oval, normal yolk & whites.
• Must be roos favorite, they are now sporting saddles. Kind of a stand-offish sort of bird. They don’t like being handled much.
• Frostbitten this year, even with lights and heat on coldest days, handled summer great last year.
Silver Laced Wyandotte & Gold Laced Wyandotte
• Med size brown eggs, nothing special, oval, normal yolk & whites.
• Friendly enough bird.
• Frostbitten this year, even with lights and heat on coldest days, handled summer great last year.
Marans
• Beautiful dark brown “chocolate” eggs. Sell like mad! I cannot keep them in the house. I spent the winter raising babies in the house so I could have enough layers this year.
• They are not the friendliest bird in the world, kind of stand-offish, but not mean at all.
• Handled the harsh cold winter and hot 100 degree summer without a blink.
Chanceler
• I am going to make this probably my favorite all around bird. NOT because I like it best.. But because it is the all around best for my needs.
• It is a friendly bird, I can only imagine had I spent more time with her, she would be a love, she is not loud at all.. does not argue for top spot, yet seems to just go get what she needs without all the fuss. She lays the most beautiful eggs just like the BO’s do. They can stroll the grounds at 30 below, (not really but sure act like it) and had not trouble last summer when it hit 100. She too will climb on my leg for treats.. she mumbles soft thank-yous and leaves. I understand they are a nice dual-purpose bird, but I have not had that opportunity to prepare one. I am not sure just yet. I may buy a straight run this spring as a test.

What great information. I am kind of a newbie, so my information is very informal and just sort of based on my personal experiences. I would not have turkins or naked necks again only because I mix breeds together in my coops. I think this breed may be pre-disposed to picking by others and that was my experience. If I tried them again I would have more of them altogether.

GOLDEN COMETS or also known as RED STAR
great bird, GREAT producer of large brown eggs..
quiet bird..friendly, loves to be petted
no problems with winter..no frostbite or cold problems
loves summer, and laying in the sun.
loves treats, and will do anything for them..
best layer ive ever had, and lots of double yolk huge eggs.
just my opinion tho..lol

double post :-)


This message was edited Feb 6, 2009 2:25 PM

Buff Orps:
So far mine are very friendly, nice size eggs, occasional double yoker, have done well this winter w/ no frostbite. Yes, they are vocal egg layers-actually mine like to announce that it has been laid! They are great foragers-nice on the feed pocketbook, can't wait for the snow to be gone.
Black Australorps:
Mine aren't quite egg laying age yet. They have done well also this winter, no frostbite. I have two Roos and they are both very laid back. The largest one actually doesn't mind being picked up and he follows me around.
Ameraucanas :
Also not egg laying age. They tend to hang back from everyone else. The flock will be out scratching around and they'll hang around in the coop even on 39 degree days. They will sit on the ramp sunning themselves though! The Roo is very pretty. :-)
Here's a Pic of my ameraucana roo(left) and my Black Australorp Roo(rt):

Barnevelder.. Amazing Roo, confident, big, bold, but not bossy... aware of all 24/7 Tolerates others very well for a roo... Hen, nice, quiet, can handle moves, additions to the flock, new accommodations all without quitting laying.. Not the top or bottom hen.. absolutely care free. Beautiful Large Brown egg. Can't comment on cold hardy for winters.. summers are brutal here though.
Marans.. Roo was very aggressive with other birds, loud but stately. Tasted like Turkey.. beautiful dark meat. Exceptional table bird. Would consider raising them just for the meat!

More to report later..

Aren't the BOs funny sue... you can hear them a mile away

THE EGG HAS BEEN LAID.. I REPEAT, THE EGG HAS BEEN LAID

lol and they go on so.. like no other chicken has ever laid an egg before them.. and the next day, it's like they forgot they just did it yesterday..lol

Forgot a pic..

edited to add.. This is Beaureguard our Barnevelder Roo

This message was edited Feb 6, 2009 11:30 AM

LOL! Isn't that the truth frans! One of my girls will actually go into the doorway of the coop to make her announcement.

Beautiful roo ZZs.

Ok, gotta go, my lamb is blatting!

Old English Game Bantams.........Very Active! Roos can sometimes be floggers , frequent crower's and aggressive towards other roos even twice their size. The Hens are very sprite and sweet they lay every other day a small size egg and are very broody and make great mothers. The sweet chicks are very active and grow quickly. They come in and array of beautiful colors and are very easy keepers and breeders. Much sought after show bird and breeders are always comeing out with new crosses. Great all around pet and breeder been raising them for 7 going on 8 years tried other breeds but i like these best.

Fauna, that would make perfect sense about the others picking on the naked necks. I have never had any, but it would seem to me if they will pick at the girls who are barebacked why not naked-necked? They probably glisten in the sunlight.. that or those ole pores are intoxicating to chickens.

Great information everyone. As I have no pure breed chickens (except my showgirls and they are silkieXTurken) I can only say, Barnyard specails, never know what you got. Egg colors TBA, feather color TBA, Temperment TBA. But I do love um. Like the surprise in the cracker jacks ya know???

Frans, it sort of started because the rooster was grabbing her there to mount her, and then once there was an open wound it just escalated as the others contributed.

golden comets and black sexlinks are great layers,quiet birds.lay everyday and all winter with light,very friendly,don`t stop laying even when stessed out by a hawk and being cared around in the mouth of a big dog(happened to mine)stand confinement very well even in a small space.Comet rooster is very gentle but big.I would hightly recomend both these breeds.

Isn't that the great part though Sew? Kind of like that great ol mutt your grandpa had.. just the best faithful old thing.

You know I forgot the confinment part..
my wyandottes seem to be having a BAD case of winter blues.. I am so glad it will be in the 50s this week, rain or not maybe the worms will pekk their rubbery heads out for the girls.

I love the hands on information y'all have offered. I am charmed by the different breeds listed.

I have a question on the Golden Comet ~ is anyone in more temperate (read bloody hot) climates keeping them? Wondering if they could stand this heat.

i think the golden comets could tolerate the heat, just like any critter, as long as they have lots of water and a place in the shade. no critter can stand being out in that heat for long..and they stand confinement very well..after our frigid winter, they were in for weeks at a time, and just kept on laying..

silkies-
gorgous little fluff balls who can't see cuz of their hair doo's,lol. they have feathers that feel like rabbit fur. roos r respectful of their ladies, guard their girls and young when needed, sometimes help the girls by sitting in the nests while they r gone, funny to watch crow. i have never in my flock had a mean one to us and only breed i can keep 6-8 roos in the pen with no fights. girls r sweet and loveing, squat to be petted and race to great ya. the sing like a song bird, r the bombs of mothers, will hatch anything even air or a rock if u let them, deturmined setters, always want to be moms it's what they live for, great personalities and great for show and family pets if u have kid's. mine lay medium white to tinted eggs.

showgirls- silkie x turken
ya love em or ya hate em,lol. they look like little old ladies in mink fur hat and coats, haha. they r just like silkies for the most part but sometimes males r kinda aggresive, they r more shy and skidish, they have black naked necks not red like turkens do, they r a hoot to watch play, r very curious. they show the most personality in my flock of all my breeds and r my favorites. they r great for show but need worked with they get spooked and pace the floors it is more so the boys than the girls. they r the most unique looking bird of the naked necks, kinda like the poodles of the peep world. i personally love em and think they r gorgous but alot of people think they r ugly and don't like them. they r a new breed that does breed true if enough generations r in them. they lay medium to large white to tinted eggs. when bred to silkies u can hatch 2 breeds pure silkies or pure showgirls from their eggs. they come in bowtied and total naked neck.

my other breeds.....

wellsummers-
they might be brown egg layers can't remember but i consider mine one of the chocolate eggers since their eggs r so dark. in the pic left 2 eggs r white, the choc colored eggs r from my wells, front egg is a brown egg, there is an ee blue egg also for compairison. they lay what i call a large choc egg that is very beautiful sometimes with speckles on them. they r very friendly breed but r shy they like to keep to themselves alot. they r great layers even with temps to -2 i'm still getting eggs when noone else is laying. they r a very beautiful breed, easy to work with. me and the kid's love to find their eggs it's like finding a golden egg in the nest boxes,lol.

Silkiechick ~ do you keep the two types separated?

seramas-
wolds smallest and friendliest chicken breed. they love to pose and show off for the cam and their people. they r very smart, make great house pets, their crow is 1/3rd as loud as a normal roosters. they love to watch people and r curious, it is a hoot to watch them crow. they have a lovely crow unlike any other i can pick out them crowing out of about 200 birds. they r awesome for showing, have great personalities, they come in a color range of 2500+, they r great moms and broodies, males have extra long tail feathers that r just amazeing looking, they have alot of personality, they can lay eggs up to 25% of their body weight. they come in class sizes a, b, and c. they lay a tiny to small bantam size eggs that r white to cream in color.

which 2 breeds? silkies and showgirls?

Yes ~ those two as their personalities are similar but different?

bantam frizzled cochins-
my frizzies r one of my more fancier looking ones. they look like they went through a wind storm,lol. they r great for show, great mom's, good broodies. they r very mellow breed also but my roos tend to not like one another to much. always a dominant thing with them even as chicks at 3 weeks old they were chest butting. never had another breed do that so young. i can only usually keep 2 roos to this pen at a times and they have to be hatched and raised together or they fight. these carry the frizzled gene wich is a fun gene to work with. when useing birds to get frizzle gene for introduceing frizzle into other breeds cochins r the best to work with. they r easier to breed out the single combs and certain features than most other frizzle breeds and useing them u can add the frizzle gene easier. these r a very good breed if u have kid's, they r very mellow also with great tempermant. long as ur roos get along ur good to go with these. i've never had one agressive to a person but the love to make ya chase em,lol.

i have pens with all purebred silkies but most of mine r both breeds together. in breeding for showgirls u get better quality and features from crossing them to each other. showgirl cross showgirl throws more throwback genes u don't want and kinda revert. like they will throw bigger combs larger birds, red necks stead of black, u kinda get more the turken comeing out. i always breed them to silkies. i put silkie roos with showgirl hens and showgirl roos with silkie hens.

i also have a mixed pen with pures in it except one i have a mutt that is spitz/silver polish in there, a bantam barred rock, frizzled cochin and can't remember what else is in there. all of them r friendly fun birds to work with also. they r my gentlest birds of all of them and r used as a pen pen for now till we get more breeders to give them a flock of their own.

I SOOO need a frizzle!

That Frizzle looks like the match to Claires Bunny slipper named Butterscotch!!! CUTE!

I know this thread is about chickens, but.......
my ducks lay EVERY day. Even now in the middle of winter!
Sorry, needed to speak up for my beloved duckers. Oh, and not only do they lay everyday, but the eggs are enormous and double yoked every now and again.
OK, just thought I'd throw this in : )

My ducks aren't laying yet. I'm not sure if they take 5-6 months like chickens?

I agree the Barred Rock roos are very persistent and fertile!

Creme brabanter roo - very loud, very inquisitive, but hangs back when the Appenzeller roo is around.

Appenzeller roo - similar to barred rock, very aggressive with the hens, constantly "prowling" for tail! Very loud. Skittish.

Light brahmas - very gentle, very big, lovely personalities. Very nice large brown eggs.

I agree about the frizzles. I have 2 girls, one black, one white. both with the frizzle gene. The roos are smooth and very dominent. They remind me of little nepolians. The blk male is Jean Claude and the red male is Fred Astaire (you should see him dance for the girls, it's a riot)
I have to say that the frizzles are my very favorite of all the varieties I have for pets. Very friendly and come running across the yard to say hi when I come outside.
the white one is Fuzz and Judy is the black one

Judy

silkie, I love the splash picture. What color frizzles do you have and do you sell hatching eggs?

thank you, my only frizzles r blue/black/splash bantam frizzled cochins. however this year i'm going to try to breed the frizzle into same colors but my silkie/showgirl pen to make sizzles and frizzled showgirls

this is her son but he is a few mths older now then what he was in the pic.

oops forgot,lol. yes i sell/trade hatching eggs. they just started laying again but we will be hatching from them for a bit to build up some of our stock so that we can use them for a showgirl project when old enough. i'm working on buying an exhibition pair of smooths to add to them soon. the boy is blue and the girl is splash.

This message was edited Feb 14, 2009 2:37 AM

Silkie, where did you get your Showgirls? Are they available for purchse anywhere (drooling). Many years ago I was on a chicken list called Bird_farm, and they were the first place I ever heard of showgirls. Don't know if that was where they originated, but I sent Turken eggs to George so he could develop a cross with his Silkies, and he called the progeny Showgirls. I remember when frizzles entered the program, as well. What fun to find they now are known by others!

Fauna, I had Turkens in a mixed flock, with no problems. I will mention that the dominant rooster was a Turken, so maybe that was a factor. I loved my Turkens, and they will be the predominant breed in my new flock.

Large brown eggs, Really sweet chickens (roosters, too).

They are supposed to be hardy in heat (which they were) and cold (I don't know) and good dual purpose breeds, easy to process (shudder) because they have significantly fewer feathers.

Oddly, I had them in the same area you did (Loxahatchee), which is why I can't vouch for cold hardiness.

Memories....:)

Margo

my showgirls r my bloodlines, bred/culled to my specifics. they did not origionate from george or any of those 2 groups or the people in them,lol. although i have been asked that before by others i do not have george's bloodlines bred into my stock anywhere. showgirls and frizzles to my knowledge can not be traced back to one specific breeder or group of breeders but i have seen many people try to take the credit for creating them for the same work.

my showgirls have several excellent well known breeders involved in their makeing on both the silkies and the showgirl sides(yes i know what bloodlines r in them but that's neither here nor there), but what makes what my birds r today is do to my hardwork and dedication, years of breeding, heart, time, sweat and tears,lol and alot more. they r a product of my creation not anyone elses. yes, i do sell hatching eggs and sometimes birds when i have them available. anyone who sells their their stock and claims it to be someone else's line is not a reputable breeder.

LOL InnBetween, I have a red frizzled cochin named Napoleon : ) He likes to fight, that's why he's missing some neck feathers in this picture. They've since grown back.

patchouli he's really cute. I know about the liking to fight. Jean Claude rules the roost. He is the boss of the whole barn yard. He's over in the back on the left. I mean he is boss over all the other 9 roosters. The Brahamas, the Cochins, the Marans and the Sumatra. He is hyterical. They all run from him and scream like girls.

Silkie, I forgot to ask, if you have an Sizzle eggs for hatching for sale, I would love to buy some from you.

I love my Plymouth rocks. I have blues/blacks/splash and barreds. The barred are just the producin-est girls there is.....large brown eggs nearly every day. Love to forage, can stand the heat down here just fine. The blues/blacks and splash dont lay nearly as well, and a bit smaller egg, which is why Im crossing the barreds back to the blue, to get egg production up. I love my blues, but I love production too. I dont want any froo froo girls just sitting around doing their nails, I want eggs! Lots of em! and big ones.