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Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 9:43 am Post subject: Chicken Recommendations
Can people please recommend some breeds of chicken for a first time 'looker-after'. Probably going to be a flock of 3, with an egg requirement of half-a-dozen per week (more's fine, less is OK). I'm thinking they should be easly to look after and look pretty.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 9:45 am Post subject:
If you can lose your shallowness about 'pretty', just get some rescue hens. Cheap as chips, and you'll be doing them the biggest favour ever.

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 9:46 am Post subject:

Nick wrote:

If you can lose your shallowness about 'pretty', just get some rescue hens. Cheap as chips, and you'll be doing them the biggest favour ever.

'Twas a thought, but a true first-time looker-after, with no current kit, and a natural worrier....

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 9:48 am Post subject:
Then, to be blunt, you're better off going for something that's pretty tough, forgiving and if it falls over dead, you've not wasted any money. The ones I had were 'ard.

Bebo

Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 12590
Location: East Sussex

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 9:51 am Post subject:

We have a couple of rescue hens in our flock of nine. They are no different in their care needs than the others. Just takes them a couple of days when you get them for them to pluck up the courage to wander about at will. They are a bit tatty looking, but watching the change in their behaviour over the first few days is amazing. Ours now seem to be more adventurous than the non-battery ones we have and they certainly don't taken any nonsense from the cockerel, seeing him off when they are fed up with him pestering them.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 9:53 am Post subject:
Practically any chooks you can buy will give you the sort of egg output you mention, so my advice would be to get whatever takes your fancy. Everyone has their own preferences, but they will all lay eggs and wreck your garden. So see what is available locally and go with whatever you think the most fetching.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 9:57 am Post subject:

I'm a heavy breeds fan myself, I think they tend to be more placid than the lighter breeds, and they have fantastic petticoats that swish around when they walk

. We've got barnvelders and sussexes. The barnvelders and the light sussex lay four or five eggs a week, the speckled sussex lays two or three. We've also got cream legbars, which are a lighter breed - they lay fabulous greeny-blue eggs, again four or five a week.

I'll be doing a hatch of all of the above in two or three months if you decide you'd like some of them and can wait for your egg production to kick in.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 9:59 am Post subject:
Also worth checking they are bred for laying rather than show. I'm not sure how scientific this comment is but our hens are from show stock and don't lay as well as they should, I've also read other people say the same. If you go the ex-bat route, from the comments I read from other people, they seem more likely to become ill and die.

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 9:59 am Post subject:
Oh, Chez - I think you might win post of the year award for that one - pretty chickens, interesting eggs, and an offer of supply. What flavour cake would you require?

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 10:05 am Post subject:

Northern_Lad wrote:

Oh, Chez - I think you might win post of the year award for that one - pretty chickens, interesting eggs, and an offer of supply. What flavour cake would you require?

I would be happy to leave that to your discretion, since all your works that I have seen/sampled so far have been exemplary

.

Treac is right - one of our legbars is from show stock and she doesn't lay nearly so well as the others.

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 11:44 am Post subject:
I like Rhode Island Reds, friendly, seem to be hardy, and good layers. Even in the depths of winter I'm getting an egg every other day per bird.

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 12:11 pm Post subject:
I wouldn't go for ex-battery hens if you are completely new to chicken keeping, but I know some do. I would recommend Black Rocks - good size, cuddly birds, friendly, easily tamed, good layers of brown eggs, great characters, easy to find. I've got Cream Legbars, and they lay every day - very pretty and friendly chickens too; Light Sussex are nice too. Would avoid bantams to begin with.

VSS

Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2845
Location: Llyn Peninsula, North Wales

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 12:22 pm Post subject:
I agree, Black Rocks are the ideal smallholder hen, tough, long lived, good layers and can stand a certain amount of "abuse".

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 12:30 pm Post subject:
Your Ex batts will be cheap and if they can survive the life they have had you will have to go some for things to be worse. Ours are the business.

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 12:33 pm Post subject:
I started with a couple of speckeldys who have been just charming and have laid almost every day (with the occasional double yolker for good measure). I would love a couple of cream legbars but don't know anyone near enough

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