Thread: Chickens

Looking at getting a few chickens for our back yard. Any one have any advice on a good dual purpose (meat/eggs) that are quiet and mellow? Kinda looking at Rhode Island Reds.

Thanks,
Brad

Brad , seeing as you need a cold hardy breed for where you live . I would suggest Buff Orpingtons . They like the cold ,good egg layers and meat producers . They are also mild mannered and like to be around people . Rhode Island Reds are a good choice , but tend to be aggressive ,not good around children . Another favorite of mine are the are the Amerancans or the Easter Eggs Chicken . A smaller breed that lays blue or green eggs . They are also hardy and good layers .A Gentle disposition makes them idea for the backyarder interested in raising a few chickens . Try to buy sexed birds (pullets )so that you will not end up with a hen house full of roosters . Hope this helps .

It's hard to beat a barred Plymouth rock for an all-around backyard chicken that is both a prolific layer of large light brown eggs and pack on enough weight to slaughter-they tolerate cold and heat equally well. They do well with foraging, have a good disposition and go broody if you want to hatch your own eggs naturally at a later point. Tilting the scale slightly for a meatier bird that lays slightly smaller eggs than the barred rocks are my favorite breed-the speckled Sussex. Great personalities, lay med-large to large cream colored eggs, do very well in winters, are great self-foragers of weeds, bugs, etc and the cockerels stay tender longer than any of the color varieties of the Plymouth Rock breed. I never liked Rhode Island reds because the roosters do tend to be slightly more aggressive than other breeds in my experience and there are better dual purpose breeds out there right now. The last shipment of barred rock, partridge rocks and speckled Sussex I bought were from Ideal Hatchery and the quality was excellent. Shipped to my local Post office and arrived very healthy.

Not sure that you have a Tractor Supply store ,but if so they have a spring in store poultry sale each year . Most feed and seed stores also carry chicks in the early spring .

We got two Barred Plymouth Rocks and 1 Cuckoo Moran this spring. Nice calm birds.

When I was a kid growing in the northeast, I kept a variety of Barred White Rock x Plymouth (black sex link). Hens were calm, didn't mind being handled. Rooster was very aggressive. Very cold hardy, produced eggs all winter with a light on them.

If you buy unsexed, get twice as many as hens you want. Then butcher the roosters when they are around 8-10 weeks old.

Originally Posted by usa

Brad , seeing as you need a cold hardy breed for where you live . I would suggest Buff Orpingtons . They like the cold ,good egg layers and meat producers . They are also mild mannered and like to be around people . Rhode Island Reds are a good choice , but tend to be aggressive ,not good around children . Another favorite of mine are the are the Amerancans or the Easter Eggs Chicken . A smaller breed that lays blue or green eggs . They are also hardy and good layers .A Gentle disposition makes them idea for the backyarder interested in raising a few chickens . Try to buy sexed birds (pullets )so that you will not end up with a hen house full of roosters . Hope this helps .

Thanks for the info USA.

We did initially think about getting Easter Eggers but then somehow became interested in the Rhode Islands. (maybe just because there from the good old USA, lol) After reading your post I did some research on the Buffs and they sound like an excellent breed as well. Might have to give this a little more thought. Having four smaller kids the chickens temperament is a major factor.

Thanks for the info Dutch and Carl,

Barred Rocks were another one type we were looking at. We can only have five chickens according to city ordinance and NO roosters. The chief of police is a friend of mine and told me he'll be checking up on the flock to make sure I'm obeying the law...lol! He also raised chickens and did everything he could to convince us not to!

Since we can only keep a few is it better if they are all the same breed? Or can you mix and match as long as the temperaments and are pretty much the same?

We are in town as well and can only have 5, no roosters.
You can mix and match them as chicks when you buy them as long as they are same relative temperament.
You run into trouble when you tried to mix different age groups or introduce new birds into an old flock. Re-establishing the pecking order can be brutal on the new birds, even deadly.

I have had no problem with keeping different breeds of chickens together .
Good luck with whatever you decide . I'm sure you and your family will enjoy them .