Sooo much pooping

[RutlandRooster]

after moving house twice in a year, finally got round to having room for some chickens. Got a house and fencing arriving soon, so just leaves the job of finding some chickens - a bewildering choice of breeds - any suggestions for a first time chicken owner?

[AmberSky]

Take a look on the breeds section, it's all a personal thing really.

i have a mixture of all sorts and they all have their own personalities and different egg laying caperbilities.

 

i love my cream legbars blue and olive coloured eggs, my leghorn looks beautiful and lays pearl white eggs but for the best personality you cant beat a goldline (similar to a battery hen) and they are also reliable layers.

 

[quickcluck]

Brilliant that things are coming together for you at last!!!

 

have you had chooks before?

 

If you want eggs all year round and easy chooks to look after i'd go for hybrids, there are loads of colours to choose from, have great personalities and are very hardy!

[bennett]

I have a mixture, I had bantams first, pekins, and they are friendly and easy to handle. Although My welsummer is a friendly Girl too. I would not reccomend, a Dutch Bantam Or Japanese Bantam though as a newbie. They are very flighty and skity and because they are small can be a nightmare to catch for you regular checks.(well mine are anyway It depends wether you want lots of eggs or not. Hybrids tend to be prolific layers, having send that my Pure breeds have been great layers. Good luck choosing - it is very addictive!

[Redwing]

There are different types of chooks, below are the main groups for pet chickens. if you can decide what you want from a chook you can start to narrow the choices down.

 

Pure breed - Large fowl heavy breeds - these are gentle and calm usually, they can be prone to broodiness but will lay large eggs for most of the year reducing the egg laying over winter or even stopping completely

 

Pure breed - large fowl light breeds - these are a bit more skittish but can be tamed, most of the white and blue egg layers fall in to this group, they will probably lay slightly more eggs over winter than the heavy breeds but again may stop completely

 

Pure breed - Mini versions of some of the above often called bantams. Sussex, wyandottes and Rhode Island Reds all come in 'bantam' versions, these are easy to handle, lay a reasonable size egg and easily tamed

 

Pure breed - True Bantams - these have no large fowl counterpart, the most popular of these is probably the Pekin, they are huge characters but some are prone to broodiness, again the reduction of laying over winter applies

 

Hybrids - these are bred for their egg laying ability, they may well lay all year round and 5+ eggs a week at least to start with, they do burn out after 2-3 years though and dont live much beyond that, they are great characters though and easily tamed

 

Pure breeds will live for quite a few years - 7+ years old is not unusual and they will lay for more years than a hybrid

 

My faves are the bantams

[Millie-Annie]

I have ex-batts so I guess they are Warrens. They are nice but I also have Marigold chicken who is a Suffolk Noir and has the most fantastic character.

 

She thinks she is human.

[migsy]

That is great information Redwing! I have learned something there. One thing I didn't know was that hybrids don't live as long as pure breeds. I have to say that my hybrids are great pets as well as good layers.

[Guest]

I would recommend highly light sussex bantams.

 

Great layers and very tame.

 

Also pekin's are a good mix.

 

 

Never go for Marsh Daisy's they are a practically wild bird. Hate being handled and if you do tame them then leave them for 2 days they go back to their normal state.

[midori]

We have:

 

Bluebelle

Light Sussex hybrid

Cuckoo Maran Hybrid

2 Buff Sussex

1 Welsummer

1 black cochin

 

Only one of the hybrids, the Maran, is laying so far and started yesterday, so I am not sure how many eggs they will lay. The Buff Sussex lay most days, one has a day off a bit more than the other and the Welsummer and Cochin are yet to lay as they are new and we've only had them a few days.

 

The ones than stand out of the flock to me are the Light Sussex Hybrid, who is a total character and quite cheeky, yet also quite sweet. The Maran hybrid, who can be a bit grumpy and had a few half hearted pecks at me when I they first came and I tried to stroke her at roosting time, and the Cochin, who is very calm and quiet and sort of strolls around the garden. She is a huge, imposing and beautiful bird. I do love them all though and they are all wonderful.

 

I'd really love another cochin or two, but realistically we haven't room for them at the moment. (oh how I wish we'd got a bigger hen house... )

[gazzagerkin]

recomended by hens for homes for new to hens as our pic below

 

we went on the beginers course with kirsty great stuff learnt a lot

http://happy_hens.webs.com/beginnerssessions.htm

[RutlandRooster]

thanks for all the advice - there are a couple of breders within a few miles, so will see what they have to offer.

 

good news is the fencing panels for the run arrived this evening - needs putting together, but how hard can that be . . .?!!!

[karlotta]

I've found my hybrids to be the most bolshy of my girls - it's always one of them that wants to peck the others/pull feathers and that If you want to have some of the calmer pure breeds (orps/cochins/favs) then I wouldn't have them. I love my hybrid girls and they have the biggest characters and are always first on your lap, but won't replace them with more hybrids when they eventually sadly pass.

 

If you want lots of eggs, go for hybrids and maybe some of the tougher pure breeds, if you want pretty (and still plenty of eggs) go for pure breeds. If you want lots and lots of fun go for bantams!! (pekins and polands being my personal favourites!)

[RutlandRooster]

Here's our new girls that we got just yesterday

 

We got them from Westaway Poultry in Wing - they were very helpful and suggested hybrid Warrens as they are good layers and grandchildren friendly.

 

We were told they were about two weeks off laying so would have time to settle into their new home. Fed, watered and plenty of comfy straw in the nesting box and Tilly has laid her first egg this afternoon!

[Redwing]

Westaway Poultry has an excellent reputation so good choice

 

they are lovely, congratulations

[coco]

I have a mix of breeds. My best layer though is my Light Sussex cross. I have two ex bats who can be very fiest and are definately top of the pecking order and two Silkie crosses who are very flighty, don't lay much are go broody in an instant. They look pretty though. I have just got light sussex and a Welsummer pullets who are both still fiarly young so it will be a while before they lay.