Lorri-d Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Hi everyone, Well after nagging for 3 years my poor husband has finally given in and said we can get some hens.... woo hoo! Now I just need to find an eglu and some chickens. Can anyone give me some advice as to what chickens I could get for different coloured eggs please? I think we will probably get 3 hens and I would ideally like blue, white or cream and brown eggs. What chickens would be best for this combined with a nice chilled out temperament too if poss. Sorry if I have posted in the wrong place too, I wasn't sure wether to post under chickens or eggs! P.S can someone tell me how to turn my smilies on please, cant seem to work out how.. doh! Thanks x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saronne Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Hi, welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your forthcoming chicken purchase. You'll love the experience! I would recommend the following: Marans for dark brown eggs Lavendar Araucana or Creme Crested Legbar for blue eggs (Make sure your Legbar is purebred!) Leghorn (purebred) or hybrid based on Leghorn ancestry for white eggs Of course, there's cream coloured eggs, and light brown eggs and olive coloured eggs, too! You'll soon be wanting a cube... Saronne x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Welcome to the forum and congratulations on getting the go ahead . You won't regret it . I had these eggs from these girls. All lovely girls (sadly the 2 on the right are no longer with us ). green - Columbine (Cream Legbar hybrid) - left brown - Rhode Island Red - middle cream - Pied Suffolk (Silver Sussex hybrid) - right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorri-d Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 Hi guys, Thanks for your replies. Love the green eggs too, so pretty ..... hmmm, I see what you mean about wanting Now I know what breeds I shall be on a mission to find a breeder. How exciting! Thanks again x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorri-d Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 Hi again, Right, ive done a little (well to be honest so much my brain hurts ) research and found somewhere that sells 3 types of autosexing hatching eggs so we are now debating hatching our own Could anyone give me some advice as to the freindliness of the following birds? Cream Legbar - for blue eggs Rhodebar - for brown eggs and either White or Gold legbar for white eggs We are able to collect the eggs ourselves and all unwanted chicks will be taken by the people we would hire the incubator from. Still debating this and cant decide if we should go ahead and hatch or just chose 3 hens and am in two minds to be honest. the children would love hatching (as would we) but are we taking on too much as newbies? And would having them from chicks make tham more freindly than say a different breed that we could buy if we weren;t tied to autosexng breeds? Any advice /guidance would be fab!! Thanks x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Hi - I am soooooo eggggcited. Today I got my first ever BLUE egg. Its really nice, and I am sure it is a bluer colour than on the photo (which I am hoping to attach) It is shown with some of my Higgledy Harriet Hen eggs, and I think they make a lovely contrast. Wish you could see them in reality. I am sure they look soooo much better. I can never work out how to post photos, so this is a link to my Picassa album First Blue Egg with Higgledy Harriet Hens eggs Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I wanted three hens with three different coloured eggs too. And this is what I got. From these lovely girls:- Snowy the White Star/Amber - lays off white/cream eggs. Belle the Bluebell - lays brown eggs. Willow the Columbine - lays green eggs. They are hybrids and good layers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckmum6 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Just a word of warning, get your Leghorns wings clipped. Leghorns can be very flighty, mine where always escaping and that was over a 6 ft fence. Wyandottes lay a pale creamy pink egg and are calmer and VERY pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I wanted three hens with three different coloured eggs too. And this is what I got. Hi there - Its Sue (~Darkbrowneggs) I think your choice of hens was a good one. Their eggs look very pretty together, and the blue one lays a lovely egg. My blue egg is much nicer than it looks on my photo and is from a Cream Legbar, which seem to be very pretty hens - if a bit more "flighty" than my chunky girls. I am going to PM you to see how you can manage to post photos - It seems beyond me at present. All the best Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorri-d Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 Hi Chestnutmare, Your eggs and hens are very pretty, the eggs are just what I would like. Can I ask what your hens temperaments are like please? Thanks x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorri-d Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 Sue, Congratulations!! Very pretty egg Lorri x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 PMed you back, Sue. Hi Chestnutmare, Your eggs and hens are very pretty, the eggs are just what I would like. Can I ask what your hens temperaments are like please? Thanks x Of course. Although I think it's worth saying no two breeds will be the same. Like two jack russells could have complete different personalities. However, mine are... Snowy: Was bossy towards the others/over food for the first 2-3 weeks of having, but she is fine now with the others. She's very easy to pick up, bold and friendly. All of the chickens' wings are clipped but I have noticed she can 'jump' high in the run when I push bits of food through the top of the run - she jumps for it. An excellent layer (7 eggs last week!). Belle is very lady like. Quiet, happy and beautiful. Willow is lovely too - can be nervous but we hand feed regularly and she is getting less nervous. She doesn't like to be picked up. She lays well too. I'd buy the breeds again. They've all got their own personalities, so funny to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Hi and congratulations on finally getting some chickens. The breeds you have mentioned are all lovely and yes leghorns and cream legbars can be flighty so i would clip their wings too. They are friendlier if you hatch them yourself but that is a whole lot of extra work for. you will need a brooder and a heat lamp and be able to check the temperature regularly. They will also need to stay indoors until they are older enough to cope with colder weather. and believe me, they are very messy Which ever way you decide to go though, you will find all the help and advice you need on here Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorri-d Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 hmmm...perhaps legorns and legbars aren't the best choice then. We have two dogs too and not sure if I could scale the fance after them everyday Maybe aruacanas instead for the blue eggs? They are autosexing aren't they so we could hatch them. But then we would have to find two other breeds of good/calm temperament that are autosexing.. any ideas? Decisions decisions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sari Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I have a leghorn and a legbar, and can attest to their amazing flying skill, espesh the legbar....being lighter in weight, she get get good loft!!! I clip them regularly, which they don't mind.....it's the sussex who objects and alway poops and pecks..but she is top chook. I too get a brown, white, green egg combination... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
