Chicken boarders

[birdy woman]

hi thinking about getting 3 chickens for pets and also would like a regular supply of eggs ,nows confused as getting different opinions!!!

[gazzagerkin]

hi thinking about getting 3 chickens for pets and also would like a regular supply of eggs ,nows confused as getting different opinions!!!

 

 

we got a sussex ranger rhode ranger and amber ranger as recomended by kirsty at hens for homes

best breeds for 1st time chicken keepers

 

http://www.hensforhomes.co.uk/ in essex

 

omlet do new keeper beginer courses all over the coutry ,great for new or prospective owners

Edited April 5, 2011 by Guest

[dixie chick]

If you can manage without eggs over the winter - about Nov-Feb - then I would go for pure breeds every time .... they live longer and I have had not a single problem with my gorgeous girlies in my first year.... you can choose them for their fabulous colours and even their coloured eggs.... I couldn't bear to think that mine would be coming to the end of their lives if they were hybrids....

[fluffy chick]

Hybrids are meant to lay more (mine aren't at the minute though!) but then I guess it depends how many eggs you 'll need. My bantys lay an egg most days at the minute. We get far more eggs than we need, but it is nice to give some away.

[chicken bark]

You could get pure breeds such as Light Sussex or RIR as that is what some hybrids are based on.

 

I started with 3 hybrids as I thought they would be easier but I now have a mix or pure breeds and hybrids. There is no difference in looking after them - all that may happen is that the pure breeds may lay less over Winter while the hybrids would carry on and may not live as long.

 

There are too many beautiful breeds to choose from.

[fluffy chick]

If you can manage without eggs over the winter - about Nov-Feb - then I would go for pure breeds every time ....

 

 

Me too !

[tracyann]

Well, I am fairly new to having hens, I went for hybrids because of the regular egg supply. Plus the fact I'm doing slimming world and eggs are free food... I also went for hybrids because of their reputation for laying the most eggs during their lifetime and the fact that they are innoculated against salmonella etc.

 

I am more than happy with mine and already am getting an abundance of eggs.

 

My advice would be to purchase them at POL (point of lay) so that you only have a few weeks to feed them without any eggs!!

 

I've found my hens to be friendly and like being handled and love dried mealworms and their corn!

[Benaberry]

I've got mostly pure breeds (orpingtons, a cream legbar and a couple of young silkies) with one blue 'Bluebelle'-type hybrid in the mix

 

Bluebell started laying the earliest, however, as soon as we got the brighter weather and slightly longer days in mid-Feb/early March, the Orpies kicked in, followed by Delilah the Legbar.

 

I'm getting three eggs pretty much every day from Matilda, Bluebell and Florence, with the occasional blue one from Delilah thrown in, which is more than ample for a family of two adults and a small person, with some to give away to friends when we get behind. I have to admit I'm surprised at how reliably the orpingtons are laying, I was expecting them to be much more intermittent, although I know they'll stop again over the winter.

 

The silkies, Meg & Mog, are there as pets really - have no expectations of their laying prowess at all, although apparently they can carry on over the winter when other purebreeds have stopped - when they're not broody of course!

[oneyolktoanother]

If you can manage without eggs over the winter - about Nov-Feb - then I would go for pure breeds every time ....

 

 

Me too !

 

and me!! orpingtons are lovely

[Barkisland]

I'd say go for a mix - best of both worlds

[coco]

I have a mix, I have ex batts [not for eggs although one is still laying] a light sussex hybrid, various crossbreeds and some pure breeds. They are all lovely though.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I've only got experience of hybrids - ex batt Warrens which are mine and non-ex batt Warrens which belong to my friend but are on an extended holiday with me at the moment.

 

My ex batts are 18 months cage free (in a few days time to be exact) making them approx 3 years old. They are strong, robust, healthy and laying really well (frantically touching wood now). I know it's more common for hybrids to 'wear out' sooner than pure breeds, but it's not always the case!

 

I'd say just get what you like the look of and don't worry too much about whether they are PB or hybrid!

[sparkysmum]

One thing to bear in mind is that hybrids are less likely to be broody & more likely to be disease resistant.

[Alis girls]

I love my 3 but wish sometimes I had had something a bit more adventorous. I envy some of the Omleteers with "posh" chucks. I do likeSussex ones (hardly posh) but OH is so mad on the he refuses to entertain the idea of anything else. He likes all things ginger. even leaving my first ever copy of |Practical Poultry lying around didnt move him. We have a ginger cat too - and no I am blond.

[SteveC]

We only have hybrids (no experience of pure breeds) but the girls are lovely. Mixed varieties and all with individual characters / personalities. All are great with our two boys as well. Can't fault them.

[Benaberry]

I love my 3 but wish sometimes I had had something a bit more adventorous. I envy some of the Omleteers with "posh" chucks. I do likeSussex ones (hardly posh) but OH is so mad on the he refuses to entertain the idea of anything else. He likes all things ginger. even leaving my first ever copy of |Practical Poultry lying around didnt move him. We have a ginger cat too - and no I am blond.

 

My buff Orpington, Matilda, is a beautiful, big, fluffy, definitely ginger girlie!

[Snoxy]

I have 13 hybrids (brown, beige, white, green, blue egg layers)

 

5 ex batts (all laying gorgous tea rose coloured eggs)

 

1 pure breed RIR...Maggie, my giant conker...she is soooooo pretty

 

If I had more space I would love a Wyandotte (spelling ) and others too

 

Love the mix I have albeit one pure breed

[birdy woman]

thanks for all your advice what a great forum this is

next question is to you all, can you keep three chickens i've been told either 2 or 4 so one doesnt get hen pecked

[mum-2-olly]

hmm gud question about 2 or 3. ive read that at least 3 so if you need to introduce another it has not been on its own, i think bantams are a nice idea tho cos if you get the hen "bug" adding another wont mean buying the !!

[fluffy chick]

I've got 3 bantys living together and they get on well. I am adding more tomorrow though

[Mercedes55]

We have a mixture of 4 pure breeds and 4 ex batts. We've had our ex batts for 9mths now and only 2 of them are still laying. Our 4 pure breeds started laying in January and each lays really lovely eggs. We sell what we can't eat or give away to family and it's nice being able to give people a selection of colours from cream through to blue and brown

 

My preference at the moment would be for pure breeds, but I'm not sure I'd like to go over the whole of Winter with no eggs at all