Best Chicken Breeds to Breed for Selling?

[Auntiejessi3]

English Orpingtons sell very well for me; I have ventured out to Ameraucanas this year. Just find some breeds that you really like, then find the folks that really like them as well. I got introduced to a lot of folks just by selling my first 6 orp chicks to a "collector" in Dallas. He has 10 color varieties, and expanding, but he hooked me up with a bunch of folks closer to me. Best of luck to you!

 

[GlicksChicks]

Showgirl(naked neck silkies)might be good along with turkens

I will look into those breeds!

 

[GlicksChicks]

English Orpingtons sell very well for me; I have ventured out to Ameraucanas this year. Just find some breeds that you really like, then find the folks that really like them as well. I got introduced to a lot of folks just by selling my first 6 orp chicks to a "collector" in Dallas. He has 10 color varieties, and expanding, but he hooked me up with a bunch of folks closer to me. Best of luck to you!

My experience with orpingtons so far is good. They are very gentle and docile. My two 8 week cockerels love getting pet and my 8 week pullets love sitting on my lap and getting back scratches!

I like chickens with unique characteristics and colors. I have my first 2 purple chicks raising up. Lavender Wyandottes. When they grow up, if my buff orpington roosters breed with them, then I could get Lavender Orpingtons I believe. At least that is what I have found.

I will have to look into english orpingtons!

 

[NatJ]

I have my first 2 purple chicks raising up. Lavender Wyandottes. When they grow up, if my buff orpington roosters breed with them, then I could get Lavender Orpingtons I believe. At least that is what I have found.

The first generation cross of Buff Orpington and Lavender Wyandotte will give black chickens, with large amounts of gold or silver leakage. They will probably have rose combs like the Wyandotte parent.

If you work with them for several generations, you can eventually have Lavender Orpingtons that trace back to that original cross. It will definitely take some work-- I would estimate a bare minimum of 3 generations if you hatch large numbers of chicks each year and make very good choice of which ones to breed for the next generation. More realistically, I would expect something like 5-8 generations to have reasonable birds with Lavender feathering and correct Orpington breed traits, that reliably produce offspring like themselves (because you don't want to sell chicks that grow up to have the wrong traits, and then have unhappy buyers.)

 

[GlicksChicks]

The first generation cross of Buff Orpington and Lavender Wyandotte will give black chickens, with large amounts of gold or silver leakage. They will probably have rose combs like the Wyandotte parent.

If you work with them for several generations, you can eventually have Lavender Orpingtons that trace back to that original cross. It will definitely take some work-- I would estimate a bare minimum of 3 generations if you hatch large numbers of chicks each year and make very good choice of which ones to breed for the next generation. More realistically, I would expect something like 5-8 generations to have reasonable birds with Lavender feathering and correct Orpington breed traits, that reliably produce offspring like themselves (because you don't want to sell chicks that grow up to have the wrong traits, and then have unhappy buyers.)

I did not expect to get black chicks from the mix! Good to know! I have not yet tried to make a breed or do pure-breeding, and it will be at least a year before I get any special breeding stock for stuff like that. I am just trying to get chicken breeds settled before I actually get started.

 

[Penpal]

You might try breeding chickens that are close to the standard. The chicks should grow up to be as big as they are supposed to be. Broody breeds should be broody. Flighty breeds should be flighty. Etcetera.

You should also breed chickens that do well in your area. I love Brahma, but they are not suited to Texas weather. You don't want to put an air conditioner in your coop because you are breeding cold weather birds.

 

[my spoiled chickens]

You could also probably develop your own breed of naked neck English Orpington

 

[GlicksChicks]

You might try breeding chickens that are close to the standard. The chicks should grow up to be as big as they are supposed to be. Broody breeds should be broody. Flighty breeds should be flighty. Etcetera.

You should also breed chickens that do well in your area. I love Brahma, but they are not suited to Texas weather. You don't want to put an air conditioner in your coop because you are breeding cold weather birds.

I am definitely trying to stay toward heat tolerant birds. I don't want them to have heat stress and having to run fans out to their pens would not be convenient.

 

[my spoiled chickens]

I am definitely trying to stay toward heat tolerant birds. I don't want them to have heat stress and having to run fans out to their pens would not be convenient.

That is why I recommended naked neck beacause they have some relief from the heat

 

[Henora]

I plan on doing some breeding flocks of different chicken breeds to sell. Have one rooster with however many hens I feel should be in the breeding pens.

I have been looking into desirable and popular chicken breeds in the US, as well as endangered/rare breeds and I have found many articles om popular breeds, but I want to hear from people who know chickens as well.

What breeds of chickens would be best for me to breed to sell?
Which chicken breeds are popular and more sought after?
What chicken breeds have you and/or people you know been looking for or wanting?
Do you have breeds that sell better than others?

Deathlayers are pretty cool and can be hard to find, plus they have a cool name!