Help me pick some good farm breeds! :)

[Chris09]

Quote:
If it was me I would get Rhode Island Reds and Light Sussex. (from breeders hatchery birds make good layers but there not the best for a table bird)
Either one of these two breeds would make a good egg layer and a good table bird but a added plus would be that you could cross the two breeds and the males from this cross make a excellent table bird.

Chris

 

[BuffaloWings]

If I had to pick from the breeds you listed I would pick the buff orpington. Although I would consider the white orpington as well since you are butching some. White breeds tend to look better when butchered. Plus the orpingtons have white skin as well. The orpingtons lay well, are very gentle, the males get pretty big (although slower than some) and if you ever want to hatch your own birds the orpingtons make awesome brood hens. Since you mentioned "farm" breeds there really is nothing like seeing a mother and her chicks roaming around a farm.

 

[Cowgirl71]

Thanks for all of the replies everyone! Anybody else???

BTW, one trait I forgot to mention is heat tolerance, and I am open to other breed suggestions.

Also, if I lock the chickens up in a secure coop at night, how much more susceptible to predators are white birds during the day?

I will definitely be getting some Barred Plymouth Rocks, and just a few Buff Orpingtons for natural incubators.

I'd like a couple more breeds though.

Illia: Are BAs not as good for meat as the other breeds then? The main reason I included them on my list is because Ideal says "known for persistency of lay even in hot weather." I was really low on eggs this summer, because a lot of my flock was/is Buff Orpingtons, who were broody most of the summer.

I do remember reading somewhere on BYC about how, yes, hatchery birds are not truly dual-purpose, and really only bred for production. I was kinda hoping it would be alright to get, say, five roosters of a breed, and then pick the biggest one for breeding.

I guess I have a really hard time paying $30/dozen or so for hatching eggs that are not guaranteed to hatch, and when they do hatch, are straight run. Meanwhile, you can get a sexed pullet from a hatchery for $2-$3. See my dilemma? I'm hoping that I can start with hatchery birds, and within a few generations have a good dual-purpose bird.

Would you say though that a hatchery's NHR would be a better meat bird than their RIR? Or are they about the same?

BarredBuff: I do like Dominiques, except that Ideal's version is quite small and slender, and with their rose combs they wouldn't do as well in our hot summers. As much as I want to order from Cackle, I won't. Because then I'd have to pay sales tax, and I want as little of my hard-earned money going to the government as possible. There's not a single thing they spend it on that I agree with, except for maintaining the road, but the gas tax funds that.

joletabey: I didn't really like Ideal's description of Delawares on here... http://www.ideal-poultry.com/pricelist/Retail Breed Description - 2009.pdf and so I had nixed Delawares. But I just looked at their page on Ideal, and it says: "They are an excellent dual-purpose breed that efficiently produces large brown eggs." So maybe I should consider them!

Chris09: Is it true that I'd have to get Light Sussex from a breeder? I know Ideal doesn't carry them...

 

[punky rooster]

First your best of getting from a breeder
second Buckeyes are good layers and big meat birds
and buckeye dave sells chicks
punky

good luck!

 

[Illia]

Yeah I'd rather go with their New Hampshires than Rhode Island Reds - I've seen countless Reds, they're all skinny. I've seen quite a few New Hampshires, too, including a hen of mine, and they're quite plump - About the same as the hatchery type Orpingtons or better.

Now, really, about hatchery vs eggs - To me it is completely worth the money on the eggs. Sure you get straight run, but chances are you're going to at least get ONE girl in one dozen eggs. Also, I've personally never had a bad hatch rate. The worst I got was 3/12 eggs from a breed known for having poor fertility. It is all about the breeder you get them from and the timing, and trust me, there's quite a few well respected, reputable breeders on here who would gladly get you some good quality dual purpose stock. This goes especially with Delawares - They're a huge, meaty, egg-laying breed that is pretty rare, but there's plenty people here who breed them and are very happy to see someone else help out with the population.

Yes, you can try with hatcheries and pick the biggest male and female, but then that means getting more males, and leads back to what is the difference between that and trying your chances with hatching eggs?

Just my two cents.

 

[Chris09]

Cowgirl71,
I would get both the R.I. Red and the Light Sussex from a breeder.
Hatchery stock are not the best for table fowl..

Chris

 

[PortugalBreeder]

Quote:
Why are hatchery chickens not good? Can you explain, I'm interested in learning.

They're good if you just want laying chickens, but for an actual dual purpose breed, hatcheries don't breed for the SOP nor for dual purpose. They just want a chicken that lays eggs and more eggs and more eggs. . . Which means culling out anything more, including a nice, meaty, large bird. Take hatchery Brahmas or Wyandottes for example - They're VERY small, skinny, and lay a lot of eggs - Real, up to standard Brahmas and Wyandottes are much bigger, meatier, and lay just a tad less eggs. Hatcheries don't actually offer the original "heritage" breed anymore, even if they claim to. . . Try looking up show quality Orpington, Rock, or Rhode Island Red, then compare it to a hatchery-born one and you'll really see what I'm talking about.

Course, though, there's plenty breeders online here who actually do breed to the true standard, and have truly heritage and dual purpose Rocks, Orpingtons, and Rhode Islands.

OK, I think I get it, but I though that hatcheries (maybe because hatchery sounds like a term for profession) were managed by geneticists/engineers who do their job right, and say the truth about their job's objective. Although I believe there are people running hatcheries that are not like this, I also believe that truly professional hatcheries do exist out there and from that ones not even the local specialized breeder can compete in terms of genetic quality. Or am I completely wrong?

 

[cubalaya]

i am putting the black australorps back in. after having most of the breeds on your list, the black australorps are very impressive as far as size, egg laying, and gentle nature. its hard to beat some rhode island reds or barred rocks but the australorps are a very good farm breed.

 

[ninjascrub69]

Buckeye would be a good choice, if you cant find those or they're to expensive then go with production reds

 

[Catstar68]

Buff Orps, for all the reasons BuffaloWings stated. White orps might be a good choice too. They make excellent mothers and will dress out clean for the table. Mine lay very nice large eggs nearly every day and are such sweet hens.