Earlier than I began writing for Passion Farms and Chickens, sooner than I centered my journalism on agricultural subjects, I used to be referred to as the Chelsea Hen Girl—one of the most two folks answerable for getting the town of Chelsea, Michigan, to legalize garden flocks. However even sooner than that, I used to be an established hen proprietor, serving to buddies, circle of relatives, neighbors and best strangers make a selection hen breeds and navigate poultry problems. I used to be known as on for lend a hand right through Chick Days via native feed and farm-supply shops and people knew I exhibited my birds at poultry displays across the Midwest. And lengthy sooner than that, I used to be a child who helped handle her grandmother’s chicken and hens.
It’s secure to mention that chickens had been a part of my lifestyles for many of my life. It’s additionally secure to mention that, over time, I’ve gotten to grasp a large number of other breeds of chickens. My shut affiliation with poultry has given me perception into those hen breeds, perception that many microflock house owners have counted directly to lend a hand information their breed possible choices with questions like, “I’m desirous about [insert breed of interest here], and I learn that they’re docile/flighty/competitive/deficient layers/nice moms/and many others. What’s the truthful reality?”
The truthful reality is that I will most effective cross via my a long time of enjoy. I know that what I’ve encountered with a couple of hen breeds totally contradicts the overall data discovered on-line. So … get out your salt shaker, as a result of the ones grains of salt might turn out to be useful as you learn my truthful reality in regards to the 18 hen breeds we’ve raised over time. Listed here are the primary 5.
Ameraucana
We added White, Blue and Black Ameraucanas (pictured above) to our farm on account of their stunning baby-blue eggs, the similar type laid via their rarer Araucana cousins. We had learn that, like Araucanas, Ameraucanas had reproductive problems because of genetics. To our pleasure and reduction, this was once by no means evidenced in our flock.
The Ameraucana ladies laid a median of 3 to 4 eggs every a week, and each and every Ameraucana egg we incubated hatched. And we didn’t must incubate many. The Ameraucana ladies shocked us once more via being nearly as broody as our Orps … now not essentially a just right factor after we had shoppers looking ahead to blue-egg dozens.
Our Ameraucana hens have been fabulous moms, guiding their chicks smartly into maturity. Pullets in truth stayed with their moms as adults, growing little multigenerational lady teams in our flock. We made some other sudden discovery about Ameraucanas, too. They became out to be our longest-producing layers, with our ladies ceaselessly laying no less than one egg a week smartly into their 6th 12 months—and a few past.
Those Ameraucanas additionally became out to be our longest-lived chickens. Our Black Ameraucana, Dolly, became 11 this previous June. Our Ameraucana boys have been additionally not anything to sneeze at. After our Orpingtons, our Ameraucana roosters have been our perfect guardians, at all times staring at for predators or anything else odd of their runs or in our backyard. Our Blue Ameraucana chicken, Jefferson, was once one in every of my all-time favourite roosters. He wasn’t as cuddly as my Orpington boys—our Ameraucanas mainly tolerate our presence—however he secure his flock, fathered many chicks, and not didn’t make his hens his precedence.
Previous English Sport Bantam
We by no means supposed to boost Previous English Sport Bantams, or any roughly bantam for that topic. Bantams would now not produce eggs of a marketable measurement, and integrating them with a large-fowl flock could be nearly not possible. We had already made lodging—figuratively and actually—for our Silkies. We have been set … till I made a run to our farm-supply retailer and heard the cheeping from the Chick Days inventory tanks.
I in an instant fell in love with the teeny child chicks with the chipmunk stripe down their backs. I may are compatible 3 of them at the palm of my hand! They have been so dainty. I couldn’t face up to.
I had completely no concept what breed those small children have been. They have been indexed as “Diverse Bantams.” Devoted analysis decided that those chicks have been Previous English Sport Bantams. I used to be horrified to learn that this chicken was once at the start bred to sport battle, was once competitive, extremely lively, and would now not have interaction smartly with different hen breeds.
Uh oh
I quickly found out that those write-ups have been totally flawed. Now not most effective have been our Previous English Sport Bantams pleasant with us, they endeared themselves to the opposite chicks in our brooder. Everyone sought after to be their buddies, and the nightly chick-carpet snoozefest had the Previous English Sport Bantams smack within the middle. When it was once time to transport our juveniles to their coops, the Previous English Sport Bantams went alongside, luckily settling in with our Easter Eggers.
The celebrity of the trio was once Belle, named so as a result of she was once a beautiful little princess. Whilst all 3 of our Previous English Sport Bantams eagerly rushed over to greet us, Belle would watch for me to position out my palm. She’d then hop onto my hand and, from there, to my shoulder.
Belle was once my pseudo parrot. She adored perching up there whilst I finished my out of doors chores. She was once the epitome of affectionate.
If truth be told, Belle was once the little hen that attended the entire organizational conferences that ended in the town of Chelsea approving backyard-flock possession. The council contributors have been enchanted via the captivating little Belle, who luckily let somebody who so desired grasp her. By no means did we witness any aggression in opposition to us or any people or any combative dispositions in opposition to the opposite birds.
The Previous English Sport Bantams have been certainly extremely lively. They behaved like youngsters in a sweet store, working far and wide the backyard, investigating the whole lot. We selected to discontinue breeding the Previous English Sport Bantams to concentrate on the usual breeds, however I’d unquestionably counsel this hen to somebody in search of a adorable poultry puppy.
Orpington
One in every of my best 3 hen breeds, my husband, Jae, and I began elevating Orpingtons as a result of they have been at the Cattle Conservancy’s Precedence Record of endangered poultry species. As well as, Orpingtons have been meant to be docile and affectionate.
Over time, we now have raised Buff, White, Black, Blue, Lavender and Jubilee Orpingtons. With just one exception—Angel, the primary Buff Orpington cockerel we hatched—each and every unmarried one in every of our Orpingtons has been delicate, pleasant and candy in disposition. All of our roosters (excluding Angel) had been sparsely attentive in their hens, calling them for treats, alerting them to conceivable predators, and firmly shepherding them as they roam our acreage.
They have been additionally very good fathers. If truth be told, two of our boys—Arnold and Claude—set eggs in short so the broody of the instant may stretch her legs. Our Orpington hens have been very good layers, generating a median of 4 to 5 broad brown eggs weekly.
I estimate about half of of the women would cross broody on the drop of a hat. One in every of our Black Orpington hens, Fitz, was once so enamored with motherhood that she concealed 18 of her eggs below a shrub, then led us on a frantic seek one night time when she wasn’t provide for lock-up. We transferred Madame Broody and her huge seize to a brooder, and naturally all 18 effectively hatched.
Orpingtons are very good foragers; swift demolishers of stray toads, mice and snakes; and extremely clever. Statement taught them the place their people emerged with the ones tasty kitchen scraps, and for years we’d discover a mob of Orps looking ahead to us out of doors our kitchen sliding-glass door. The bolder ones would rap at the door with their beaks to name us.
Orpingtons have been one of the most hen breeds that introduced our poultry farm and, years later, they’re nonetheless our major breed.
Silkie
It’s exhausting to not love a Silkie. This residing fluffball is so delicate and endearing that you just’ll wish to personal all of them.
That’s just about what took place to us. We began with a quartet of Buff Silkies. The following factor we knew, we had Blue Silkies, Black Silkies, White Silkies and Splash Silkies. We stored bearded and beardless, and they all have been lovely, regardless that we quickly phased out our beardless bunc. (They only weren’t “poofy” sufficient for us.)
The entirety I’d examine this cute breed’s disposition was once true. Silkies are amazingly tolerant. My sons carried them in truthful parades, tucked them below an arm to seek for Easter eggs with them, sat at the sofa—within!—and skim with them on their laps. Silkies are the very best puppy hen.
They’re additionally superb setters and moms. If Orpingtons cross broody on the drop of a hat, Silkies cross broody on the blink of a watch, even on golfing balls and rocks. Our Silkie hens weren’t nice layers—every averaged about two to 3 eggs a week—however they luckily hatched and raised different poultry’s younger and endured to mom them even if the chicks have been absolutely grownup.
There are some drawbacks to those stunning bantams, on the other hand. They’re horrible foragers, even in their very own enclosed run, most likely as a result of their imaginative and prescient can also be obscured via head fluff. Silkies also are quick on brains. I’ve misplaced rely how time and again we’ve needed to display our Silkies the doorway to their coop, the positioning in their nestboxes, methods to perch, methods to drink from their waterer, and many others. The time period “birdbrain” was once almost definitely coined after an come across with a Silkie.
In addition they do poorly in chilly climate because of their feather construction. Nonetheless, Silkies are perfect for exhibition, their putting seems successful them many prizes. They’re additionally best microflock poultry, particularly for small city and suburban yards. Of the entire hen breeds we’ve raised over time, Silkies—chicks and hatching eggs—have at all times been our perfect dealers. Silkies sign up for Orpingtons as one in every of our authentic breeds and one in every of our best 3 favorites.
Wyandotte
Just like the Orpington, the Wyandotte was once one of the most first hen breeds we raised on our poultry farm, and for a similar causes: They have been at the Cattle Conservancy’s Precedence Record and have been described as pleasant, docile and nice for households with kids.
We started with six Silver-Laced Wyandotte chicks, which we raised the very same method as our half-dozen Orpington small children. The birds gained loads of cuddles, TLC and hand-fed mealworm treats to coach them to acknowledge and agree with us. Whilst this system—which we nonetheless use—labored splendidly with the Orpingtons, the Wyandottes grew much less and no more affectionate as they grew up.
Shocking birds, the Wyandottes have been an overly cohesive flock. The hens at all times stayed inside a couple of toes in their chicken. The hens produced a median of 4 broad brown eggs a week, however confirmed completely no tendency in opposition to broodiness. In all honesty, they have been a very good garden breed: dependable layers, very good foragers and lovely to behold.
However I simply couldn’t get previous their aloof angle, particularly after they have been described as pleasant.
I purchased 4 child pullets—additionally Silver Laced—from a distinct breeder simply in case our Wyandottes’ disposition stemmed from inbreeding. Sadly, those new ladies confirmed the very same angle in opposition to us … and in opposition to our older Wyandottes. Our current flock totally overlooked the more youthful quartet, despite the fact that the pullets joined the unique flock outside when they have been sufficiently old to go away the brooder. There have been no pecking-order squabbles or chicken fights between the 2 teams. They just acted as though the opposite birds have been invisible.
I used to be mystified and perturbed and, in the end, determined that Wyandottes weren’t for us. In spite of their good looks, their very good laying and foraging, and their tight-knit devotion to their staff, that indifferent, chilly composure merely didn’t click on with me. Wyandottes have been the primary breed we discontinued.
Stayed tuned for long run installments of this truthful have a look at widespread hen breeds!