# What's your favorite chicken??



## Victoria (Dec 20, 2008)

I am looking into getting a few more hens, and thinking about Copper Marans that a lady on CL has for sale, but then I heard they are slow to mature!! Darn!! I am still considering the Marans, but would love some input on large breed chickens. I love my bantams, but am looking into selling the eggs, and really want larger eggs. 
Thanks for ideas, do's and don't!! :greengrin:


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## TinyHoovesRanch (Jan 16, 2010)

Im a Silkie girl LOL LOOOOOVE them so much!

Good luck in your chicky search


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## Hidden Waters Farm (Oct 3, 2010)

I had the cutest most sweet Bantam rooster, however he passed away yesterday and I know I will never be able to replace him :tears:.


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## mommaB (Oct 1, 2009)

Hmmmmm, thats a hard one? I LOVE all my different kinds. The breeds I picked are all very hardy and can withstand the winters here. They are also known to be AWESOME layers.

First fav would have to be my Barred Rocks
Second would be Blasck Australorps
Third would be The Buff Orpingtons
Fourth the sexlinks both gold, and black
and last but not least, I LOVE my Polish Crested!!!

Not sure I really helped, but that is what I have and am VERY happy with them!


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## Victoria (Dec 20, 2008)

Yep, it all helps!! I do have two White Crested Black Polish hens, I don't expect them to lay till spring though...
I really love my Black Cochin (that's Queen Latifa) but she is awful broody!!


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## Myakkagoater (Apr 10, 2010)

1. Barred Rock
2. Buff orpington
3. Sexlinks
4. RIR

We have about 40 chickens now.. We get more eggs then we can possibly eat. About 15 per day. Keep a light on a timer in the winter helps with egg production. 


Tom


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

sexlinks - AWESOME layers, good foragers too
australorp- BeAuTiFuL !!! lol


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## Hush Hills Fainters (Oct 27, 2010)

I like cooked with a little garlic salt and pepper on a nice bed of fluffy white rice..and steamed veggies...hahahaha

Sorry couldn't help myself....

But I do live Tisie's Polish Crested (Curley) he is so beautiful and sweet


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## annamarie (Oct 17, 2010)

We have had a lot of different kinds. My favorites for personality are the Rhode Island Reds. They are almost always (in my experience) very friendly. Another favorite (although very shy mostly) are Americaunas. Those green and blue eggs are fun, and they are great foragers, but they do fly if you don't clip their wings. The most seemingly disease resistant ones we have had were the Laced Wyandottes. Although our sex links lay nice big brown eggs and they are good foragers, we have found that after their first year they start laying eggs with very thin shells, regardless of how much calcium they are eating, or how healthy they are. 


Hope that helps!


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## Allipoe (Sep 8, 2010)

My best layers always were my danged banties, which was annoying because I don't like to do extra math when cooking. BUT. Standard wise, I love my Rhode Island Reds. I also have Buff Orpingtons. Those two breeds are laying relatively well even with the wintertime (and I don't use a light on them). Seven hens, and I get about three eggs a day for wintertime. I had Delawares, but the fellow who sold them to me sold me a sick flock of babies (>.< screwed up ALL my chickens, the jerk) so I never -ever- saw them lay, so can't comment on them. Next thing I wanna try is Auracanas, or Americanas..just for fun colors.


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## Sunny Daze (May 18, 2010)

I have a few black copper marans. 2 just started laying and they did seem to take forever. The other 2 were ebay eggs and I am really hoping they do a lot of changing before they mature because I am thinking the person I bought them from was not quite honest with their bloodlines! I also have speckled sussex, delawares, black australorp, bantam frizzles, ameraucanas, a couple california whites, and some mixes. The black australorp lays probably the largest egg of the bunch. I really like cochins but they lay fairly small eggs. I like the colored eggs of the ameraucanas and the black copper marans. The ameraucanas are actually pretty consistent layers and lay a decent size.


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## cdtrum (Aug 25, 2008)

I have had several breeds and as far as good layers....my Buffs are the best and I plan on getting more this spring, my 2 are going on 3yrs old and still lay every day! Second for laying would be my Black Austros.

As far as cuteness, I love my Cochins....I love their house slipper feet.....my girls are just now getting old enough to start laying, but I have heard they are not the best for laying.


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## Chi Chi (Mar 7, 2010)

Our golden wyandottes and our onw lone rhode island red are very friendly and are great layers. They just started laying about 6 weeks ago- we have 8 hens and some days we get 7 eggs other 5. That is really unheard of in winter here in Minnesota from what I was told. We don't use a light either.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

We used to have Buff Oringtons and they were awesome chickens. We also had banties, but I was not a big fan of those. The banty rooster we had would run up and attack you whenever it saw you. Ever since them I never really liked them.

But our buff oringtons used to lay tons of eggs and were very docile and easy to handle when needed. They also are pretty to look at.


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## kids-n-peeps (Aug 24, 2009)

In terms of personality and good egg-laying, we have liked Welsummers, Barnevelders, and Brabanters. Hatchery Easter-eggers have always laid well for us, too . . . many more eggs than our purebred Ameraucanas.


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## Victoria (Dec 20, 2008)

Wow that is awesome!! So many chickens ....so little time!!! Well then, I am thinking about the Welsummers cause I can get pullets fairly easy, and maybe a couple of Buff Orpingtons. 
I was gonna string a light for them, but maybe not. So, why do you think some lay well in cold, and some don't?? :shrug: 
An old timer I know puts a pinch of cayenne pepper in her feed in the winter, she says it keeps them laying all winter!!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> I like cooked with a little garlic salt and pepper on a nice bed of fluffy white rice..and steamed veggies...hahahaha
> 
> Sorry couldn't help myself....


 Me too... :laugh:

Anywayz...I like the
sex links
barred rocks
Road island reds
Polish


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## newmama30+ (Oct 4, 2010)

I think we ended up with one or two of everything last summer. But I really liked my Giant Black hen they take alot longer to mature but she was pretty laid back compared to some of the hens, I am also considering some White Giants, and some more Buffs, as the buff was the only one to sit on eggs, unfortunately she went broody in Sept, they Hatched Oct 3rd and just weren't big enough yet when it got really cold, I'm considering ordering eggs for her to brood this spring as she sat twice last year once for the guy I bought the flock from and once for me.


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## Mon Reve Farm (Jun 25, 2010)

Of our standard sized chickens my favorites are the Buff Orpingtons. The breeds we have so far besides the buffs...
Production Reds
Rhode Island Red
Barred Rock
Golden Laced Wyandotte
Speckled Sussex (all died this summer during the heat wave)
Light Brahmas (all but one died during the heat wave)
White Rock

In the barn I have Delaware, Wellsummer and Golden Laced pullets with a Wellsummer cockerel. So far all from the hatchery have survived - it's the best survival rate I have had with ordering in and picking up locally.

But my absolute favorites are my Silkies and my 5 Silkie/Bantam Cochin crosses. They make me smile every time I see them!


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## Victoria (Dec 20, 2008)

I am going to be getting pullets at the end of January. I have never raised babies in the winter, and am gonna have them in the house (I think) till spring. It just makes sense to raise them in the winter, but I am a bit nervous about the cold. I will have them on a heat lamp tho, so all should be well. 
I am getting the Black Copper Marans, and Welsummers. I am also puttin an order in for Delewares but I may change that as I read they are very broody. I think one broody Cochin is plenty for me!!


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