| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| caitlinsmom |
Posted - Sep 21 2011 : 3:45:11 PM
We have had many chickens in the past. Most of them were eaten by a pack of 9 dogs that lived across the street. We have since moved (Thank heavens!!) and now we are ready to dive into chickens again.
We have had heavy breeds (Buffs, Rocks, etc) that were all great layers but never seemed to get big enough to butcher out.
We've had meat birds that grew quickly and well but once butchered they were tasteless.
We've had a "fryer special" that was supposed to be great meat birds but take a little longer to grow. They pecked each other to death, literally. The ones that did live turned out to be horrible layers even though they are known to be fantastic.
We don't want to continue to waste money for chickens that end up being poor layers or taste nasty on the table.
So, what breed have you had consistent results with egg production, while being mellow mannered enough for kids to "love" on regularly?
What meat bird has the best taste with a good feed conversion ratio?
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| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Dusky Beauty |
Posted - Sep 29 2011 : 6:41:13 PM
Cornish Hybrids are supposed to be a good way to go according to the backyard chickens forum if you're planning on processing home raised birds for the first time. Many people have trouble with the actual act of dispatching their little fuzzy chicks and cornish x get so fat and miserable it's kinder to end them and cook them than keep them as pets.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
| MaryLD |
Posted - Sep 29 2011 : 1:29:18 PM
I am a big fan of the Buffs. What about Cornish? Not sure they are super friendly, but they are supposed to be good egg and meat birds. Maybe through in some Buffs and some Barred Rocks for the kiddos. Or some Naked Necks, they are GREAT with kids.
I have enjoyed having ducks over the years. Khaki Campbell and Blue Swedish.
Mary LD
Haflingers- You can't have just one!
( I'm just one short of a drill team!) |
| plantcarazy |
Posted - Sep 27 2011 : 1:03:49 PM
I love my Buff Orpingtons, they have been gentle and easy to handle, and my kids have had a blast helping out- (this is my first batch of chickens though so I am not an expert by any means!). Just got my first eggs too!
......Born again Farmgirl |
| Dusky Beauty |
Posted - Sep 22 2011 : 10:38:11 PM
For friendly, smart, calm, pretty, and good layers, I reccomend welsh harlequins every time. I've got khaki campbells that are pretty sweet, I hand raised them and if I sneak up on them and pick them up, they'll let me snuggle them on my chest :) I also got some hybrids bred for heavy laying (I'm hoping to start a duck egg business)and a few welsh harlies and they are defenitly the cleverest ducklings I have. I picked up a couple sweedish and a rouen from the feed store, so I'll be able to report on them in a month, but really-- I think Welshies really do have it all (even light colored feathers for plucking-- Heaven forbid!)
I'll be honest.. I let 17 ducks and ducklings free range in my backyard and my back porch gets messy, so I put a high pressure spray nozzle on the hose and power wash it off every morning at the end of my chore list and that keeps it tidy-- they usually hang out in the grass all day.
They go through water and love it. I have a little kiddy pool (most people do) and I dump it out and refill it every third day at most. My only complaint about it is that they can get brittle and cracked after a while. Someone suggested getting cement mixing trays from a hardware store-- more durable, and available year round.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
| RedHoopWoman |
Posted - Sep 22 2011 : 08:37:28 AM
I loved having ducks for eggs,we had two white pekins and they outproduced the hens,unfortunately one of my roosters who had lived with them since they were little chicks up and killed one and badly wounded the other one,we seperated them and one day the rooster got out and killed the other one so just a warning about mixing ducks and chickens,I always have before and never had that result but it's something to be careful of in case you decide to get both.
As far as temperament and good laying abilities,my buff brahmas are top notch in the friendly department and they do lay nice large eggs,I also have blue marans and blue and black wyandottes along with some red wyandottes and they are also very nice and easy to handle,my barred rocks and Rhode Island Reds tend to be a bit more aloof and we don't even bother trying to catch the dark Cornish hens but they are excellent broody hens and have raised lots of chicks for me.
I have enough home raised chickens that I don't order much anymore but when I did i would just order one of the brown egg layer assortments and always had good luck with that.
"Today's Mighty Oak is just Yesterday's Nut" |
| caitlinsmom |
Posted - Sep 21 2011 : 8:59:10 PM
No kidding. The buffs we had were the most gentle birds. They would come up and sit on our laps and just coo away. The Red, oh man oh man, he ended up in a stew pot! The leghorns were horrible all around. They were the ones that pecked each other to death (and I have no clue why those were ever being sold for meat birds, so scrawny!).
Well I guess I will just pick and choose again and see what we end up with. :D Gotta love a surprise!
www.imnaturallysimple.com
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| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Sep 21 2011 : 7:44:18 PM
Funny, because for us the Buffs are totally freaks around our children and the Reds have been AWESOME - and way better egg layers! Its so funny to me to see how different birds can act different on different farms! :)
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
| batznthebelfry |
Posted - Sep 21 2011 : 5:56:43 PM
since I don't butcher mine I can't help you with meat birds per say but I have had pretty much everything....I like the buff orpington for their calmness...my white leghorns are calm & good layers but my brown leghorn is a nervous nelly but lays good also ..I have found that my easter eggers are the best for sitting on eggs & hatching....great mommas.....
I have a brahma that is a great girl who follows me around & talks non-stop to me....also a good momma....Many of my 'kids' are now over 3 yrs old so I don't get that many eggs anymore out of 23 hens I get average 8-12 eggs a day but for me thats more than enough....I have heard that Rhode Island & New Hampshire reds are not good chickens for kids....& my welsummer I had wasn't either....
good luck with what ever you decide & I am happy that you are going to raise chickens again....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
| caitlinsmom |
Posted - Sep 21 2011 : 5:48:15 PM
Jen,
We had ducks a few years back. I loved the eggs, talk about wonderful in baked goods! However, those little suckers pooped EVERYWHERE! We had them free ranging in the back yard, well it was more semi fenced than free range. Anyway I can not tell you how many times I stepped out the door into a nasty pile! LOL its humorous now but it irked me at the time.
We had black and white muscovy(maybe??). They were not friendly in the least so the kids were kind of dissapointed. So tell me, if I were to get ducks (and I was considering it before you posted lol) which breed to you recommend? We would only want them for eggs and kid friendly entertainment. How much water do they need? (We never could figure that one out!) Any tips on keeping the stink down in their pond?
www.imnaturallysimple.com
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| Lieberkim |
Posted - Sep 21 2011 : 5:13:10 PM
That's a tough question to answer because what I like you may not.... but I do like the buff orpington and although I've never had them I'm tempted by the Brahma. And Jen....... I WANT ducks!!!! Got any Anconas you want to rehome??????
Excuse the mess & the noise, my children are making happy memories |
| Dusky Beauty |
Posted - Sep 21 2011 : 3:54:50 PM
egg ducks and meat ducks. LOL!! My bias is showing! By the numbers ducks lay more eggs and lay longer in life than egg chickens and the meat is a special treat! They are however much messier with water.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
