Best breed of chicken for backyard coops?
Image by jana christy
Buffy is our Buff Orpington. She was 3 days old when I drew this.
Question by Maria: Best breed of chicken for backyard coops?
I am planning on starting my own flock…have started the research process but I’m interested in a good all around dual purpose chicken for fresh eggs and good muscling for meat. Egg color doesn’t matter but do love white eggs but either brown or white is fine? A list of top 5 suggestions and reasons why if possible… Thx!
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3 Responses to Best breed of chicken for backyard coops?
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My personal flock consists of a redrock, which is a cross between a rhode island red and a barred rock
-she is one of the largest (7lbs) nicest, and best layer but she does lay brown eggs
-A Brahma, who is very friendly and not flighty, Brahmas are known for their calm nature
-An Australorp who is also tame and calm
-and a Silkie, who is a little flightier but very active and fun. I have many others, as I have a sanctuary, but these are my “pets” are I recommend them highly
lilly
November 30, 2013 at 1:24 pm
So you want eggs and meat?
You’ll be hard pressed to find one breed that’s good at both because they have different requirements. Meat hens tend to be bigger, heavier and aren’t generally good layers because they need to put so much energy into growing rather than laying eggs. The best laying hens are scrawny little mixed breed ones that are usually labeled as “laying hens”; because they have such little in the way of body condition, they are able to put more into producing eggs. Laying hens have a bit of this breed, bit of that breed, in them and they’re bred purely for the best egg production.
I don’t know much about meat hens- we had three given to us by a friend of ours that just lived out the rest of their lives in with our layers and didn’t do a whole lot- but definitely suggest some laying hens for the eggs you want. Because they’re not a specific breed and tend to just be the nondescript brown colours (but you can also get white and black ones if you wanted some colour variety) you can also pick up layers for a lot cheaper and from a lot more places than if you went with a specific breed.
Em
November 30, 2013 at 1:37 pm
The buff orpington, She is a beautiful bird, heavy and lays well. Multi purpose.
The silver dorking, another beautiful bird with an extra toe on each foot. Both have a mild disposition.
cochin_breeder
November 30, 2013 at 1:39 pm