WHAT kind of chickens?

[Gardenwitch]

Hi everyone, I have always wanted my own chickens for egg laying purposes and recently have been blessed with aquiring a chicken coop for 6 birds. My question is what kind of chickens do I get now? I want them firstly for egg laying then as they get older for meat eating if posible? Its my understadning I want Bantam type as well as they are smaller? Any ideas where I can get POL aroung 16-18 week old chickens from as well? Thanks for any insights

[HayleyB]

Hi Gardenwitch

For instant layers perhaps get ex-battery hens, but they are not for eating Practical Poultry would probably have breeders adverts or you could do a search online for chicken breeders in your county. Me no expert though I've only been a chook owner a week now

[Suechooks]

I'd suggest you research before you get any chooks. There are loads of books which will give you some insight into breeds and also about looking after them. Have you given any thought to how you're going to kill them? Couldn't do it myself especially after they've been laying eggs for me every day! There's a really good book called "Starting with Chickens" by Katie Thear which is very helpful
Happy hunting

[Gardenwitch]

hi Suechooks, yes i DO have that book and have highlighted through it Theres about half a dozen breeds that seem suitable for egg layers as well as meat eaters listed.

Hubby would do the killing, while I would do the plucking when time came so no worries there. Now I'm just trying to find breeders in my area for spring time. But i want to be all prepared now, especially as we were gifted with a coop! Thanks for the advice xx

[Hilary B]

Ex-layers are tough eating (not impossible, but need slow cooking) or was the idea to breed from them once egg production is excessive? You would need a cockerel in that case.....
I wouldn't get bantams if you are interested in egg/meat production, 'proper' layers are a better bet, or dual purpose types if you want to breed eating birds.
Banties are usually good broodies, but so are some others, and they can sit on more eggs..... My favourite dual purpose breed was always the Cuckoo Maran, but we all have our preferences. Some do well with Rhode Island Reds, others with Light Sussex, etc....

I found the Marans laid really well in year one, nearly as well in year 2, and after that, they still tend to lay quite a few eggs, but they also turn into fantastic broodies, and the hen chicks are different colour from cockerel chicks at hatching, and are also different in colour later on. The cockerels are good eaters, and the some find white skin appealing at cooking time (but you do need to be thorough with the plucking, because any left over feathers are conspicuous).

[Bephlam]

Oh I couldn't....the lay you an egg daily...and then when they slow down you kill them and eat them!! Noooo!! It's wrong. Not a good relationship deal for the chickens!!!

How about layers and meat birds - seperate?? That wouldn't be so weird!! lol

[frias]

All my girls have names and are pets. Couldn't eat one, be like eating the family dog or cat to me.

[MaureenHall]

I'd definitely go for ex-batts to start off with. They're so easy to care for, so loving, very generous with their eggs (mostly), and they all need a loving home to retire to. But I'm just a big softy for a sob story Not much meat on them so hardly a sandwich even from them if you decide to kill and eat them. I couldn't do it though, like Frias said, all mine have names and they've all got their own individual personalities, it'd be like eating one of my children

[Birdie Wife]

To be good eating, you'd need to kill a chicken at less than 8 months old, otherwise it's coq au vin or some other long slow cooking as they can be quite tough. HAving said that, we ate a bantam wyandotte cockerel who was about 3 years old (made a tagine with preserved lemons and spices and it took about 2-3 hours of slow cooking) and he was pretty good.

Almost all of my chickens are dual purpose - if I had to choose, the barred plymouth rocks are probably the best. I haven't got Light Sussex but lots of people recommend them highly. It depends on the strain as well, with just about any breed there are exhibition strains, selected for perfect markings and overall conformation to a breed standard, and utility strains (if it is a utility breed) which are bred for egg or meat production while keeping loosely to the breed standards but might not be picture perfect.

Hybrid egg layers and meat production birds are a separate class from the pure breeds, being bred for one purpose only. Ex-Battery hens fall into this category, usually being culled by the factory after a year when peak production tails off a bit but there is an organisation which saves as many as they can each year and they can be purchased for very little cost. They will still be laying plenty of eggs into their second and even third year, but production then generally drops to virtually nothing at all.

Hope this helps.

[Gardenwitch]

Ok I see what a wierd concept it would be to kill your layer lol, sorry for that. I did say I was very new and trying to get the hang of it all though Thanks for all the advice thus far I really appreciate it!

I guess at the moment I'm looking into Bantam versions (because they are smaller) of AUTRALORP, DOMINIQUE, FAVEROLLES, MARANS, SUSSEX, WYANDOTTE, OR may even go down the ex battery route.

Does anybody have any expirience with any of the breeds I listed? How do you find them to be?

[Flummery]

Don't forget you'll only get titchy eggs from a bantam.

[Ashbylife]

We've got Maran bantams. Apparently the Maran bantam isn't actually a true bantam, just a smaller verision of the full size chook and this would seem to be true because ours are a lot bigger then things like silkies and do lay decent size eggs. I'd thoroughly recommend them - they are laying well (we got them at 14 weeks old this summer), getting about 2 eggs a day out of 4 birds, they have got wonderful personalities, put themselves to bed each evening no trouble, free range happily in the garden without destroying it, what more can I say (except that apparently they are good for eating too but you'll get soooo fond of them that you won't want to!).
We found ours after enquiring for advice at the local countrystore - they put us in touch with the breeder locally and it was also them that recommended the Marans. If you have a shop like this locally it is well worth asking as they are likely to know all the farming types in the area.

[Birdie Wife]

Any of those breeds should be nice, laid back characters. I did take a fancy to the australorp bantams at a recent auction and I was going to bid but they went out of my price range very handsome looking birds. You should have little trouble finding bantam sussex, wyandotte, maran and australorp, dominique and faverolle banties are a little harder to come by, at least up here they are. Although bantam eggs are smaller, they are still a useful size from these dual purpose breeds and there is more yolk in comparison to the white and scrambled eggs go the most amazing golden colour

[Gardenwitch]

sorry for my ignorance what are "titchy" eggs from a true bantam?

Maybe I should go for the bantam versions of larger breeds like most I listed earlier as they arent true bantams then but still smaller in size which is what i need with my space available.

Great to know about the eggs from the dual purpose breeds, sounds perfect and what I'm after overall for eating

Thanks again for all the advice its helping me to narrow it down lol Now to find a local farm store/country store I think the nearest to me would be Clacton, or i'll search colchester area too. xx

[Flummery]

Sorry, lapsed into a bit of Lancashire there. Titchy means small!