[looe-looe-belle]

  Hello everyone!

I am new to the forums. I currently live in Hampshire, although my partner and I will soon be moving to Cornwall and I intend keeping around 4 hens - I am very excited!!
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could guide me - I have looked at various different hens on a farm in Liskeard, Cornwall and was told that for a newbie, maybe the light sussex, buff orpington and cream legbar would be an ideal start.
I really like the brown hens that FLOWER POWER has - they look so lovely, like traditional hens - could you tell me what type of hens these are? Because I am new I cannot post directly to flower power.
Ideally, I am looking for hens which lay around 300+ eggs per year - nice brown eggs would be nice.
Oh, another question whilst I am here...how do you ensure that you get nice large eggs? is it due to the breed of chicken?...or what you feed them on.
Just that whilst I was in Cornwall, I went to a farm shop to buy some free range eggs, and while they were very lovely, they were mostly very, very, small!! some had lovely orangey yolks and some had lemony coloured yolks!!!...so what I want to know...is...how do you get nice large eggs with nice orangey yolks?

I appreciate all your help, as I am a novice to this - I only hope that for my first post I didnt come across as boring?!!

Many thanks !!

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi Looe Looe!  Welcome to the forums!

If you are referring to the ordinary brown garden hens, theyare hybrids and there are quite a few breeds that all look similar.  They are Warrens, ISA browns, Bovan Browns, Shaver browns, Hisex Browns and the ones like the Babocks and Columbian blacktails that are brown but with black tails rather than the white or creamy bottoms of the others mentioned.  They will all lay 300+ eggs at their peak, they are not bred to live productively for years.  They are good for their first 2 years, but hen their egg laying goes down gradually til they run out!

Their eggs are a bit small to begin with, then get to their optimum size, and as the hens get older, the eggs may also get bigger, with thinner shells and odd shapes.

More yellow yolks come with feeding lots of greenstuffs like cabbage, dandelions and chickweed

[looe-looe-belle]

Hi GrannieAnnie,

Thank you so much for your help!! So can I ask you how many chickens do you keep and what breeds?

Its very good that I have managed to find this forum - everyone seems to know their "stuff" on chickens and come across as being very helpful ! 

[compostqueen]

Grannie keeps loads and sells them I do believe 

Sounds like brown hybrids you mean (although they do come in a range of lovely colours actually) but they are egg producers and three hens will give you 21 eggs a week for about 18 months to 2 years and then it tails right off to about 1 or 2 a week 

they are docile birds and if you get them from a reputable, local dealer they should be healthy and trouble free. They do get problems though from being such good layers when they hit about two years of age and some folks despatch them when they stop laying. I don't - I put up with the lack of eggs and the vets bills 

The pure breeds lay fewer eggs but they probably suffer less from egg laying complications and will live longer

Someone will no doubt give more definitive info than I   

[looe-looe-belle]

Thanks for the info compostqueen!!! I will bear everthing in mind.
I was told that keeping chickens was easy...but listening to everyones problems...maybe not?
I must admit, hasnt put me off though!

[looe-looe-belle]

Hi again GrannieAnnie!!

Many thanks for all your help...Oh, by the way I love your blog and website!!! loads of info on there!!!.........must be hard work though, reading about everything you do...oh yes, I make my own bread too!!!....bliss!

[VeggieVirgin]

I was told that keeping chickens was easy...but listening to everyones problems...maybe not?

That's probably because people only post when they're having problems!

I've been keeping chickens for a year now, and they've been mostly trouble-free.

I knew nothing about them when I got them, and I just asked my supplier for "pretty ones". I got all these breeds: Welsumer, Rhode Island Red, Calder Ranger, White Leghorn, Light Sussex, Speckledy, Magpie, Black Rock and Blue Belle. I love the way they look together - all the different coloured feathers.

The best layers are the Blue Belles, the Leghorns and the Speckedies - I get eggs from them most days. Most of the others lay most days, except for one of the Black Rocks (she sits in the nesting box, but rarely actually lays an egg) and the Welsumers. When the Welsumers do lay, they're eggs are really good: huge terracotta coloured eggs.

We'd been thinking about having chickens for a while, but I never expected them to be as much fun as they've turned out to be - it's a very rewarding and enjoyable hobby.

[looe-looe-belle]

Thanks for your help VeggieVirgin!!
So what do you reckon on the light sussex? or buff orpington?....I think I am like you I will go for the pretty types to start!!

You mention welsummers....do you mean they dont lay often? I really must get a good book which shows all the breeds.

I think I can only keep about 4-6 as the house I will be moving to in cornwall the garden is only 60 ft! 

You must have quite a bit of land then to keep all the ones you told me about?

[VeggieVirgin]

The Light Sussex is great - she's very pretty and she makes a really funny noise - almost like a sneeze. We also have a Light Sussex rooster on loan from a friend. I've never had any Buff Orpingtons, but I know a lot of people do keep them.

I've got two Welsumers. One lays three or four eggs per week (although at the moment we've got a problem with a magpie stealing them - I just found the remains of an eggshell on a gate post - grrr!). The other only lays sporadically (or else I'm just not finding the eggs: one of the joys of keeping free range chickens is that every day is Easter Egg Hunt day!). If you're only having a few hens, I think you'd be better opting for more reliable layers.

We've got 16 hens plus the rooster at the moment, and three chicks which we hatched a couple of months ago. Space isn't a problem, because we live on a farm, and the chickens are free to roam around.

[Kelloggs]

 Chickens should be sold with warnings 'highly addictive' 

you'll always want more 

[looe-looe-belle]

Hi again VeggieVirgin!

You say I should maybe have more reliable layers due to the small space that I have - so can I ask your advice?....which 4 should I go for then?

[looe-looe-belle]

Hi Kellogs!!

I bet they are quite addictive - but because I will only have a small garden I can only have 4-6 birds!! 

[Kelloggs]

Thats what I said started with just a silkie cockerel(my sons) and 6 others in small  part of the garden now we don't have any garden

[ehs284]

Listen to Kelloggs

[looe-looe-belle]

  Hahahahahahaha!!!! I bet I will end up with no garden too!!!!! lol