[sarah f]

chickens are addictive, i started with 3 silkies, i now have 3 silkie bantams, 1 miniature silkie, 2 serama, and 2 new  babies in brooder which are also serama ( 8 so far)

[VeggieVirgin]

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?

Personally, I like the personalities of the Rhode Island Reds and the Light Sussex, and they're good layers too. But I think you need to look at the breeds and choose ones that appeal to you.

[looe-looe-belle]

Thanks for that VeggieVirgin!!

I think I may go for:-

Light Sussex
Cream leghorn (or Legbar? not sure I know it lays blue eggs!!
Rhode Island Red
and maybe a Buff orpington - think 1 each of these might be a nice mixture.

What do you think of Buff orpington? - also is it the legbar or the leghorn which lays the blue eggs?....

I will try and find photos on the internet for the Rhode island Red - they do sound nice!

[8doubles]

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?

Personally, I like the personalities of the Rhode Island Reds and the Light Sussex, and they're good layers too. But I think you need to look at the breeds and choose ones that appeal to you.

My RIR recently went to the great hen-house in the sky , got a goldline (RIR x light Sussex) today to replace her and within 20  minutes of getting home it had flapped up onto my arm for a snooze out of pecking range of the others.
The older hens only get close when there is food about.

[VeggieVirgin]

also is it the legbar or the leghorn which lays the blue eggs?....

One of my White Leghorns lays a chalk-white egg; the other one lays a pale cream coloured egg.

I have an Araucana, which lays a green egg. I think there are a few other breeds that lays blue/green eggs, including the Legbar.

[henamoured]

Just thought I'd put my two penn'orth in!
My welsummer hsa laid almost everyday for the last 5 months and had absolutely no illnesses . BUT she's pretty flighty (& not v. friendly) and aggressivev with the other birds.
MY Rhode Island Red is top hen and now almost completely round (trying to slim her down!). She lays really big and tasty eggs very reliably 6 out of 7 days..... whereas my 2 warren hybrids have had some problems, lay about 4-5 days out of 7 and the eggs are a lot smaller.
On the whole I wouldn't get hybrids again, I think the pure breeds have much more character and are more robust - they kind of seem to know what they're about more - if you know what I mean!  :happy:

[Kelloggs]

For me its big friendly brahmas and even though they say they don't lay well, mine lay extremly well when they're not broody and the faverolles lay well too.

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi Looe Looe, Sorry, I only get on here for a little while at lunchtime, then not again usually until after 9pm!  I'm pleased you like the blog, i started it when I made my first mistakes!

I thought if I can help others to avoid the stupid things I've done, and if it only helps one person, it's worth the effort to write about it.  But I forget to keep it updated.  I used ot do it every few days, then weekly.  At the moment its monthly! 

Last year we decided to raise a few pure breeds, so at the moment we have some exchequer leghorns which lay white eggs, a quartet of Silkies (gold cockerel, a fluffy cuckoo and 2 white girls)  They are sweet, but always broody! 

Then there is Jeeves the Light Sussex Cockerel with his 5 ladies, BB The lavender Araucana with his 2 girls.  I swapped him with Joy for my 2 boys who were being cruel to the girls as because of space they were all in together and they girls were coming off worse, but they love BB.  he is very gentle, and Joy's other cockerels and guinea fowl are keeping my delinquents in check! 

I've also got Bertie Rooster the Rhode Island Red and his 3 girlfriends, and Beefy the Indian Game Cockerel, who we've only had a couple of months.  At the moment he has got a Light Sussex hen, a Rhode Island red and a Transilvanian Naked Neck as we are trying to develop our own meat birds!

We also have our laying flock of 11 old hybrids, brown ones, white Amberlinks, 2 Bluebelles, a speckeldy and a Black Rock, and another 8 older girls we took off one of our forum members who couldn't keep them anymore.

We also raise hybrids from day old and meat birds from day old and a few turkeys at Christmas, and from our first hatchings of pure breeds, I've still got a few pullets.

So we have quite a few birds here!   

All the birds you listed are nice birds, but nearly all our Light Sussex girls go broody very regularly, so no eggs, and I would add to your list at least one hybrid, the Bluebelles are VERY pretty! so you will get a few eggs in the winter if the pure breeds don't lay!

Phew, that probably took up a page all on its own, but you did ask!!   

[nicky d]

i feel for you looe- looe, there are so many gorgeous birds out there the choice is definately a difficult one ,   I think wot you should probably do is source some good breeders and go and see there setups, i think its important to see the birds in their home enviorement so you can see if they have been well cared for, try and read up on some things on the forum so you are fully prepared for when they arrive.   I have 3 girlies my self,  i have a speckledy, an amber star and a gorgeous barnevelsder who is a pure breed, barnevelders are absoutely gorgeous girls, mine lays everyday for me.   The amber stars are lovely girls too, very very friendly, the speckledys are lovely chunky girls, i get eggs from these almost every day.   Want to wish you good luck and look forward to seeing the pics of your new girls, its very exciting isnt it.  nickyx

[looe-looe-belle]

Well thank you both GrannieAnnie & NickieD...............loads and loads of info for me there!!!............I am just sooo very pleased I found this website!! and to be able to speak to people who have so much knowledge on keeping hens!!!

Thank you all again!!!!!!!!!!!! xx

[darkbrowneggs]

Hi Looe-Looe-Belle
You PM me, but because I have not posted much I cannot respond, so I though I would post here and hope you find it. 

I have kept the tradition clean legged type of English Cuckoo Marans since the 1980's when I first fell in love with some prizewinning eggs at the local Three Counties Agricultural Show.  I asked the Steward what hen had laid them and he said probably a Marans, what I didn't realise then was that show Marans are bred for their looks rather than egg colour or laying ability, so I tracked down a prizewinning breeder bought some birds, and was incredibly disappointed to get some vaguely tinted eggs, and not many of them either. 

Now after over 20 years of refining my stock I have birds which lay eggs I am proud of, and plenty of them, and are also not too far off prizewinning show quality in looks. 

I do sell a few hatching eggs, but at present I have very few, as I have already cleared out most of last years birds, and the next lot are not in lay yet, but before too long I may have some young laying hens for sale, though you are probably miles from me, and are also very keen to get some birds and get on with keeping chickens.

What I often say to people starting out is to get 3 - 6 "spent hens" what an appalling phrase, though perfectly accurate.  You can get them from most of the large laying farms as they clear them out regularly, and they should cost between 50p - £2.50 depending how lucky you are or how mercenary the farmer is.

They will look terrible as they will be in moult, but within a few weeks their feathers will have regrown, and if they survive (expect around 50% mortality they will lay lots of eggs for a year or two. 

Doing it this way allows you to get the feeling of how to keep chickens without a lot of cost, and if anything untoward happens to them through your lack of experience at least you can think they had a happier end to their short lives, than going for cat food.

Then when you are a "fully-fledged" chicken keeper you can "spread your wings" and get something really good - like my Marans!! 

Well that's another post  to my credit - only 8 to go and I will be able to reply to anyone who PMs me.

All the best
Sue

[nicky d]

I would have pmd you sue, just wanted to say loved your website, wow your maran eggs are amazing   nickyx

[joyfull]

please note that there is no buying or selling allowed on this forum, you may however advertise items free on here in the swap of free section or advertise for sale on the classified section.
I too have a cuckoo maran who lays the same colour eggs - well she does when she isn't broody - which sadly for me she is very frequently 

[evie2]

Hi looe-looe-belle and welcome We've had our 5 new girls 3 weeks now (still no eggs) and we're already planning the next batch; they're very addictive :happy:

Although we do want eggs from them it was more important for them to be friendly, easy to handle hens (they're also quite pretty) because our grand daughter who's 2 is helping with them. The Speckled Rock (Tallulah) particularly loves to be held and stroked and falls asleep on your lap we also have an Old Sussex Star and 3; well I'm not sure what they are other than they're part bantam and they're grand daughter size   Grace

[looe-looe-belle]

Hi Evie2

Thats lovely that your grandaughter helps out with the chickens!! - am well impressed....good luck with your hens!!