[Viv]

I want to specialise with my hens and looking to all of you to guide me in the right choice.
I have an acre of free range ground with a river ( only runs in the winter) running through the middle. There is ample shade and ample sun. I want to breed a large hen that will be hardy to the elements and produce eggs for us and the village.
I have a mixture of rescue battery, two white leghorns, three black rocks and a welsummer, sixteen hens in total.
What in your opinion is the best large hen to have which is friendly and a good layer, I also intend to have a cockrel as well.
Are silkies the best to use for broodies?

There thats given you all food for thought

[mercury]

Hi viv, for the large hens i prefer rhodies, but its more a matter of preference, silkies are excellent broodies, but i personaly like silkiex xsussex, but anything with silkie in it will go broody

[GrannieAnnie]

I haven't kept them myself, but from what I've read, Black rocks are supposed to be the hardiest of the hybrids for free ranging, especially in colder climes.  What's your experience of the ones you've got?

[Viv]

The Black Rocks I have are brilliant, although not as friendly as my rescues. I like the look of the Leghorns, I'll have to read up about them.
Your silkiexsussex sounds good, where would I get some of them from?

[jonny1982]

Hello viv i would say Rhode Island Reds would be good for what you want as they are good layers, hardy, and they have an exellent personality.
I keep these myself with a couple of isa browns which are also very good layer as well as very tame.
As you want to breed them , i would of thought they are one of the best breeds to mix with your others as they have been used to develop many different hybrids to produce eggs and meat.
Im not sure what you will get with crossing them but im sure you will do weel with this breed.
Here is a picture i took of mine this morning.

[Fat Hen]

Hi, if you go for Silkies i'd recomend you fence off the river as they can become waterlogged very easily & drown.  They do not shed water as easily as "normal" hens.

Also despite their probably well deserved reputation as broodies one of mine is the least broody you could imagine.  Apart from the water issue though they seem to be very tough.

[babe]

and silkies have pretty bums  :? well i know what i mean , theyre all fluffy and funny when they waddle off.

[Selkie]

Oh Babe, don't all hens have fluffy bums?

[babe]

yes, but silkies are even fluffier, my treacle(bless her soul) used to have me in stitches, like a ball of fur waddling up the garden.

[Fat Hen]

yes, but silkies are even fluffier, my treacle(bless her soul) used to have me in stitches, like a ball of fur waddling up the garden.

My "little fur ball" struts rather than waddles (she's top chicken) but when she runs she has me in stitches, she looks so ridiculous and very very cute.

[Viv]

How do you keep her so clean, especially her lovely legs :?:  

[slowef]

OOhhhh she's got Ugg Boots on, bless she is so sweet

[tallulah]

I have a Barnvelder, and she's a large hen, and an excellent layer.  Tho she did go a bit broody in the summer - but now back to laying with a vengeance.  Her eggs are a beautiful rich terracotta brown.

[tallulah]

Actually, I say 'a bit broody' - she went very broody!  So her kith n kin might suit your needs, Viv.

[Fat Hen]

Sorry the ginger one on the right is the Silkie (daisy), the white one is Polly a Sultan.  She's usually clean for a little while after she's moulted.

She's also the most sensible and when it rains she heads for the covered pen or even the hen house where she takes up residence in the pop hole watching rain and other chooks getting wet.

The fotograph was taken to catch the chook in the background (well actually a moment prior to photograph there were two, both upside down legs in air sharing a mud bath).