[spud]

I hope to have my new henhouse built in the next month or so, and got to wondering what breed I would try next ...

I want these birds to be good layers, in the past I've had a few breeds maran, ancona but mainly brown hybrid hens ...

has anyone got experience of leghorn, black rock, RIR  or what would folks recomend? I have some gamefowl that I use for hatching out eggs ;-)

Table:
Black Rock 3 outa 4
White Star 1 outa 4

TIA

Cheers

 

[helens-hens]

Hi Spud. I am still pretty new to all of this but I have 2 of the types you mentioned: blackrocks. They are both very good layers, 1 lays about 6 days in every 7, the other about 4-5 days out of every 7 and this has been throughout the winter, including the really cold spell we had (sorry my egg laying stats aren't very scientific looking!).

They seem very hardy birds, tame and quite friendly. I guess thats a thumbs up for them from me !

[joyfull]

Thumbs up for blackrocks from me too. Mine (Mrs Rhythm - got her with a Bluebelle called Mrs Blues  ) laid 6 eggs a week for 2 years then deopped down to 4 or 5 a week. They have been known to still lay the occasional egg at 8 years old. They are friendly, hardy and  lovely looking hens 

[spud]

thank you thats a good start for the blackrocks ... what sort of price can one expect to pay for one of these? around here they're asking 12 quid and it hurts, I can get the hybrid brown hens for under a fiver.

I was thinking that if I could get a good breed of hen and then rear my own chicks every year, would save a few bob. I get a few eggs from a local guy that rears meat birds, and that keeps us in chicken.

Cheers

 

[Totty]

Hi,

We have a small mixed flock of mainly nice looking birds but i got two White Stars that i hoped would keep us in eggs if any others slowed. They lay huge white eggs, 6 each a week, and have done since they started laying in september. They are a leghorn hybrid i believe and totally recomend them.

Totty

[spud]

I've never seen these locally, but I'll check them out, tnx.

Cheers

 

[joyfull]

thats not a bad price for blackrocks, bear in mind they will lay for a longer time span than the hybrid brown hens.

[Aidy]

£12 here too for the Blackrocks, when I got mine they were £10, but as Joy says, fantastic birds, I will always go for them in future.

[helens-hens]

I have read somewhere in the last couple of days that you can only get 'real' Blackrocks from certain sellers in the UK who have hatched eggs from a hatchery in Muirfield which is the main source.

As far as I know a Blackrock is simply a cross between a Rhode Island Red and Plymouth Rock (?). My 2 are from the Domestic Fowl Trust & looking at their website they actually call them Rhode Rocks.

I was wondering when a Blackrock is really a Blackrock - does the Scottish hatchery just have the licence for the name?

There should be a picture below of 1 of mine (well I think she is!)

[joyfull]

she looks quite a bit darker than my blackrock, but yes the people who developed this breed are the only ones (and those breeders that they allow) that can call their birds blackrocks. The same thing goes for bluebelles.

[spud]

hh thats a nice looking hen, I've seen some pics of 'black rocks' and they look dirty, scruffy looking ! if you know what I mean. They have a browny black colour with cross look on their face and dark coloured legs ... not very pleasing to look at.
As has been said, perhaps its in the breeding! i'm still tempted towards the white leghorn, 280 - 300 eggs and good scavangers  when on the free range, I could put up with a white egg for that, but I'd still like to hear what others have and what they think.
TIA

Cheers

 

[helens-hens]

Hi Spud, I'll pass your comments onto Harriet (the hen in the pic), she will be thrilled!

On a serious note, it really has to be down to personal choice. I think the white leghorns are a lovely looking bird and they are known as good layers though possibly a bit 'flightier' than some types.

Funnily enough you mention putting up with white eggs - I can't remember the last time I had one & was starting to think that if I get another hen I may look for a layer of white eggs rather than brown!

[Totty]

Its nice to have a mixture i think. Nice little bantam eggs, "traditional"brown eggs, and whopping great white ones! Could do with some nice blue ones to throw into the mix....

[spud]

Its nice to have a mixture i think. Nice little bantam eggs, "traditional"brown eggs, and whopping great white ones! Could do with some nice blue ones to throw into the mix....

You're correct, but I worry about larger breeds fighting with smaller ones when all housed together.

Cheers

 

[uktitan]

we have all different sizes housed together.

We have a Huge Blue Orpington (Bouncing Betty) we have Blackrocks, copper black maran, columbine (blue egg laying hybrid), we also have a couple of tiny Polands, a Banty Australorp, a Banty barnevelder (this is the hed Hen BTW hehe) they all get on very well together.

The Columbine's are very good layers, Posie lays 6 eggs a week, then takes a day off, Her Eggs are kinda light olive green colour. also columbines can lay anything from a pastel blue to a Khaki colour.