So many breeds and hybrids, which to get?

[mariat]

I'm sure this must have been asked before, but could I have some recommendations for breeds/hybrids? I have kept some LF breeds before, Light Sussex, Welsummer etc., but had to rehome them as the dog I had at the time had a taste for them. He has now passed away, so I would love to keep chooks again. Not sure I want to go for pure breeds again, although I am open to suggestions, partly because money is tight and pure breeds are expensive. Ideally I would like LF birds which are hardy, good layers and docile. Non flighty would be good too. Also, does anyone know of breeders who may have Point-of-Lay hens around the Norfolk area?

[Bren200]

Hi, I am new to hen keeping. I have 7 hybrids & all are friendly. I have light Sussex & suffolks. All from one breeder in bury st Edmunds

[Linda S]

Hi Mariat and wellcome to the lane
Right then i cant do links but if you look across the top of this page and click onto the orange box tittled chicken keeping thats the main forum. On the left hand side i think its the 4th one down Richard has compiled a list tittled Chicken and Poultry Breeders UK you will prob find some on there .

I really need to learn to do links to save everyone from my waffling Linda

[silverback]

Hi Mariat and welcome to the lane
I would consider black rocks (very hardy), isa warrens, speckldys, leghorns (flighty), RIR, light sussex....just my pennies worth, choice is yours really!




I've put the link on that Linda was talking about

http://www.downthelane.net/chicken-bree ... orfolk.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I could recommend a good supplier in Cambridge if you are passing that way!.

[fabindia]

I would suggest gingernut rangers. I have two and they are the friendliest little creatures you could wish for. They are easy to look after, good layers and are cheap enough to buy.

We also have four other hens, chosen to look good rather than anything else, one white, one blue, one black and one copper head. These vary in nature and temperament and I was just saying to my son this morning that in future I think that as the others shuffle off this mortal coil, I will just replace them with gingernuts. I don't think you can beat them.

[silverback]

Michael wrote: I will just replace them with gingernuts. I don't think you can beat them.

Chocolate digestive any day!

[fabindia]

Chocolate digestive any day!

Ha ha very funny I must admit a partial to the odd gingernut, goes down nice with a good cup of tea.

[bmpsands]

I've got Warrens and Light Sussex (flighty) but just added two Lohmans last week. They have settled in well and seem to have wonderful temperaments. They cost me £10 each but we're a long way from you so no point giving you the name of the breeder. I'm told they're such good layers that it's a breed used for commercial purposes.

[albertajune]

I only have 3 chooks and love them all for different reasons. If I had to choose one for courage and egg laying, it would be my French Maran. She a gentle and friendly top lady and for 3yrs has given us an egg at least 5 days out of 7. Never been broody or aggressive and a top chook.

[mariat]

Wow, thank you all so much for your suggestions. What a lovely friendly bunch you all are

A friend of mine has some black rocks she got last year, and she swears by them, but I'm having trouble finding any round here. I like the sound of the Marans and Warrens. And I love Gingernuts! (as my ever expanding waistline will attest).

My friend also suggested that I should stick to one breed to avoid any nastiness between them, but reading your posts it seems you all have mixed flocks. I'm only looking to start with 3 or 4 birds and they will be in a covered run, probably about 15' x 20'. I'll also build a moveable run so I can have them on the lawn now and again, without them demolishing my veg or garden plants. In winter they can have free run of the veg garden.

I did have a look at the breeders list before I posted, but the only one round here (actually about 45 miles away) with breeds I'd consider is the one near Bury St. Edmunds. Surely there must be others closer to home?

[Totally Scrambled]

Greetings and welcome to The Lane
Just a thought but have you tried contacting The Norfolk Poultry Club to see if they have any recommendations.
Dom

[Mo]

It's confusing especially as different breeders have different names for the hybrids.

Warrens (Gingernut Ranger) The warren is a cross between a Rhode Island Red (RIR) and Light Sussex they are a brown and white/cream hen that is the ultimate egg producer!

They are also called ISA brown.

Rhode Rock or Miss Pepperpot Hybrid Point of Lay Hen. These are lovely black hens with some brown feathers, ideal for the family and they lay brown eggs. Colour: Black with copper collar

If they are bred on one Scottish farm they call them Black Rock (which is a trademark, so other farms can't use it for the same cross - they say theirs are better since they select the parent birds .... 'they would say that, wouldn't they')

Here is another list of suppliers

I keep Black Rocks, love them. They lay so well and are bred for garden conditions. The Warren are a commercial breed used for batteries.
A lot of the hybrids have some Rhode Island Red in them - seems to lead to lots of eggs. Hybrids lay well for the first year or so, then tail off, and you have to watch and give them extra calcium if the shells get thin as they age. Pure breeds lay less each year but go on longer. If you want return on the cost of the feed hybrids are better (as long as you do what the farms do and cull when they are not earning their keep - not what most of us do)

[mariat]

OK, so if I want Black Rocks, I need to look for Rhode Rocks. Yes, it was confusing, thanks for the explanation.

What about Barnevelders? I just read up on them in an old issue of Practical Poultry.

[tamk23]

Hi I started off with 3 hybrids - light sussex, bluebelle and a siston black tip all were very good layers however, 1 lost one of them last year at 2 years old and one this year 2 1/2 years old and the other one is still with us but no longer laying.

Last year I decided to get 2 hybrid maran chicks and paid £5 each. This year I decided that as I now only had the two laying birds I would get 5 cream legbar pure breed chicks they also cost me £5 each.

I decided to try pure breeds as my hybrids just haven't lasted long at all.

[mariat]

The more I read the more I am drawn towards pure breeds, probably Marans. Cost more initially, but seems that they don't burn out within a few years, like the hybrids seem to.