What sort of chooks do you have?

[Imarni]

Just wondering what other people keep. I have some hybrids, brought long ago before I decided to get purebreds, 3 Cochins and a Cochin Rooster, 1 Silver laced Hamburg, she has one little chick at the moment. 3 Wyandottes a blue and a Silver laced and a Columbian Buff. Had 2 Barnevelders down to 1 now though. Am finding Cochins are a VERY broody bunch really, lovely gentle birds though.

[geoff]

We've got a horde of bantams of all sorts of mixed heritage, a couple of isa browns, new hampshire and rhode island reds, a lot of light sussex and two dorkings. We did have barnevelders at one stage, they were great, and I'm thinking we'll get back into them again, though the dorkings were great meat birds.

[bazman]

I breed silver grey dorkings and bantam blue australorps. I sometimes have barge plymouth rocks and rhode island reds roosters as meats birds, I get them as day olds from a local breeder as they don't want roosters. I have between 12 to 40 chooks at any one time depending on the season.

[Imarni]

Now I have no Barnies, my Ridgeback got rhough a small hole in the fence dug under another fence and killed it yesterday, bit devestated such good layers and lovely coloured eggs

[sun burn]

This is probably a good thread to discuss the personailities of the respective breeds to compare notes.

I've got what i think are black astrolaubs - they have some bantum in them too apparently. They can't be pure breds because one of them is quite red. I find them flighty, untrusting, fairly aggressive about food. When i tried to catch them all once so we could clip their wings, the noise was like we might have been torturing them. I've for four chooks and one randy rooster. One is their mum. As yet she's the only one laying.

[eco4560]

My thoughts go out to you Imarni. Very sad to lose a good chook.

[permasculptor]

I did have two barnevelders three isa browns and six australorps and one australorp roster .Until the neighbours dogs got in now I am down to two isa's.

[bazman]

I think if you can keep two different breeds in two different areas you should be able to keep a year round supply of eggs, because some birds all go into moult at the same time they stop laying, and sometimes all the birds go broody at once. The silver grey dorkings are a very friendly bird that I often pick up and pat which they quite enjoy and the roosters are not to nasty. My bantam blue australorps are a very stand off type of bird but are good layers and would be great for a small backyard. I sometimes have rhode island reds and barge plymouth rock roosters, both can be a bit jumpy and I never turn my back on the reds as they will jump at you.

[mischief]

We have Isa Browns at the moment but would love to replace them with Buff Orphingtons.
Wouldnt mind having some bantams again too.

[ebunny]

We have two Isa Browns, which are good layers and very friendly, though I've heard that's not generally true, and two wyandottes who are suspicious and one always seems to be broody and moody. We get 2-3 eggs a day and I'm not sure about the meat side of things as they are house chickens and not for the pot.

We are thinking about two more, as our leghorn chicks turned out to be roosters and had to go (ah suburbia). But not sure what breed we should get. Would like something friendly that are good layers. any suggestions?