Chicken breed recommendations??

[NEWCOMER]

So, I'm going to order chickens, probably next spring...or maybe in the summer, but really I don't want to order any birds in the summer; with it being hot and all, but I might. Or I'll just incubate some chicks. I really haven't ordered any specific breeds in a long time and for a while now all the birds on my property have been just crossovers resulting from year one, lol. But anyway, I want to order some nice laying birds...to sell the eggs. So any favorite laying breeds you'd like to recommend? Also any hatcheries you'd like to recommend also, would be helpful, if you have any. Normally, I just oder birds from Cackle Hatchery, though.

 

[Baymule]

Sex links. They are black, red or gold. They lay large brown eggs, lots and lots of eggs, for 2 years. After their second molt, third year, they don’t lay as much but eat the same. Old hens make wonderful soup, broth and all time classic, chicken and dumplings. Dress them out and sell to your egg customers.

 

[Blue Sky]

I like Wyandottes, any color. They are a dual purpose bird, can free range or be cooped, have calm dispositions, will go broody and can help your kids with homework. Ok. Kidding about the last part.

 

[Mini Horses]

Whatever you do, get, etc. know they start laying at roughly 6 months. Hatched chicks like warmth, so summer takes less heat lamp time . Sex links usually start laying 4-5 months and most are calm, will forage, will coop, are generally calm. If you're interested in selling eggs they also lay more reliably. I'd go with those if that was my goal. Even knowing @2-3 they're freezer fill. It's a little different than enjoying the colors and longevity of older breeds.

 

[canesisters]

Egg customers are sometimes willing to pay more for colorful shells. If you have the room, you might want to add in a few black copper marans for dark brown and a few legbars for blue eggs. Maybe even a few leghorns for white eggs to contrast against the others.

 

[NEWCOMER]

Well

Whatever you do, get, etc. know they start laying at roughly 6 months. Hatched chicks like warmth, so summer takes less heat lamp time . Sex links usually start laying 4-5 months and most are calm, will forage, will coop, are generally calm. If you're interested in selling eggs they also lay more reliably. I'd go with those if that was my goal. Even knowing @2-3 they're freezer fill. It's a little different than enjoying the colors and longevity of older breeds.

See, I remembered that literally twenty minutes after posting this thread; So now I'm debating if I should get some already egg-laying hens and then since I have a rooster and all that I could just incubate the eggs from the new hens...but I'm still debating it.

 

[Finnie]

So, I'm going to order chickens, probably next spring...or maybe in the summer, but really I don't want to order any birds in the summer; with it being hot and all, but I might. Or I'll just incubate some chicks. I really haven't ordered any specific breeds in a long time and for a while now all the birds on my property have been just crossovers resulting from year one, lol. But anyway, I want to order some nice laying birds...to sell the eggs. So any favorite laying breeds you'd like to recommend? Also any hatcheries you'd like to recommend also, would be helpful, if you have any. Normally, I just oder birds from Cackle Hatchery, though.

Barred Rocks are great layers!

Also, plain old Easter Eggers are good layers and their eggs are usually large.

 

[rachels.haven]

I'm a leghorn fan. I've liked McMurray's pearl whites. You feed them, they stay and lay xl eggs from 16 weeks on. No nonsense and clean eggs if combined with a rollout nestbox. Very tethered to their feeder so they did not leave or get lost. My red stars from them laid the darkest eggs and were more in your face, but they were the ones that would fly out.

 

[halfacrehomesteader]

I'm a leghorn fan. I've liked McMurray's pearl whites. You feed them, they stay and lay xl eggs from 16 weeks on. No nonsense and clean eggs if combined with a rollout nestbox. Very tethered to their feeder so they did not leave or get lost. My red stars from them laid the darkest eggs and were more in your face, but they were the ones that would fly out.

I love my leghorn. She is my favorite one out of the 9 I have. Her eggs aren't as large as my others but she is so sweet.

 

[fuzzi]

So, I'm going to order chickens, probably next spring...or maybe in the summer, but really I don't want to order any birds in the summer; with it being hot and all, but I might. Or I'll just incubate some chicks. I really haven't ordered any specific breeds in a long time and for a while now all the birds on my property have been just crossovers resulting from year one, lol. But anyway, I want to order some nice laying birds...to sell the eggs. So any favorite laying breeds you'd like to recommend? Also any hatcheries you'd like to recommend also, would be helpful, if you have any. Normally, I just oder birds from Cackle Hatchery, though.

The only time I ordered day old chicks I used Cackle, and was pleased with the results.

I've only had bantams, so I can't recommend any standard sized breeds.