MtViking- A little piece of paradise.

[chickens really]

Personally I would keep the EE Cockerel. He is a cross with a Brahma. Should be a docile Rooster. Also the Cochin Cockerel.
You have a nice flock of chickens.

 

[MtViking]

I think you got a few other things in the mix. The big rooster with the whitish coloring on his neck and wings and saddle feathers, as well as the brassy color on his shoulders, is colored more like a Salmon Faverolle but he looks to be awfully tall. They have 5 toes though so you ought to be able to tell if he is a faverolle. He looks to have a "beard" which they do have and the brahma's do not have beards. They tend to be a fairly good table bird, as they will get up in size ...they are considered a dual purpose breed.... originated in France.
The big blackish one with the dark reddish neck,(hackle feathers) and shoulders is the dark Brahma.
The golden laced wyandottes are decent layers.
The two with the crested heads look to be a color of crested polish, although blue is not a recognized color of Polish for show. It looks like you have a cockerel and a pullet. Most Polish are very colorful, having white crested blacks, black crested white, silver which is like the silver laced pattern and golden which is the golden laced pattern. They can have "beards" or be non-bearded.
I didn't see any that I would call the egyptian fayoumius.
The Fayoumis are pretty rare, I think I have seen one or two in all the years I have been around show poultry... they have a silvery neck with like small bars of white on black feathers.... not near as much white across the feather as the dominiques or a barred rock, and the barred breeds do not have the contrasting silvery white necks. Supposed to be flighty but lay very young....

I didn’t get a picture of the Egyptian bird. It’s definitely a Fayoumi though she’s a spitting image of hens online. I thought she was a rooster because her tail feathers stand straight up. Then I googled it and she’s definitely a hen. She is very skiddish so she wasn’t down with the other birds. When they are out of the run the flock splits into two groups I didn’t get and pictures of the other group. I’ll see if I can get a picture of the Fayoumi tonight. The bearded one with the white is the Easter egger he does have extra toes though. I was wrong about them all being grab bag specials too I didn’t realize my wife order some breed specific birds like the Easter eggers the crested hybryds and Americaunas. I’ll get more pictures.

 

[MtViking]

Looked at the pictures again; the one I called a dark brahma might be the partridge cochin, but is way too tall for show type quality. similar colors patterns.. Yes, I know you want layers, but it is good to know what you are looking at. I like the splash ones, have no experience with marans, but they are a real nice example of the splash pattern.
Maybe the ones with the crests are that "steele" hybrid???? Still looks like a pair to me. If you were to breed them, you would get some blue like them, some splash and some black in their chicks. That is the way the blue pattern works.

The dominiques will lay best of most all the ones you have. Yes they can be aggressive....but they are very active and good foragers.

We only have the two rooster Dominique so I don’t think they will lay much for us lol. We have a 2 barred rock hens though.

 

[Mini Horses]

Good that the BR are hens. I find them to be docile and very good layers. My last group of young ones layed all winter! I like them and none now but, planning for more soon. The Dom roos -- butcher. Oh, your little rockstar guy is so cute!

Love the chicken patterns. If I went back to only self use, I'd have onesies of many -- just for the lovely plumage! They are entertaining.

 

[Bruce]

My Barred Rocks lay really well. Arcadia lays the largest eggs in the flock, generally 68-72 grams, Vienna usually lays 62-68g.

You have duel purpose so the Cochin, Dominique, Easter eggers etc can be butchered at around 24 weeks.

I've not ever felt my EEs would be good meat birds. They look big in feather but when they moult, not much there.

 

[farmerjan]

Yeah, all the colors of Rocks are generally good layers, with the barreds and whites the best. I didn't realize that there were only the 2 dom roosters.... I thought there were some pullets in a different group. Yeah, I would eat themif they are a pain. Pen them up and feed for a bit to get some weight on them.
The cochins will have more feather than body.... that is their trademark. Anything you are wanting to kill to eat should probably be penned up as they will soon start trying to "play king rooster" and the jostling for position and fighting will diminish any weight gain out loose.

 

[farmerjan]

If the bearded on with the extra toes is the "easter Egger" I think they goofed.... looks like a half way decent Salmon Faverolle to me.

 

[MtViking]

If the bearded on with the extra toes is the "easter Egger" I think they goofed.... looks like a half way decent Salmon Faverolle to me.

After I looked that up your absolutely right that totally what he is. We have a female too

 

[MtViking]

Th

Good that the BR are hens. I find them to be docile and very good layers. My last group of young ones layed all winter! I like them and none now but, planning for more soon. The Dom roos -- butcher. Oh, your little rockstar guy is so cute!

Love the chicken patterns. If I went back to only self use, I'd have onesies of many -- just for the lovely plumage! They are entertaining.

This is our first flock so the wife ordered a bunch of Different breeds that way we can see what we like and don’t like. I like all of them that’s the problem I don’t know which ones to get rid of lol. It is a very fun addition to the homestead. I want add some Icelandic next year there is a local lady a few miles away that breeds Icelandic’s. They are super cool looking all sorts of different colors and patterns you never know what your gonna get. Hehehe sounded like forest Gump there. Chickens are like a box of chocolates sometimes

 

[farmerjan]

Salmon Faverolles are considered a rare breed, not many people breeding them or showing them. Supposed to be very calm and a good dual purpose breed. I am thinking I am going to try some once I get situated at the house. I want to increase my New Hampshires, and get some bantam New Hampshires too.... and get some more large Black Langshans to add to my few. Then maybe play around with some other breeds. I liked the Welsummers that I had and loved the dark eggs. Who knows.... get the "fever" next year. I do want to get more show quality birds though. Not wanting to get into showing big time, but I enjoyed it and would like to be able to go to a few shows.... and breed some breeds that are more rare. The Salmon Faverolles intrigued me so really do want to get a few, to try. We'll see.