We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/878025/
I am going to be getting my first ever chicken(s) on August 7 or August 9 at the Iowa State Fair. Later this week, I am getting my Eglu, to house my new friends. This thread is for continued discussion on the types of chickens I should consider, the fun things I should know about chicken keeping, and hopefully some pictures of some super chickens to help me decide what I should get. My primary interests are:
1. Decent egg layer (but there are only 2 of us, so 3 to 5 a week is fine.)
2. Preferring to get a couple of bantams and a couple of standards.
3. MUST be good personality chickens - want to hang out with me in the veggie patch, maybe sit on my lap from time to time, and generally be docile and friendly.
4. Would be nice to have interesting colouring on their feathers.
5. Must be more cold hardy due to Iowa winters.
Claire
Countdown to Chicken Acquisition Day
Claire;
try this chicken calculator to see what it comes up with.. http://www.mypetchicken.com/breedQuestions.aspx
I'd be interested in the comparason to it and what we have suggested.
Here's the disputed bantam. Guesses so far include:
1. Bantam buff orpington rooster
2. Bantam self blue mille-fleur/d'uccle
3. Ameraucana
4. Araucana
I wish I could have talked to the owner!
Claire
Maybe just maybe they might be at the other fair this weekend, and you could lurk around that cage until someone will answer your questions. Now wouldnt that be nice.
My vote:
Non of the above
#1 - no.. not enough "buff" color, too much silver
#2 - no.. not "self" anything, self means solidly one color
#3 - no.. not Ameraucana, wrong comb
#4 - no.. not Araucana, wrong comb, wrong tail
my guess.. Bantum Porcelain d'uccle Bantam Hen , right coloring, little clue.. look at tiny little feather feet poking out at her side.
Of course.. this is my VERY uneducated guess.
Orpingtons fit everything except the interesting color--although they do come in blue and black as well as buff. The buff is very pretty--if it is a good bird it should look like a golden coin. They do forage but can't fly and would need some predator protection (but not more than most laying birds). Mine has been a very steady layer. Mine have also been extremely friendly and are the only ones who come and sit in my lap.
Black Australorps are also friendly--and good egg layers. Similar to the Orpington, though not so fluffy.
Buckeyes--of course and they are very cold hardy. Not showy though. Only breed developed solely by a woman.
Dominiques have showier barred feathers, are said to be friendly and are bred to withstand cold--it is said to be the oldest American breed.
I don't have as much experience with bantams---but even those that lay well, lay small to tiny eggs so maybe you could go for aesthetics with them and utility with the standard breeds. Most of the true bantams can fly. But if you went with cochins (which may be what I though was a bantam Buff Orpington) they wouldn't fly and be charming--and come in a lot of colors. Or you could try Old English Game bantams (well small birds) the do fly, are great foragers--but I would worry about them in a mixed flock and they aren't considered friendly. Tf has experience keeping them in confinement and says hers don't lay well.
Let us know what you decide!
Of my (current) three breeds, my Orpingtons are the most docile....no skittishness, easy to handle and lay a tan colored egg. I have both *blue* and *black* - the blue is a lovely medium gray (to me). My Marans are skittish...My ameracaunas are fussy....both lay very lovely eggs. My mutts (easter egger/orpington/? mix) are uh, old and tired, lol.
I did not know Orphingtons came in blue.. hmmm.. I did disclaim with the word.. uneducated.. lol
Frans,
I used the chicken calculator. What a funny name, but a great tool. It recommends 21 different breeds, given my entries. Here they are:
Ameraucana Aseel Australorp Barnevelder Brahma
Cochin Delaware Dominique Dorking Faverolle
Jersey Giant Langshan Naked Neck Orpington Plymouth Rock
Rhode Island Silkie Star Sussex Wyandotte
New Hampshire Red
I think my faves from this bunch are the Cochin, Faverolle, Sussex and Ameraucana.
Claire
Those sound like great choices. I don't know why they recommended the Aseel--it is a very ancient fighting breed. Probably a good forager?
go with the brahma or the cochin!
The cochins really seem to be recommended for their friendly personalities. What is the brahma like?
just as feindly, less puffy, less foot feathers.... and they are really fun to watch. ii love the buff the best...
As you all know, I've been lurking about and popping in from time to time with comments,
I'm really interested in this debate about chicken selection.
When I was a kid in a moderately sized US city (pop. 182, 608) in the 50s and 60s, every 3rd or 4th house had chickens, No, they did not house them in the Ethiopian "coops", but nor did they have eglus. Most, I think, just housed in the garage or in "coops" built from split 2x4s and chicken wire (there's a good reason it has that name).
Rhode Island Reds were popular, because they were sturdy, decent egg layers, and survived our Continental winters with little protection. Our "returned" Japanese neighbours kept Banties (don't knoe ehat kind because I naively thought there was only 1!). They amazed us kids because they walked around their city lawn; had no fear of kids or dogs; seemed to love 'their kids'; and never left home.
I know I am an old "fuddy-duddy", but sometimes it seems to me we might make too much out of things that were meant to be simpler.
Chickens ain't the brightest animals God placed on this earth. Them and sheep are close. Nor do they demand a lot. I can understand if you want a chicken to be a pet. Some are real good. In some cases you have to chose a breed; in more cases, it's just the bird is friendly or not and takes to you or not.
Or if you want fancy foliage,coloration or nifty eggs.
But, for practical purposes, I'd have thought buying a chicken was simple.
I have a neighbour down the hill at the edge of the village who has a bunch of chickens in a coop [totally open, by the way, in all weathers] and I asked him about his [in French, of course]. "How long have you had your chickens?" "I don't know. They were my mother's. About 50 years, I'd guess." "What kind are they?" ""they're egg layers, 'cept we eat them when they get old." "But do you know what race they are?" "Of course, I do! They're French!"
I am enjoying following this thread. I do hope that my occasional intrusions are not considered too offensive.
I enjoy ..... and I hope you will also ..... the differences between "choosing a chicken" in 2008 America and raising chickens in an earlier version of the USA or in many other places today.
Potagere
i want a French chicken LOL... love your point of view...
I'd like to have chickens.
But we have a Corgi, and he spends, on average 2.5 months per year in the kennel.
And 5 cats, who have cat-owner neighbour who swaps us care time.
But if we are gone 2.5-3 months of the year, who cares for the chickens? (The man down the hill also has 12 rabbits, 4 goats and a herd of cows!)
I also want a donkey!
I could maybe get you a French chick next Spring, Tamara, but then how do I smuggle it to Fritch? I should ask my son. He lives in Houston and they smuggle everything there!
Get pens ready before you get the birds .
Potagere if you want a donkey go to search engine and check out ' The Brayer Magazine. Lots of good info on them and mules . I think it's 'welovelongears.com' not sure.I miss my donkeys terribly.
Horse ferriers can damage their hooves though if they trim them like a horse. We trimed them ourselves after a couple near crippings. Donkeys are devoted and very smart .They are the best guards for all other animals. Of course they have to get use to them . One goat herderfound this out the hard way , the goats kept getting out and they couldn't understand how . One day they looked out just in time to see one of the donkeys throwing them over the fence ! They knew ot to do this when the owners were watching , they are not only very smart, but also can be sneaky too .
oh I agree Potagere with your analysis but I do admit having many of the same questions about breed, selection, housing, predators etc. that have been voiced here. I think it has to do with the fact that I am one full generation removed from my family farming history and a product of the *subdivision* generation. The mere idea of having chickens in our *neighborhood* would have sent the majority of residents into a tizzy.
I always intended to have a small place - my grandfather (who was raised on a truck farm) always admonished me to have a *patch of land* for *bad times*. He taught me to dig a garden and plant potatoes....but I was still *city dumb* about livestock.
Once, when driving in the country with farm friends I hollered loudly to "Stop the Car!! That poor horse has a HUGE stick in his belly". The driver nearly ran off the road he was laughing so hard....I never did live it down.
So I welcome everyone's input....that's how I learn! And, for the record I vote for the Ameracaunas despite their lack of cuddly-ness. Nothing like finding a beautiful pale turquoise egg after a stressful work day.
Catherine
who just mucked out the goat pen.....
I knew that chicken was a D' Uccle!!!! The color I wasn't certain on but I know the breed!
Although I live in the country, on the very edge of my small French village, dogs and cats are about it.
We travel too much. Who would care for my donkey or my chickens while we were off on holiday?
No one.
And that's the biggest point to me, far more important than breed, etc.
People used to stay home. We don't do that. So that rules out animals that cannot be kenneled or whose care cannot be swapped with a neighbour.
Potagere
Yes, I agree, buying a chicken ought to be simple. First, I have never had a chicken, nor have I ever known anybody who had a chicken, except for one of my coworkers who invited me to yesterday's fair event, because her son was showing his chickens in it. BTW, he received Reserve Grand Champion for his white wyandottes. Anyway, I do not like to get into something new without learning about it, so simple as it may be to choose a chicken, I wanted to do so in an informed way. I didn't even know there were different sizes of chickens and so many different colours and types. I just kind of figured there were white and brown and black chickens and they were pretty much the same.
Second, because I have since read about chickens who like to sit in people's laps when they read a book, or follow them around the garden, I wanted such qualities in my chicken. I don't think all chickens are like this, so I wanted to learn which ones were more likely to behave that way and make an informed choice. I would like some eggs, but my primary interest in the chicken is for its companionship in the garden, and giving it a good life on my little slice of Iowa ground. I didn't know
If I were a production farmer and wanted a bunch of chickens for eggs to eat and sell, I would just go out and buy good layers and probably end up eating them later. But my chickens will not be eaten, and will be part of my life, just like my greyhound and my other pets before him. I think the main difference, therefore, is that I'm choosing a companion animal, not a production animal. That is why it is such a big deal!
When I go away, which is only for a week or 2 each year, and maybe the odd long weekend, we have friends who take care of our greyhound, just like we take care of theirs whey they go away. I am hoping to find someone who will do the same for my chickens. Sounds like they are fairly low maintenance so I am hopeful it won't be a trick to find someone.
Continuing my quest for a cuddly chicken...
Claire
Hey, Claire,
It's my old-man's mission in life to try to remind people pf "how it used to be" and often that "it ain't so complicated".
Since you are NOT a production farmer and you have only the standard American holiday, I would think this should be simple.
There's a comprehension gap here:
"a chicken that will not be eaten".
With all due respect, I think such a concept is uniquely American. And , even there, unique to wealthy post-60s lifestyle.
That's not a judgment; just an observation.
P
Only unique to some Americans, as most people I know think it funny to have a pet goat let alone a pet chicken : ) As a matter of fact, most I know do not wish to live in the country and think I'm strange for wanting the country life. They can have their bustling cities. I get bored if I'm inside too long!
I cannot fatham a person from Iowa being anything but uniquely American, with a uniquely American mindset.
And in this situation anything but unique to wealthy post-60s lifestyle... lol..
Funny I don't remember pet chickens in the 60's.. talking horses.. or was that arses??? anyone remember Francis?
Yeah, well, good point, Patchouli!
The inferences and implications can, of course, be argued in finitem.
Have you ever wished that all that "noise" would just stop?
I often do.
Well, maybe the gap is because I'm Canadian. ;-)
My chicken will not be eaten because, just like my greyhound, my former rabbits, my guinea pigs, and my other little companion animals, they are in my life to give me joy and amusement from their antics and so that I can learn more about their biology and behavior (I am a scientist by training), and I am in their life to bring them a good, healthy standard of living and a caring environment. I won't eat my dog when he gets older and stops running so fast, and I won't eat my chickens when they get older and stop laying eggs. They will still eat bugs in my veggie garden and hopefully cheer me up by doing the chicken dance when I bring them treats.
None the less, you are right that it's an interesting observation, and you're right that it's probably unique to a post-60's lifestyle. That said, it seems to me that there are those in the UK, Canada, Australia, and other countries who are interested in chickens as pets as opposed to being eaten. There might even be some French "pet" chickens.
My great grandmother kept a pair of tortoises in her back garden through the summer, and in the winter she brought them in and they lived in a cardboard box under her stove (the old type of stove that was up off the floor) and they stayed there until spring each year. She also kept rabbits that never got eaten. Maybe I have inherited the desire to be an animal caretaker from her.
Claire
Frans,
With regard to your statement "I cannot fathom a person from Iowa being anything but uniquely American, with a uniquely American mindset," I would like to say that there are many people here in Iowa who did not originate here in Iowa, and have widely ranging mindsets. I work in the legal department of a large science company and we have researchers from China, India, Laos, Canada, various European countries, Russia, Argentina, and the list goes on. We all live in Iowa, but I would say that very few of us are "uniquely American" and I would definitely say that many of us "immigrants" are far from what I see as the American mindset.
Just wanted to say that Iowa has a wide variety of mindsets! And not everybody here wants a chicken! Especially as a pet!!
Claire
OK, tortoise soup is, indeed a speciality!
And I don't eat cats. I don't eat dogs. I only eat rabbits (and scallops and any liver) when my wife is on mission overseas.
But I do eat chicken. And pork. And lamb/mutton. And beef. Oh yes, and did I mention? Chicken. A lot of it.
When I was in Colombia and Peru, we ate a lot of guinea pig. They lived in the kitchen, We tried not to give them names, They were very tasty.
It's all "relative". My neighbour raises chickens and rabbits because his family needs the meat and eggs. I would/could never raise "farm" rabbits because my wife lost a pet rabbit under traumatic circumstances. Chickens, on the other hand, would never be anything to me but a source of eggs and meat, and it is extremely difficult after spending almost 30 years in impoverished countries for me to conceive as them as pets! They are food!
But that is part of the greatness of DG: we all come from these different backgrounds with these different perspectives, and we learn from one another. And, sometimes, bit by bit, we see the world thru a different set of eyes. And then we are changed.
If I were hungry, I'd still eat your chicken.
But you might understand why,
And we could still be friends.
And we might not need to go to war.
Potagere
Glad you made that point, Claire!
well said... if you were hungry, i would feed you... veggies from my garden, and my pet chickens would get the leftovers LOL
Ah Potagere, you are so poetic!
Indeed, learning about everybody's thoughts and cultures and traditions is part of the magic of DG.
Sorry to hear about your wife's loss of her rabbit under traumatic circumstances. I lost my pet rabbit 2 years ago. She was 14 years old, which is very old for a dwarf rabbit. She was with me through 9 years of university, about 15 different residences, moves between Canadian provinces, and then a move to Iowa. She was hugged and cuddled and flew in planes with me (much to the delight of the security personnel, who would call over their friends to see her when I took her through security checks). She also would lick away my tears when I was sad and snuggle up with me when I was sick or tired. Slowly she got cataracts and became blind, and then she got arthritis and could no longer use her back legs properly, so she was often falling over and unable to right herself. When she was no longer able to relieve herself without significant difficulty, I decided it was time for her to pass on, but taking her to the vet that last time was one of the hardest things I have ever done. She is buried under a willow tree with some sprigs of lavender flowers tucked between her paws.
I, too, can never eat rabbit.
Claire
Yes, I can see why. Ms Marta's rabbit was very young, and she had not had it very long.
The death of a pet that I most remember and that affects me the most is that of my 3-month-old Siamese kitten.
14 years is a fortunately long time to have any of our animal friends in our lives.
It's not legal here, but we also have a garden for those who have gone on before us, who lived with us in war and comforted us when we despaired. There are others we loved so much who lie in distant graves, never to be visited, but never forgotten.
I feel I must appoligize.. my comments were "off the cuff" and not ment to be offensive.. yet as a quip response to what I considered a touchy offensive statement.
Apparently I read the original meaning of the written word wrong.. and my quip was in response offensive to the wrong people...
Best of luck to you Claire in your search for a lifelong chicken buddy, you will be greatly rewarded.
I honestly meant no harm.
Fran
No worries Fran, I didn't take offense, I just wanted to put in my 2 cents on being not exactly a typical Iowan. Not to be misconstrued - I love it here. Every day when I get up and look out my window at my trees and my prairie grasses and my barn and gardens, I feel incredibly lucky to be here. I often think of that "Field of Dreams" movie with Kevin Costner when he is asked "Is this heaven?" and he responds "No, this is Iowa." Sometimes that's precisely how I feel. That said, I still miss my homeland.
All that aside, we can still all take delight in the many different chicken breeds and personalities, like the many DG personalities!
So...perhaps the following:
1 Cochin
1 Brahma
1 Bantam barred rock
1 standard Ameraucana (or maybe a Sussex)
How's that for a first flock choice, folks? Anyone think it's a bad mix?
Claire
I'm still gonna vote for 1 good ole American chicken; so keep that Bantam Barred Rock! You know, those chickens crossed America in baskets and old handbags, clucking under circled wagons on the plains of Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, shivering in the cold mountains of Colorado, Nevada and Idaho, until they reached home in Oregon, Washington, and California! They are history in themselves; a neglected piece of Americana!
I read that Queen Victoria was very taken with the cochins because of their sweet personality. I hope that I can find one equally nice as the ones she had! Now, all these pictures and discussions over the d'Uccles also make me want one of those. Not all of my chickens have to be the affectionate sort. As long as I have one or two that are. I have ordered the chicken coop construction book. I think that the Eglu will end up being not quite enough, and I will end up having Kelly build a supplemental coop to house more chickens because I will always be wanting "just one more..."
How you gonna keep 'em down in the town, now that they've seen Chickee?
We're gonna have to follow this, you know, Claire!
How many chickens does she get?
What breeds?
What coop does she buy?
How big?
Does she talk Kelly into building a bigger coop.
What more chickens does she buy?
Where is Kelly?
Why are those chickens so big?
Claire?
Claire?
Queen Victoria is not exactly a role model you may wish to choose.
But, whomever or whatever, just 2 more weeks!
What excitement & expectation!
'Field of Dreams' indeed!
The things we wish for, dream about, plan for
It's so scarey when they really happen
And so marvelous
Such a gift of heaven, of life
Lucky you, to get something you will love so much.
I'm so excited - you capture it well Potagere!
Today, we planted the beginning of Claire's Orchard. We planted 5 plum trees (dwarf Burbank, Dwarf Methley, Dwarf Santa Rosa), 1 peach (dwarf Bonanza), 1 nectarine (sweet pearl), 2 apples (Liberty & Cortland), and 2 cherries (Montmorency and de Stella). This weekend, we pick up a couple of pear trees, a couple more apple trees, and some more raspberries. Oh, we also planted an Edelweiss grape.
My potatoes are running rampant, my carrots, parsnips and beets are doing well, and my tomatoes are blooming themselves to bits. And, I had my first zucchini today. Not to be forgotten, the cucumbers, melons, and lima beans are climbing the fence.
And in 2 weeks, I get chickens. What more could I ask for?!
Life is superb. Even when my work gets me stressed and my worries seem ready to consume me, I can come home to my piece of heaven and feel refreshed and rejuvenated. I just wish I could share those feelings with all those who need a little more joy in their lives.
Spectacular lightning show this evening as I look out my windows. Do chickens get frightened in thunderstorms? Will I need to comfort them?
Claire
Probably!
But you're all gonna be happy!
Get one of those "flat" peaches. You'll love them!
Claire, when I posted that one of the pics was of a Buff Orpington rooster, I was looking at post #5292604, not the lighter bantam.
Potagere, you are very poetic, it is appreciated. I also remember during the 40s when almost every house had chickens, and a large garden. We were one of those houses and I remember having an assortment of chickens. We had barred rocks, I think RIR also, and I also remember having a Buttercup rooster that used to followed my brother down the street to the alley when he went to school. Cookie would then come back home and wait for him to come home. We also had Black Giants (at least that is what I thought it was called). They were huge!! We also had leghorns, but don't remember what other breeds we had.
GG