chickens

   / chickens #1  

ebeacham

Silver Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2002
Messages
163
Location
Southport NC
Tractor
TYM 723
What are good egg laying chickens? I don't know anything about chickens except I don't want any of those mutated monster Perdue chickens.
 
   / chickens #2  
If you want lots of white eggs, try a leghorn. They are on the mean side though. I always wanted brown eggs so I stayed with large meat/egg hens like the dominque, road island red, and buff orpingtons. Buy you some quality chicks from a good supplier and go for it.

Randy
 
   / chickens
  • Thread Starter
#3  
thanks!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
   / chickens #4  
They have mentioned some good breeds.. The best one I ever had was called cherryegger. They look like the Road Island Red. But I believe they are better layers, and very tame and easy to work with. I have had about all kinds over the years, and any one of the one they have told you are good though.
 
   / chickens #5  
One other thing though, if you haven't had chickens before, you might want to get some that are about 6 months old. They would be getting ready to lay and baby chicks can be hard to start with, till you learn more about chickens.
 
   / chickens #6  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I always wanted brown eggs )</font>

Brown eggs/white eggs whats the difference other than the color of the shell ??? None.Its all in how fresh the eggs are and the type of feed that is available /laying mash/free range etc.... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
   / chickens #7  
I have Rhode Island reds and Pearl White Leghorns...both are good layers. I have about a dozen of each and they all get along fine.

The can be ordered as day old chicks from MurrayMcMurrary.com. Raising baby chicks is really not all that hard, and you don't need much equipment. Box/light/feeder/waterer and chick starter...all can be had at a farm store for about $20-$30.

I like having my chickens, and manage to make a small profit on the eggs to boot. During the good laying season you get just about one per chicken per day..keep that in mind. If you don't have a plan for the extra eggs, don't order a lot more chickens than you need. I have about 25 and will probably get another 25 or 50 this fall so they can be ready for laying in the spring. Luckily I can sell all that I can produce, and probably a lot more.

Make sure you give them all enough spave to live and roost or else they will occaisonally kill each other /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
   / chickens #8  
Chickens don't have a laying season. They will lay all year, except to molt some time. All it takes is 14 hours of light. In the fall, when the light becomes less than 14 hours, they will start to stop laying. But if you put a light in the house, they will keep on laying. I don't now, as I am retired and don't want the work anymore. But up till the last couple of years I sold eggs year around with the same chickens. Of course after so many years they will stop. First they will go to about 1 egg every couple of days and keep getting less as the years go by. People in the business that only sell eggs change every couple of years, so they can be sure of an egg a day all the time. Hobby farmers like myself don't generally do that.
 
   / chickens #9  
Hay Dick .....Dont egg me on /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Dave
 
   / chickens #10  
Eric
MurrayMcMurrary.com. seem like a good place to start for getting chicks. Click Here
They have a very good FAQ section.
Recommending the best chickens of your area may not be the same as further north. Some of the breeds we had are, Buff Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, and Barred Plymouth Rock. These are all brown egg layers. People seem to prefer them around here. Probably because they are not readily available at the local stores.
We have not raised and chickens in over ten years.
One of my fondest memories of buying chicks was the day they arrived at the Post Office. The people there would do everything possible to contact us so the chicks could be pickup or delivered including staying open after normal hours. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Then the care of the chicks until they were able to care for themselves. A great experience for our kids. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Before the area, that I live became residential. We could go to the local Co-Op and order chicks.
In the spring, we can still get chicks at the local TSC stores.
 
 
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