Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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Mutton
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Windy location: breed question - which to have and which notWe've been running a mix of chickens for a while - and I mean mix. Our mongrels include a bit of silver sussex, a bit of buff sussex, aracuana, a little rhode island red, a bit of silkie and some Cobb genes.
We now have an athletic bunch of free ranging chicken. We primarily keep for eggs and eat surplus cockerels.
Where we are is on an exposed hillside (with hedges and some cover which we've expanded) with periods of winds and heavy rain. Our very first chicken were spent battery hens which not surprisingly with hindsight spent a lot of time indoors and peered miserably round the door if the weather was anything less than sunny.
Anyway, we have the first broody hen of the year and we know she is a reliable broody. Want to bring some new blood into the flock by putting some hatching eggs under her.
So, any recommendations for hardy breeds?
Any breeds to really avoid? (Obviously fancy feather ones......)
Don't want bantams - we prefer the larger eggs. Would also like chickens that don't chose to roost in trees....
Thinking of going to a poultry and egg sale and you never can tell what people will be selling there in terms of breeds, so wanted to have a list of OK and not OK to give us some chance of buying something (and not regretting it later  )
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Lorrainelovesplants
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Light Sussex -
hardy as hell and lay through crap weather.
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LynneA
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Welsummers are supposed to be fairly hardy. The cold winter winds that whip off the Ijsselmeer can be pretty brutal. Hard to find, but I remember reading the North Hollands are especially hardy. (Yes there on my list of possibles for our next batch)
Should imagine Swedish Flower hens and Icelandic chickens are tough too.
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chickenlady
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I used to have a few marans...they were huge hefty critters. Good layers of dark brown eggs too.
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