Many of the farm and feed stores in my area currently have chicks in the stores and most have already had their "Chick Days" with order deadlines the first week of April. Luckily, I discovered that Long Horn Horse & Pet Supply has some later order dates. They also offer a nice variety of heavy, cold hearty breeds that do well in my area.
With the order form in hand and some research on breeds, I narrowed down my selection to seven supposedly docile breeds:
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Barred Rock (Photo: Cackle Hatchery) |
Barred Rock/Plymouth Rock
Origin: Developed in New England in the middle of the 19th century and was first exhibited as a breed in 1869.
Weight: Hen 7 1/2 lbs
Purpose: Dual Purpose: egg laying and meat production
Egg Shell Color: Brown
Egg Production: 200 - 280 eggs per year
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Dominique (Photo: Cackle Hatchery) |
Dominique (AKA Pilgrim Fowl)
Origin: Considered America's oldest breed of chicken, probably descending from chickens brought to New England during colonial times. Many of today's breeds were developed by using Dominique bloodlines.
Weight: 6 1/2 lbs
Purpose: Dual Purpose: Egg laying and meat production
Egg Shell Color: Brown
Egg Production: 180-260 eggs per year.
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Silver Laced Wyandotte (Photo: Cackle Hatchery) |
Silver Laced Wyandotte
Origin: Developed in New York state in the early 1870s and was admitted to the standard in 1883.
Weight: 6 1/2 lbs
Purpose: Dual Purpose: Egg Laying and Meat Production
Egg Shell Color: Brown
Egg Production: 180-260 eggs per year
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Golden Laced Wyandotte (Photo: Cackle Hatchery) |
Golden Laced Wyandotte
Origin: Wisconsin in 1880 by crossing Silver Laced Wyandotte females with a large "Black Red" of unknown origin called the Winnebago.Weight: 6 1/2 lbs
Purpose: Dual Purpose: Egg Laying and Meat Production
Egg Shell Color: Brown
Egg Production: 180-260 eggs per year
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Buff Orpington (Photo: Cackle Hatchery) |
Buff Orpington
Origin: Developed in Orpington, England in 1886 by crossing Langshan, Minorca and Plymouth Rock chickens. Black was the selected color because it hid the dirt and soot of London. Buff color was introduced in 1894.
Weight: 8 lbs.
Purpose: Dual Purpose: egg laying and meat production
Egg Shell Color: Brown
Egg Production: 200-280 eggs per year
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Black Australorp (Photo: Cackle Hatchery) |
Black Australorp
Origin: Developed in Australia from Black Orpington stock.
Weights: 6 1/2 lbs.
Purpose: Dual Purpose: egg laying and meat production
Egg Shell Color: Brown
Egg Production: 200-280 eggs per year
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Easter Egger (Photo: Cackle Hatchery) |
Easter Egger
Origin: A cross-bred variety from South America. Lays eggs that vary in color from blue to green to pink.Weight: 5 1/2 lbs
Purpose: Egg Production
Egg Shell Color: Green or Blue
Egg Production: 200-280 eggs per year
The original plan was for six chickens, but I couldn't make a decision among the above breeds and figured that one more chicken isn't going to make a big difference. Plus there is always the chance of loss or that one (or two) of the chicks turns out to be a rooster.
The pick up date is May 24. That should give us plenty of time to finish the coop before the chicks feather out and are ready to be housed in the coop. Feathering out can take 6-8 weeks. If we are lucky, we may have some eggs before winter if we use some artificial lighting to extend the light to 16 hours per day.