As some of you may know I am working on an on-line poultry club for beginners. This club will also be ran in conjunction with the 4-H poultry club in Pike County Indiana. It is hard for me to find a day that all of the 4-H'ers can meet so I am trying something new.

My question to you is, What is you favorite breed of poultry and why?

I am posting this same question on other boards and I will show everyone the percentages and the most common answer

Are you looking for a hard to find breed of bird? Tell me what you are looking for. 95% of the time I can find you a breeder here in the USA. There is no fee, Just trying to share my knowledge. (My wife says I don't have that much to share.)

-- grant (organicgrange@yahoo.com), July 23, 2001

Answers

I have six Rhode Island Reds, one Buff Orpington and one Banty..all hens....I am so glad I do not have more than one Banty..she is LOUD and obnoxious to the other hens....the rest of the birds are cool. Their eggs are huge, brown and delicious..each of the large hens lay an egg a day..the Banty is too busy sitting on everyone else's eggs so she only lays one a week. If we ate chickens, she would be the first in the pot. These mostly free-ranging chickens consume vast quantities of bugs....my four dogs have no fleas or ticks and the grasshoppers and crickets have nearly disappeared. There are two pairs of nesting hawks nearby and they never bother with my hens because the hens are so big..I guess they would whack the Banty if she stayed out of the coop as much as the other hens do. The Reds and the Buff Orp are mostly quiet birds who lay terrific eggs and have a voracious appetite for bugs..I would not want any other kind of hen after my experience with these.

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), July 23, 2001.

I have a mixed flock, I started out with Gold Laced Wyandottes, then added a silver laced rooster and an Austrolorp then a friend gave me some banties and another friend gave me a Gigantic mixed Brahma abd Barred rock rooster and several hens. My favorite hen is probably the barred rock hen that her youngest son picked for me. She is quite a charcter!

I love my guineas. They are almost as essential as air here in Texas. I have a mutt flock of guineas, too. My favorites as far as looks go are the buffs.

In chickens, I like good temperment, brown eggs and a willingness to set.On looks alone, I think the Wyandottes are fabulous!!

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), July 24, 2001.

White Rocks, they're great layers, very gentle and seem to live a long happy life.

-- Cindy (S.E.IN) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), July 24, 2001.

I love my Aracaunas , they are pretty to look at .The forage well, and the best is the colors the birds come in and the colors of the eggs.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), July 24, 2001.

Barred rocks and buff orpingtons. They both lay large, brown eggs and are gentle. The buffs will set after they get some age on them.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), July 29, 2001.

Now that I've found this forum where some of you go, I'll have to jump right in and tell you that Black Austrolorps are working well for us. They are very gentle. They are both a meat and egg bird with very good egg production--although I don't REALLY know that since ours aren't laying yet. Will tell you later though!

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), July 29, 2001.

I have 6 Polish hens, and a Polish rooster also but they don't lay large eggs, nor are they prolific layers--but they are cool looking. My 7 year old niece calls them "fluffy heads."

I like Rhode Island Reds. I have 25 2 month old RIR pullets right now. I don't need 25 but the feed store lady told me to order extra because "you always lose some" well, they're all still alive. I bought the pullets to replace the very old RIR hens I was given last summer.

Stacy in NY

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), July 30, 2001.