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Meet the Chooks!
These are the laying chickens here on my farm, I don't breed chickens at this time but they do lay a lot of eggs for me! These pictures of my hens were taken here at Moose Manor in the winter, spring, and fall of 2010.
Welsummer (“Wellie #1 & #2”)
The Welsummer is a beautiful and sweet natured dual-purpose breed from Holland famous for its deep terracotta colored eggs. They lay quite well at around 160 eggs per year consistently within the large and extra large USDA standard. Hens are a nicely proportioned partridge pattern, with hints of gold around the neck, medium brown on the body and tail feathers tipped with a rich brown, while males colors are stunning... they're the stereotypical vision people have of roosters - just like the one on the cornflakes box. Welsummers are good foragers, definitely on the broody side, and a rather uncommon bird here in the U.S. Mine are also very quiet and don't generally get into much trouble, more than I can say for my other hens!
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White Plymouth Rock (“Lilly”)
Plymouth Rocks are large and a good general farm chicken. They are extremely docile, not at all flighty and will tolerate handling. These girls normally will show broodiness (though mine never has), possess a long, broad back, a moderately deep, full breast and a single comb of moderate size. Some strains are good layers while others are bred principally for meat. They lay a brown egg that varies in color from light to medium brown with a touch of pink. They lay about 200 eggs per year of good quality and size and will lay all year round. They usually make good mothers. Generally, Plymouth Rocks tame quite easily.
White Leghorn (“Bossy” #1 & #2)
Leghorns are small, athletic, hardy, non-sitters and lay very nice large white eggs all year round. They have a tendency to be nervous or flightly and they're always in motion. They produce more eggs on less feed than most chickens, laying about 280 eggs per year and are excellent winter layers. They are capable of considerable flight and often roost in trees if given the opportunity. Livability and resistance to disease are very high, and they make for a good range bird where there is danger of predators, which is good since they're excellent escape artists!
Red Sex Link/Red Star (“Louise”)
The Sex Link Hybrid, also known as Red Star or Red Comet, is the result of crossing two purebred standard breeds: typically a cross between a Rhode Island Red rooster and a White Rock hen. The females are sweet, small and docile, in addition to being wonderful year round layers of large brown eggs, these gals have a great feed conversion ratio. They have red breast feathers and a sprinkling of white feathers over their back. The baby Chicks are color sexed... females are salmon-red color and male are white. This hybrid will regularly produce 300 eggs a year or more.
Rhode Island Red (“Henny Penny” #1 & #2)
Rhode Island Reds are a good choice for the small flock owner. They are high-producing and efficient year-round brown egg layers and are probably the best egg layers of the dual purpose breeds, producing 250 to 300 per year. They are a popular choice for backyard flocks. They're the do-everything bird: they lay exceptionally well, they're valued for their meat and are extremely cold hardy.
Buff Orpington (“Buffy”)
Buff Orpingtons are large, stately birds with a friendly and quiet disposition that are a wonderful addition to any backyard flock. They are also excellent setters and mothers. Their heavy, full plumage make them reliable winter layers, shelling out light pinkish-brown eggs right through cold weather. Orpingtons lay between 110 and 160 eggs a year.
Buffy is a very sweet plus-size gal... she's big and fluffy! When she turns around you can see she has the poofiest underfeathers of all my chickens... sometimes I call her "Miss Petticoats". She's also my most broody hen... she hatched out 2 broods of chicks this year. She raised up Welsummers in the spring and a brood of green egger's in the late summer. Usually when she's committed herself to the nest I'll order her some fertilized eggs to set. It makes her happy to be a mom and it's a good way for me to bring different types of chickens onto the farm.
Buffy is a very sweet plus-size gal... she's big and fluffy! When she turns around you can see she has the poofiest underfeathers of all my chickens... sometimes I call her "Miss Petticoats". She's also my most broody hen... she hatched out 2 broods of chicks this year. She raised up Welsummers in the spring and a brood of green egger's in the late summer. Usually when she's committed herself to the nest I'll order her some fertilized eggs to set. It makes her happy to be a mom and it's a good way for me to bring different types of chickens onto the farm.
