What breed of hen?

The Ruminant · Feb 17, 2021

The plan is a mobile chicken hutch with moveable electric netting - the chickens will follow the cattle round and hopefully get lots of their food from the insects in the cow pats etc.

Therefore I don’t want 330 eggs-per-year birds, that will need lots of supplementary feeding. I want good foragers that will lay reasonably well with only a little top-up feed and some calcium for their shells.

Which breed do you all think would tick these boxes?

bobk · Feb 17, 2021

Welsummer or Dorking if you want quality

Will 1594 · Feb 17, 2021

Buy some proper light sussex,, and if you fancy could breed your own hybrid hens , depends how many your after

tr250 · Feb 17, 2021

The Ruminant said:
The plan is a mobile chicken hutch with moveable electric netting - the chickens will follow the cattle round and hopefully get lots of their food from the insects in the cow pats etc.

Therefore I don’t want 330 eggs-per-year birds, that will need lots of supplementary feeding. I want good foragers that will lay reasonably well with only a little top-up feed and some calcium for their shells.

Which breed do you all think would tick these boxes?

Be hard pushed to beat a light Sussex I recon we only have a handful for the kids but we had some when we were kids. I’ve got plans to do similar to you trouble is we have too much else on with cattle and sheep for hobbies that cause work

Cowmansam · Feb 17, 2021

the old English game hunt out feed like there possessed lay well enough too welsummer look great but they don’t lay for toffee well the ones I had didn’t french marrans are another good forrage hunting type

beefandsleep · Feb 17, 2021

I have old English game running about. They are great birds but I wouldn’t recommend them as egg layers or table birds, not if selling them anyway. If you don’t want masses of eggs why don’t you get a combination of free range egg laying hybrids and free range broilers? That way you get a good table bird and more efficient egg producers without having to compromise.
If you’re not worried about the commercial side and they’re there to do a job I would consider Cornish/Indian game. Slow growing and not masses of eggs, actually give you an amazing table bird miles better than anything you can buy but it will take them 24 weeks to get there.

Dry Rot · Feb 17, 2021

Cowmansam said:
the old English game hunt out feed like there possessed lay well enough too welsummer look great but they don’t lay for toffee well the ones I had didn’t french marrans are another good forrage hunting type

OEG excel as table birds (sorry beefandsheep!) but they are also pretty good flyers so I wonder if they would stay inside those electric fences? The meat is on an entirely different level to anything that comes out of a supermarket and the reason I breed them. And, no, I don't sell them, too tasty for that!

beefandsleep · Feb 17, 2021

Dry Rot said:
OEG excel as table birds (sorry beefandsheep!) but they are also pretty good flyers so I wonder if they would stay inside those electric fences? The meat is on an entirely different level to anything that comes out of a supermarket and the reason I breed them. And, no, I don't sell them, too tasty for that!

I won’t argue with you [emoji6] but the Cornish I’ve reared put anything to shame. The old English take just as long but are a lot smaller. I’ve just got a new cockerel with a better breast so we’ll see if he improves mine.
I agree about them maybe being a bit flighty for a pen though, I’m not sure it will suit them. Another plus for the Cornish.

beefandsleep · Feb 17, 2021

There he is, what do you think. I’ve only got black hens and black red cocks, hoping he will give me a few different colours too. If I breed him back to his daughters I may get some pyles??

beefandsleep · Feb 17, 2021

Black red cock with hens.

Cowmansam · Feb 17, 2021

Friend of mine has the bantam versions fly like a partridge and very meaty little birds if you can catch them

Jerry · Feb 17, 2021

@Poorbuthappy does thus I believe

The Ruminant · Feb 17, 2021

bobk said:
Welsummer or Dorking if you want quality

I really like the sound of the Dorking. Do you know any reputable breeders - fertile eggs or Point of lay?

bobk · Feb 17, 2021

The Ruminant said:
I really like the sound of the Dorking. Do you know any reputable breeders - fertile eggs or Point of lay?

Oldest breed in England , all I know sorry

Poorbuthappy · Feb 17, 2021

Jerry said:
@Poorbuthappy does thus I believe

Well, daughter does.
She is using a standard hybrid, though keeps them a lot longer than normal free range systems. Moved every day.
She wants to try some different breeds, and actually had some lined up, but bird flu complicated that.
Light Sussex is on the wish list.
Leghorn was another possibility, and a Marran of some description.
These all tend to be much more expensive than a standard hybrid to buy though.

The Ruminant · Feb 17, 2021

In fact they all sound good. I’m now spoilt for choice!

spin cycle · Feb 17, 2021

have a look at piggotts poultry

Cowmansam · Feb 17, 2021

eBay is your friend when it comes to hatching eggs

Guleesh · Feb 17, 2021

My son has some light Sussex and some hybrids from them, they do very well here and are very hardy.

Guleesh · Feb 17, 2021

Hatched from eggs bought on ebay i should add

What breed of hen?

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