Help a first first timer choose her chooks?

[Lotster]

Hi all,

I'm about to get some POL chickens for the first time and am trying to whittle my four finalists down to three!

They are:

Bluebelle
Light Sussex (White Sussex the same thing?)
Speckledy Maran
Columbine or other blue/green egg layer

After I initially expressed an interest in Legbars, the lady I'll be getting them from recommended I go for hybrids instead and get a Columbine if I want a blue-egg bird.

Thing is I had heard from another chicken man that Columbines are a bit nervy and not recommended as a first time bird, so I'm wondering whether to get the three others then progress on to a Columbine when I'm a bit more experienced? I've only provided holiday cover for a neighbours chickens so far.

TIA for any advice.

Chickenlickin & Gladdycat thanks for your replies, only just checked back since Christmas!

Sorry to hear about Candy Gladdy... I would love a blue egg bird at some point.

Chickenlicken no Speckledy Sussex to choose from round here, (or Buff Sussex sadly, which Midori suggested and I really wanted) but I have just got off the phone from a local farmer/supplier who has a Speckledy Maran which I think I'm decided on!

He also has:

Warrens
Light Sussex
Bovans Nera
Silvers

So I need to choose the other two. The warrens need to be in a pair at least, all the other mixed hybrids have been brought up together so can be mixed.

Dilemma!!! I would have gladly had one of the Warrens for their brilliant, all year round laying, but I want three different chooks ideally

I have a Light Sussex, a Silver Sussex and a Columbia Blacktail.

I LOVE my Light Sussex - she's fab. She's friendly, lays really well, is playful and knocks on the back door when she wants to come in the house

My Columbia Blacktail has been flighty, nervous, stand-offish and doesn't lay much. She's quite highly strung and completely freaks out and flaps round the garden for no apparent reason. Whilst I have a soft spot for Marjorie, I would not have another Blacktail.

The Silver Sussex is somewhere between the other two.

Go for a Light Sussex, definitely.

Have you got room for four so that y can have two warrens?

Grockle - the plan has been to get a Light Sussex, and my son really wants a white chicken. Only thing that's been putting me of is that they seem to be huge??

If they had one that wasn't, then perhaps as Bramble says I could squeeze in a pair of Warrens with my Speckledy and Light Sussex.

Otherwise I will go Speckledy, Light Sussex, Bovans Nera.

Thanks for all your input, will let you know what we come home with!!

My light Sussex is the nicest, most friendly girl I have had. I'm a convert! I love my speckledy, she's the Francis de la tour of my flock, a 'Jolie laide' (ugly beauty). Rather large and ungainly but lovely. Her constant attempts at broodiness are offset by beautiful brown eggs.

I got three chooks today!! Just love my girls. Thought I'd be a bit freaked out by them but they are lovely and can't wait to get a proper look/feel of them!

Had to put them inside the coop this avo until tomorrow, was really tempted to go against the man's advice on this as couldn't wait to show them their run, but he said I'd have a hard time getting them in so to start letting them out in the morning.

They weren't really in to us hand picking the ones we wanted. Ended up getting the first three that he could catch or who would squat for him as I decided the most placid would work well for us and the kids to start off with.

We got a Silver, not sure what type but it's white think maybe with a little leghorn in, a Speckledy Maran, and a *Bovans Nera" - the smallest of the three. She has mostly black feather with a petrol green sheen and a bit of brown in her.

Now wondering whether to stick to just pellets for them as farmer man suggested, or to do part scraps which is a bit more economic. What do you all do?

Congratulations! Do they have names yet?

Mine have layers pellets available in the run all day and I give them loads of scraps too. Peelings, crumbs, cereal that DS won't finish, grapes, leftovers (no meat and I won't give them eggs unless baked in something). They love cake, biscuits and warm porridge!

I also chuck and handful of grit in the run when they are stuck and some corn too. Have fun!

JEALOUS

I mean stuck in the run not just stuck

Thanks guys!

Well, son called his white one PomPom.

The Bovans is Stella and the Speckledy is Mrs Nesbitt (as in Toy Story...)

I wanted to go old lady chic but my husband hated all the names!

Just went to check on them and they're cooing softly.

Thanks for the food advice!

How lovely! Keep them to the run and house for a few days and give them a bit of corn at the end of the day so that they associate you with treats.

Ok will do. We are working on a large run extension as I can't totally free range them - I have a terrier as do both of my neighbours and theirs are the wandering type! Don't want any harm to come to my girls.

I like the treat tip

I also do the chook chook chook chicken call as I go out and when I treat them. It trains them to come to me (eventually!).

Don't give more than a small handful or they'll get fat and won't lay well when they start laying. Food scraps in the afternoon only as well and clear up any leftovers so as not to encourage vermin.

I don't need to do the 'chook, chook, chook' thing now - mine come running when they hear the back door open! And, if I walk across the garden they fly to catch up with me . I love my chooks!

Same here grockle. Except I now have to carry Sheila as she tries to get under my feet, she is so excited about food.

Hello again,

Piccies of the ladies on my profile now.

Well the Silver has been very laid back (and greedy), the Bovans has been a bit jumpy when I'm there but fairly brave otherwise, and the Speckledy...well she is very interactive and downright nosy! Every time I walk down to the coop she's at the door clucking at me to come out, very funny!

We had one egg this morning (see profile piccies for shots of them). No idea who laid it but once I'd taken it the Speckledy seemed to walk in and out of the house clucking a lot as if she'd lost something. I assumed it was part of her nosing around, thinking that if she was that worried about it surely she'd be sitting on it? Hope so!

I am going to stick to the treats in the avo only suggestion, but just for this morning I wanted to settle them in/bribe them with some warm porridge. The Speckledy walked through it and the others ignored it!

They look like a lot of fun. Lovely egg! :)

They are so far. A lot of poo though, good job I'm doing a veg patch too!

Thanks all for the advice.

Hi there,
The first six hens I got were all hybrids and 3 years later all still going strong...

• warren - Typical red hen- very friendly, lots of personality good layer, even in winter. *Amberlink - white hen- very friendly, good layer. *Speckledy - not overly friendly, but can hand feed and pick up. big tan coloured eggs. *Black Rock - large black with green sheen- friendly, crouches to be picked up. *starline - black with gold around neck- quiet bird, loves to dig. *jasmine - legbar x - very fast, bit skittish but will come for food- pale blue eggs (with hybrid blue egg layers there is a 30% chance that the eggs may be a cream colour)

Also have buff orpington bantams which are lovely docile birds.

Your chooks all sound lovely!

I am struggling to work out whose eggs are whose!

I get a large pale creamy beige egg which I think may be from my Silver Amber as they have Leghorn in them which lay white eggs?

I get a large brown egg I'm assuming is the Speckledy as it the darkest of the three ansd sometimes slightly speckly.

The third is a smaller mid-brown egg, I think it's the Bovans. I could be wrong of course!

I was just reading about hens earlobes reflecting the colour of their eggs - the silver amber certainly has the palest lobes...

if you become as "sad" as me, you will get to know who laid which!!! and beware, it's addictive...I started with 6 and now have 12 birds - some of which we hatched in an incubator - which is lovely for the children to see, but you have to be prepared for Roosters to hatch and what will become of them!!

Your hens look lovely and a nice mix of colours. If you want to see who's laying which egg you can put different food colouring on each of their vents (apparently - I have never done this).