Fancy getting some rare breeds, any ideas?

[sep1712]

We already have chickens but would like something a little different. Must be a good layer. Not sure what to get?

I have some cuckoo marans. Also available in 'lavender'. Not particularly rare, but v good layers.

Purebreeds tend to be sporadic layers at best. I have four Scots Greys and I get roughly 3 eggs a week per hen from them whereas my Cream Legbar (which is a hybrid) lays me a lovely blue egg pretty much every day. Faverolles aren't that common, they're fantastic around kids and they're reliable layers - I have three of them and they're probably my favourite hen.

When you say "rare breed" do you mean actual rare breed as defined by the endangered lists, or just a breed that you don't see very often?

I have a cream legbar and love the blue eggs.

I also have Buff Sussex which are very pretty and good layers. I want to get some Wyandottes as they're very pretty and meant to be good layers.

Cream legbars are pure breed by the way not a hybrid.

"The Cream Legbar is quite an old, now very rare in its true form, pure breed. They are not anything to do with the commercial birds being used to produce multicoloured eggs for the supermarket trade.

www.creamlegbar.co.uk/

Ah! You learn something new every day, it was my terminology that was out. I assumed that since they were created from different breeds that they were hybrids

Wyandottes are lovely, I had a wee silver laced wyandotte and she was a bossy madam. Laid a lovely white egg too. Sussex are one breed I've never kept though - I've heard the cockerels make good meat birds.

Have you had a look at orpingtons? They're amazing hens, they look (to me) the way you see hens illustrated - all big feathers and a beautiful colour too.