Absolutely agree with you on the buff orpingtons! And the barred rock. My oldest hen is a barred rock and she is going on 9 years old! Now she no longer is used for eggs however her knowledge and experience that she teaches our younger birds on free ranging is absolutely priceless!
Watching those chicken come out and out and out made me think they were circling back in a second door and running out again! Funniest video of yours I have seen. I would really love to see what the inside roosting and nesting areas look like for that many chickens. I will keep watching in the hope that you show it in the future. I don't miss any of your episodes anyway. So uplifting, encouraging and full of that fighting spirit of our forefathers! May God bless all of us Prepping Patriots!
Patera I agree on your breads I also would consider a Bielefelder. The roosters are super gentle the hens are large. One hen hatched out 20 chicks and 19 lived. She was a great mama.
Patera!!! Husband is building me a chicken coop!!! I GET TO HAVE CHICKENS THIS YEAR🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗 I'm so flipping excited!! Thank you for another wonderful informative video💞💜💞
The first time I ordered chickens was from a Sears & Roebucks catalog. I have had chickens since 1978 and still have them today. My son works at a Commercial chicken farm, and lives on the farm. My father used to work on a chicken farm many years ago when he was you. Chickens not for everyone, but I love having them.
Love my Black Australorps! Gentle, hardy breed that is an egg laying workhorse. I currently have 8 hens, and I'm going to add 6 more this spring. Absolutely love raising chickens ❤
I'm also a major Orpington fan (have Buff, Lavender and Chocolate)...I agree with everything you said, but will also add 1) they are MAJOR bug hunters...I've seen even small orpy pullets chomp down the scariest looking spider 😣 2) They are basically puppies. They warm up to humans very quickly...even if not hand raised from day old chicks...but the two that I hand raised literally run up to me and whine until I pick them up and cuddle them😍
I had a pet Aracana, with the cheeky feathers & beard, for 8 years. Great as a n egg layer, when she did produce. Perfect as a pet. Lived indoors, took her everywhere! Even swimming! Downside was she had separation anxiety...lol Screamed if she couldn't see you or her dog or cat weren't nearby. Loved her to bits! I need a place where I can have another!
I'm with you! Orpington has been by best overall. Those colored eggs are pretty but if they're sporadic... pretty ain't everything girl! We gotta focus on survival these days.
I like a mixture of breeds. Buffs, Ameraucana, Barred Rocks, Black Jerseys and Rhode Island Reds for layer hens. Fore roosters I’ll stick with Ameraucanas. The two I have now I’ve named Marshal Dillon and Festus because they protect the girls really well. The older one has fought off a fox and several hawks.
I got 4 austrolop chickens. Was 36 below zero this morning and we all made it ! They've been good foragers in the summer and great egg layers. Also pretty easy going. I'd like to add a couple of barred rocks this spring.
Oh my goodness, the "circling what you want for Christmas in the JCPenney ad" was a core memory that I forgot about! I loved looking through all of the coupon books that would come in the mail, my Nauni and I would look through them together. We'd even go through the grocery store clippings and plan out the next grocery trip & meal plan. I actually remember, she would get the catalogue from Murray McMurray and she'd go through it telling me about the different breeds she'd kept over the years. Cool memories
I agree 100% with Buff Orpingtons! On the few occasions that we’ve had to catch ours, they are super easy! They come right to you, squat and let you hold them. Extremely gentle with kids and our terrier even became part of their flock 😂 I’ll always have Buffs. By far my favorite chickens!
I've always wanted chickens but I probably will never do it but I always love listening to you talk about it because you're so passionate and knowledgeable with such practicality.
I got my first Buff Orpington this past Fall. She is indeed amazing! Initial growth was very rapid as well. May have been feathers… but that is helpful in the Winter. So will the fact that she should end up around the 8lb mark. Which is massive. She loves being held.
The sweetest chickens we've had : Orrington , Wyandotte , Delaware Meanest ( in my opinion ) : RIR , Australorp , Jersey Giant , Barred Rock Funniest : Silkies Dumber then a Rock 🪨 : Polish ( I love them though lol ) Honorable Mention : Olive Eggers ( can't beat those barn yard mixes )
Love your chicken videos! We have black austrolopes, rhode island reds, buff orpingtons, americaunas, whiting blues and polish crested. Beautiful eggs! Basically got the polish to have fun and show the grandkids. Have one polish hen that is so tame she comes running when ever you are near to get petted and held! Because of you I have ordered for this spring silkies and frizzels! They are going to have their own coop. So excited! I really wanted them because they go broody so easy and I will slip other breeds under them. I am trying to get to a place so I can keep my flock going in case they get hard to come by and to keep that cost down. Plus they are just so flippin cute! So yeah Patera you started all of this! Thanks and you are my absolute favorite youtuber!
I used to have a mixture, then I got Faverelles & I'm in love! They have all the gentleness of the Austrolorps, but are more winter hardy & forage very well. I've never had such quiet chickens!
I've never had golden comets but I agree orphingtons and barred rocks are great birds. mine weren't inclined to set a nest so this year I'm getting black cochin and isa browns. Around here the solid black birds seem to do better avoiding hawk predation, I think it's cause we have a community of crows and hawks avoid crows.
Absolutely correct on your choices!! I look at the mature wts at butchering time, wanting the most meat for what I've put into them. I'm planning on getting roosters as well as hens so I have food to put on the table. ~ Pam
Always loved having Barred Rock hens in our flock. We have 8 at the moment I think. The roosters on the other hand, well they're great in the freezer. :)
This was one of my favorite pieces of content!!! I'm in my waiting room right now and researching, reading and note taking as much as possible before we move. I want to take things slow, learn the ropes and this just renewed my faith that I CAN do this one day! Thank you so much again for making this simple for newbies like me.
I'm adding Lavender Orpingtons this spring , and maybe some Speckled Sussex .I've been raising chickens 50 + years I've wanted Lavenders every since I first seen them . I raised Sussex since , the 70's , my daughter showed them in FFA . She has a passell of trophies .
Barred rocks and some others are so pretty and I really love the look of the colored eggs, but I'm in a neighborhood and have little kids, so I was looking for super quiet and a good temperament. I love our black Australorps. Great layers, dual purpose, good in different temperatures, and calm. They come watch us through the window at dinner time and run to see us whenever they hear the back door open.
I love my buff Orpingtons!! Two of my flock of 9 are broody hens. They have not completely stopped laying this winter even without artificial light. They are friendly birds, and it’s funny to watch them fight over which of them gets to perch on my daughter’s lap when she sits on the bench outside their coop. I wanted Barred Rock but I’m glad I ended up with these girls as my starter chickens.
I agree with you. The buff and the barred were always my choice too. At least for hens. My barred rooster was the meanest bird i ever had. To do it all over again, I'd go for those two breeds again.
Great job, Patara! We got 6 barred rocks and 6 buff orpingtons last year and they are great. We have some older girls in our flock to live their lives out nicely, but want to get more this spring,... thanks for the suggestions! blessings
I have BO's and BR's. I haven't had success with BO's going broody, but every chicken is different. Our BR rooster was so mean, he would attack anyone for any reason. So I took 9 eggs and hatched them in the hopes that at least one would be a sweet boy. That was very successful and the jerk went to the freezer. (The whole family happily witnessed the culling... it was only fair after all the scars he gave us) The BR/BO chickens and all the older hens are doing well, and Toph, the roo, is doing an awesome job at being the boss. He is sweet, and doesn't come after us at all. It has been almost 2 years since we purchased our first chickens and I know that we will eventually need to freshen up the flock with new birds, but its also awesome to know that we don't have to if it comes down to it.
I totally agree with you. I've always had the best of luck with them. Great egg layers!! Which I love all chickens especially the silkies!! They make good pets !! So fuzzy and sweet!! Love all your babies!! Thanks for Sharing and God Bless You !!
Golden Comets are my number one! I do like my Easter Eggers because of the egg color even though they are not big egg producers! Which brings me back to the Golden Comets, they make up for the low production numbers of my Easter Eggers! I was born and raised in Virginia, but dad moved us to Texas in the early 70's. So I appreciate your accent! I can still bring mine out when I need it!😂
I got Wellsummer they have been pretty great layers and lay a beautiful large terra cotta eggs. I did get some rescue chickens Brahma and a leghorn and 1 dutch bantam. The leghorns were so big I had to make the coop door bigger lol.
I have a small flock, living in an HOA, I hide mine in my Omlet Eglu, so we don't get found out. I had a gorgeous Lavender Orpington who was supposed to be a hen, but was a rooster, so I was fortunate to re-home him. My Buff Orpington is the sweetest, squats down and loves being petted. I have a Barred Rock - called Sweetie and you know why, she's the best and always let me pet her. I have an Easter Egger who is kind of creepy looking, but she let me pet her once or twice. I have a Frost white leg bar, a RI Red and I'm having a senior moment, I can't recall the rest, but I can speak for the orpington & barred rocks are the best. Thank you for your videos.
Thank you from Townsend, Tn. Dreaming of raising a couple of chickens in my small backyard, but I have to travel out of state often so for now just binge watching chicken videos. Thank you for sharing your experience. 😊
Morning Patara, I renewed my chickens last fall. Buff Orpington, Barred Rock, Black Giants, Sussex, Buff Brahma, and the full sized Cochin in Blue & Black. All but the Cochins are duel purpose. I plan to hatch some for eating in the fall. I just wanted to thank you. Because of you, I got my Geese! I just love them! I love my Ducks too! It's been years now, but when I saw your Geese I had to get some. Then you had that incident with a possum and the Geese were getting it, I was impressed by that. They are wonderful birds. So Thank you for the inspiration. GOD bless
man, do I feel blessed here in Alabama! I've been running a huge GQF 360-capacity incubator non-stop all winter, hatching about roughly 135-150 every 3 weeks. Now I'm switching to duck eggs and some turkey eggs. I bought some fertile eggs at a local auction/sale barn event and hope-and-pray, they are going to hatch enough to be worth the effort. I've raised about 600 chicks at a time in the past, now I'm slowly building up the flock here. I run about 200 chickens in the main pen, and get about 2 or 2.5 flats full every day. I LOVE the deep dark (chocolate) brown Maran eggs! I get pastel, olive, white, and multiple shades of brown. I have some cross-breds that are giving me grey-colored eggs! Wish I knew which ones that laid those.
Black Australorp, Buff Orpington, Silver Wyandotte are always easy keepers for me. I also like the Americaunas. They are a lighter bird and can be a bit flighty, but still one of my favorites.
Since I started watching you years ago so much has changed. I LOVE my F1 olive eggers which I crossed right here on my land and had to let go of my Maran roosters (too aggressive). Also realized how much I appreciate a buff rooster. Love 💕 Maran hens and blue egg laying hens. Just started grooming dogs to subsidize my chicken addiction. 😂. I love grooming and making dogs purrty. No groomers in my area taking large breeds. So, I am! Just haven't had any yet, but I would love to groom LGD's and other large breeds. You're the best and I enjoy all your content.
Yes! I’m adding Orpingtons back into my small flock I love my Australorps too. They’re both good for a little city flock quiet good producers tough in the winter A+. Out buff Orpington roo growing up was the BEST
I have 5 hens and 1 rooster, I have a Buff Orpington, a Barred Rock, an Olive Egger, an Americana, an Easter Egger and my rooster is an Easter Egger. The buff Orpington is a very calm and gentle bird, the barred rock and Americana are both spunky, the olive egger a is more laid back but the Easter egger she’s very skittish and flighty like you said. I chose breeds that would do well in the cold since I live in northern Illinois. But I also chose dual purpose birds as well as good egg layers. The Easter egger hen was a freebie from the place I ordered my rooster from because I only wanted one chick and they said it would not survive by itself. I had another Easter egger but it had a bad cross beak and passed way fairly early on.
Pantera, I agree with you 100%. I especially love the Barred Rock. I need to clean up my flock. I currently have way too many roosters and a lot of barnyard mixes. The mixes are fine but they have been laying a smaller egg. I think I will stick with the 3 you mentioned. Good luck and keep us updated.
I love your way of delivering information and your personal perspectives.. I’ve had all of the birds you mentioned and my prized pet of 13 years was my Rhode Island Red rooster” John Wayne”. Most protective bird I’ve ever seen. But my favorite Easter egg broody Ameracauna? Birds are fascinating and amusing. I love your new cowboy! Keep us looped into your beautiful world.
Thank you for this video and all your viewers and their comments, I have chickens as a kid and plan to get some of my own this spring love all the input!
Me and my grandaughter love our buffs, we have 4 and 4 barred rocks, and 2 Americans. The 2 americanas are the look outs they are the first to notify the flock of an Arial predator. They are in a covered run but still make their cluck noises and the rest run in the coop. The flock works well together.
I only have 17 chickens and might expand. I love all the tips and advice you provide us newbies. I bought my chicks from Cackle Hatchery in Missouri and called them every time I had a question. (probably cringed and said , oh it is her again! Lol!) Ihave Bardrock, Buff and Golden Lace Wyandotte. They are fantastic. Hugs!
I love mixed breeds so much! Hybrids. Some of my best birds come from ees/oes/barnyard mixes. Love em. And the egg colors are gorgeous!! Love chickens.
Hi 👋 Yes we love ❤️ our Buff Orpingtons. We’re adding more Colors of the breed to our Flock Mama Farms breeds cause they’re one of the Best breeds. Just got our eggs delivered today to begin 🐣 hatching. Thank you so much for your video.
Love your opinions. Straight and to the point. People with knowledge and experience matters and his high,you Regarded! Love your spunk and channel Too! Nancy from nebraska
It was the Sears Wish Book for me!!! Loved it! Now it’s the James Avery catalog. Now tgat we are homesteading I don’t even look at it anymore! Priorities have changed!
Cool. I may think about the barred rock to integrate into my Wyandottes. I think they may be the best as far as extreme cold here in Maine. My rooster is a mixed breed and uS a large comb which has a little freezer burn this year. Gotta watch for that. I too am upgrading and that will include reassessing my coop. I need to add some natural sunlight and get it insulated more, move around a few things too so I can get a dust bath in there in winter and make it more user friendly. I've only had chickens for two years and see the error of my ways!
We love Buffs! My husband bought Black and Red Sexlinks in Oct. They are supposed to have a very high production. He got them from a broader for $5 each. His thinking was they would start laying in Feb. He was right! If we would have waited until spring. They wouldn't have layed until June. We will be getting more Buffs when they are available. Thanks for your tips! Very helpful. Lane and Rhonda from TN.❤🐔❤🐔❤
I love reading about the different breeds in our Murray McMurray hatchery catalog ! Of course, I recommend supporting a hatchery closest to you who's practices you like etc. ! I just had never ordered chicks before ( still haven't ) and that was one who's name I was familiar with and who many homesteaders have really liked. I have really enjoyed the info in their catalog, which I think I for free just by requesting one. Patera - u must be further south than I realized ! Looks very green there ! I am in NW Wisconsin, hi from the cold, snowy north !
I absolutely agree with your choices, I do add one more, the Black Australorp because they make the best Mama's, will easily take orphaned chicks. After coyote attack, I had one adopt a buff's 4 chicks.
My flock is a mix of several things...Ameraucana, Barnevelder, Red Sex-Link, and Whiting True Blue (which was an exotic bonus chick in a chick order to Murray McMurray). I have been crossing and incubating what I prefer for the past 4 years. The Ameraucanas are way too flighty and not productive enough in the winter. The mix I'm getting from the rest are gradually developing the kind of bird I want -- productive, not mean, not hawk-bait. You hit on all these important points in your video today. Thanks for a great video.
I live my Buff O. But also adore my dominques, & silver laced wyandotts. Gorgeous little ladies who are healthy, sometimes sassy little layers! Thanks for sharing your thoughts & plans!
I got 2 barred rock pullets this winter to see how we would do with raising them. Ours are fairly quiet, except in the snow and they run to us and trained to brace themselves to be picked up after one pick up to get them into a non- snow area. I like them and I'm going to expand selection when we build a bigger coop.
I had Black Australorps and while great birds, the feed to egg conversion was not the best. These girls eat a lot! I loved my barred rocks and buff orpingtons, good egg layers and dual purpose. I also like the Silkies for incubating eggs. Great little mothers.
Oh how I miss the SEARS catalog!
Did anyone else laugh their ass off when all of the birds came out of the hole? It was like a clown car, but with chickens.🤣
Absolutely agree with you on the buff orpingtons! And the barred rock. My oldest hen is a barred rock and she is going on 9 years old! Now she no longer is used for eggs however her knowledge and experience that she teaches our younger birds on free ranging is absolutely priceless!
Watching those chicken come out and out and out made me think they were circling back in a second door and running out again! Funniest video of yours I have seen. I would really love to see what the inside roosting and nesting areas look like for that many chickens. I will keep watching in the hope that you show it in the future. I don't miss any of your episodes anyway. So uplifting, encouraging and full of that fighting spirit of our forefathers! May God bless all of us Prepping Patriots!
Geese come out looking at the chickens like, “Cretins.” 😂🤣😂
Patera I agree on your breads I also would consider a Bielefelder. The roosters are super gentle the hens are large. One hen hatched out 20 chicks and 19 lived. She was a great mama.
Patera!!! Husband is building me a chicken coop!!! I GET TO HAVE CHICKENS THIS YEAR🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗 I'm so flipping excited!! Thank you for another wonderful informative video💞💜💞
Love it!! Make him brownies!
I was cracking UP and the endless stream of poultry coming out that door 😆🤣. Love it 🙌🏻❤️
The first time I ordered chickens was from a Sears & Roebucks catalog. I have had chickens since 1978 and still have them today. My son works at a Commercial chicken farm, and lives on the farm. My father used to work on a chicken farm many years ago when he was you. Chickens not for everyone, but I love having them.
Love my Black Australorps! Gentle, hardy breed that is an egg laying workhorse. I currently have 8 hens, and I'm going to add 6 more this spring. Absolutely love raising chickens ❤
I'm also a major Orpington fan (have Buff, Lavender and Chocolate)...I agree with everything you said, but will also add 1) they are MAJOR bug hunters...I've seen even small orpy pullets chomp down the scariest looking spider 😣 2) They are basically puppies. They warm up to humans very quickly...even if not hand raised from day old chicks...but the two that I hand raised literally run up to me and whine until I pick them up and cuddle them😍
I had a pet Aracana, with the cheeky feathers & beard, for 8 years. Great as a n egg layer, when she did produce. Perfect as a pet. Lived indoors, took her everywhere! Even swimming! Downside was she had separation anxiety...lol Screamed if she couldn't see you or her dog or cat weren't nearby. Loved her to bits! I need a place where I can have another!
I absolutely agree with the buffs and comets never had barred rocks yet you should do more chicken videos chickens are awesome ❤
I'm with you! Orpington has been by best overall. Those colored eggs are pretty but if they're sporadic... pretty ain't everything girl! We gotta focus on survival these days.
I like a mixture of breeds. Buffs, Ameraucana, Barred Rocks, Black Jerseys and Rhode Island Reds for layer hens. Fore roosters I’ll stick with Ameraucanas. The two I have now I’ve named Marshal Dillon and Festus because they protect the girls really well. The older one has fought off a fox and several hawks.
We're going to hatch our own barnyard mix this year, I'm so excited! 💛🐣🐔
Have fun!
I have found the Brahmas are the go to . Good for cold and big quiet and good forager 3 variations just outstanding .
I never seen so many chickens. They just kept coming out. So funny to watch. Haha
ISA Brown’s extra-large eggs year-round doesn’t matter about the weather or the daylight they keep laying ♥️
We love our Buff Orps as well! They are the lap dogs of the chicken world.
Totally agree, I've been raising chickens for 53 years and you are spot on with tbe chickens.
Thank you, Rex!
I got 4 austrolop chickens. Was 36 below zero this morning and we all made it ! They've been good foragers in the summer and great egg layers. Also pretty easy going. I'd like to add a couple of barred rocks this spring.
Oh my goodness, the "circling what you want for Christmas in the JCPenney ad" was a core memory that I forgot about! I loved looking through all of the coupon books that would come in the mail, my Nauni and I would look through them together. We'd even go through the grocery store clippings and plan out the next grocery trip & meal plan. I actually remember, she would get the catalogue from Murray McMurray and she'd go through it telling me about the different breeds she'd kept over the years. Cool memories
I agree 100% with Buff Orpingtons! On the few occasions that we’ve had to catch ours, they are super easy! They come right to you, squat and let you hold them. Extremely gentle with kids and our terrier even became part of their flock 😂 I’ll always have Buffs. By far my favorite chickens!
Ok okay Barred Rock Buffington and golden comet it is. .was just making my decisions😊🐓 Boom just perfect timing!....
I've always wanted chickens but I probably will never do it but I always love listening to you talk about it because you're so passionate and knowledgeable with such practicality.
Oh Patara you just crack me up, you describing Buff Orpington girls 🤣
I got my first Buff Orpington this past Fall. She is indeed amazing!
Initial growth was very rapid as well. May have been feathers… but that is helpful in the Winter. So will the fact that she should end up around the 8lb mark. Which is massive. She loves being held.
@0:07 Just melted hearing maaa maaaa. Two guys love you James and Rip.
The sweetest chickens we've had : Orrington , Wyandotte , Delaware
Meanest ( in my opinion ) :
RIR , Australorp , Jersey Giant , Barred Rock
Funniest : Silkies
Dumber then a Rock 🪨 : Polish
( I love them though lol )
Honorable Mention : Olive Eggers
( can't beat those barn yard mixes )
Love your chicken videos! We have black austrolopes, rhode island reds, buff orpingtons, americaunas, whiting blues and polish crested. Beautiful eggs! Basically got the polish to have fun and show the grandkids. Have one polish hen that is so tame she comes running when ever you are near to get petted and held! Because of you I have ordered for this spring silkies and frizzels! They are going to have their own coop. So excited! I really wanted them because they go broody so easy and I will slip other breeds under them. I am trying to get to a place so I can keep my flock going in case they get hard to come by and to keep that cost down. Plus they are just so flippin cute! So yeah Patera you started all of this! Thanks and you are my absolute favorite youtuber!
I used to have a mixture, then I got Faverelles & I'm in love! They have all the gentleness of the Austrolorps, but are more winter hardy & forage very well. I've never had such quiet chickens!
Haha! Love the stream of chickens coming out of their coop. 😍 Barred rocks are beautiful 😍 Thank you for the info on them chickens. 😁
Sooo friendly!!! My girl dotty LOVES ME!
I just love watching your chickens pour out of the coop!
I've never had golden comets but I agree orphingtons and barred rocks are great birds. mine weren't inclined to set a nest so this year I'm getting black cochin and isa browns. Around here the solid black birds seem to do better avoiding hawk predation, I think it's cause we have a community of crows and hawks avoid crows.
Absolutely correct on your choices!!
I look at the mature wts at butchering time, wanting the most meat for what I've put into them. I'm planning on getting roosters as well as hens so I have food to put on the table. ~ Pam
Always loved having Barred Rock hens in our flock. We have 8 at the moment I think. The roosters on the other hand, well they're great in the freezer. :)
As always Patara thank you for your great advice. Love y'all.
This was one of my favorite pieces of content!!! I'm in my waiting room right now and researching, reading and note taking as much as possible before we move. I want to take things slow, learn the ropes and this just renewed my faith that I CAN do this one day! Thank you so much again for making this simple for newbies like me.
I'm adding Lavender Orpingtons this spring , and maybe some Speckled Sussex .I've been raising chickens 50 + years I've wanted Lavenders every since I first seen them . I raised Sussex since , the 70's , my daughter showed them in FFA . She has a passell of trophies .
Barred rocks and some others are so pretty and I really love the look of the colored eggs, but I'm in a neighborhood and have little kids, so I was looking for super quiet and a good temperament. I love our black Australorps. Great layers, dual purpose, good in different temperatures, and calm. They come watch us through the window at dinner time and run to see us whenever they hear the back door open.
I love my buff Orpingtons!! Two of my flock of 9 are broody hens. They have not completely stopped laying this winter even without artificial light. They are friendly birds, and it’s funny to watch them fight over which of them gets to perch on my daughter’s lap when she sits on the bench outside their coop.
I wanted Barred Rock but I’m glad I ended up with these girls as my starter chickens.
I agree with you. The buff and the barred were always my choice too. At least for hens. My barred rooster was the meanest bird i ever had. To do it all over again, I'd go for those two breeds again.
Great job, Patara! We got 6 barred rocks and 6 buff orpingtons last year and they are great. We have some older girls in our flock to live their lives out nicely, but want to get more this spring,... thanks for the suggestions! blessings
I am so glad to see u all well after the bad weather ! Thank u always sharing your beautiful farm !
Patara, I still have some Sears and JCPenney Christmas catalogs from when my kids were little. They'd circled the items they loved. So cute.
Would love to see more on raising quail. I'm planning on adding a few.
I have BO's and BR's. I haven't had success with BO's going broody, but every chicken is different. Our BR rooster was so mean, he would attack anyone for any reason. So I took 9 eggs and hatched them in the hopes that at least one would be a sweet boy. That was very successful and the jerk went to the freezer. (The whole family happily witnessed the culling... it was only fair after all the scars he gave us) The BR/BO chickens and all the older hens are doing well, and Toph, the roo, is doing an awesome job at being the boss. He is sweet, and doesn't come after us at all. It has been almost 2 years since we purchased our first chickens and I know that we will eventually need to freshen up the flock with new birds, but its also awesome to know that we don't have to if it comes down to it.
I agree with golden comets!! We only use ours for eggs and they are very consistent layers. Plus their little tail feathers are so floofy lol
I totally agree with you. I've always had the best of luck with them. Great egg layers!! Which I love all chickens especially the silkies!! They make good pets !! So fuzzy and sweet!! Love all your babies!! Thanks for Sharing and God Bless You !!
Golden Comets are my number one! I do like my Easter Eggers because of the egg color even though they are not big egg producers!
Which brings me back to the Golden Comets, they make up for the low production numbers of my Easter Eggers!
I was born and raised in Virginia, but dad moved us to Texas in the early 70's.
So I appreciate your accent! I can still bring mine out when I need it!😂
I got Wellsummer they have been pretty great layers and lay a beautiful large terra cotta eggs. I did get some rescue chickens Brahma and a leghorn and 1 dutch bantam. The leghorns were so big I had to make the coop door bigger lol.
Got to love you Ms. Patara, when you know Rips Momma call!! 😘 So sweet! 🙋🙏
I have black australorps & dominiques. Love them! I will be considering the breeds you mentioned for next year. My chickens are only a year old.
I have a small flock, living in an HOA, I hide mine in my Omlet Eglu, so we don't get found out. I had a gorgeous Lavender Orpington who was supposed to be a hen, but was a rooster, so I was fortunate to re-home him. My Buff Orpington is the sweetest, squats down and loves being petted. I have a Barred Rock - called Sweetie and you know why, she's the best and always let me pet her. I have an Easter Egger who is kind of creepy looking, but she let me pet her once or twice. I have a Frost white leg bar, a RI Red and I'm having a senior moment, I can't recall the rest, but I can speak for the orpington & barred rocks are the best. Thank you for your videos.
Thank you so much I was just contemplating new additions to my flock and debating on which ❤️ have a GREAT day stay warm, dry and safe
Thank you from Townsend, Tn. Dreaming of raising a couple of chickens in my small backyard, but I have to travel out of state often so for now just binge watching chicken videos. Thank you for sharing your experience. 😊
We love Buffs too! my second favorite are Black Australorps. We are adding more this year as well. And geese! So excited. Love our yard birds!
Morning Patara, I renewed my chickens last fall. Buff Orpington, Barred Rock, Black Giants, Sussex, Buff Brahma, and the full sized Cochin in Blue & Black. All but the Cochins are duel purpose. I plan to hatch some for eating in the fall.
I just wanted to thank you. Because of you, I got my Geese! I just love them! I love my Ducks too! It's been years now, but when I saw your Geese I had to get some. Then you had that incident with a possum and the Geese were getting it, I was impressed by that. They are wonderful birds. So Thank you for the inspiration. GOD bless
Just wanted to say in these troubling times you brighten my day!! Much love...
man, do I feel blessed here in Alabama! I've been running a huge GQF 360-capacity incubator non-stop all winter, hatching about roughly 135-150 every 3 weeks. Now I'm switching to duck eggs and some turkey eggs. I bought some fertile eggs at a local auction/sale barn event and hope-and-pray, they are going to hatch enough to be worth the effort. I've raised about 600 chicks at a time in the past, now I'm slowly building up the flock here. I run about 200 chickens in the main pen, and get about 2 or 2.5 flats full every day. I LOVE the deep dark (chocolate) brown Maran eggs! I get pastel, olive, white, and multiple shades of brown. I have some cross-breds that are giving me grey-colored eggs! Wish I knew which ones that laid those.
Black Australorp, Buff Orpington, Silver Wyandotte are always easy keepers for me. I also like the Americaunas. They are a lighter bird and can be a bit flighty, but still one of my favorites.
Since I started watching you years ago so much has changed. I LOVE my F1 olive eggers which I crossed right here on my land and had to let go of my Maran roosters (too aggressive). Also realized how much I appreciate a buff rooster. Love 💕 Maran hens and blue egg laying hens. Just started grooming dogs to subsidize my chicken addiction. 😂. I love grooming and making dogs purrty. No groomers in my area taking large breeds. So, I am! Just haven't had any yet, but I would love to groom LGD's and other large breeds. You're the best and I enjoy all your content.
Love the Barred Rocks.
Yes! I’m adding Orpingtons back into my small flock I love my Australorps too. They’re both good for a little city flock quiet good producers tough in the winter A+. Out buff Orpington roo growing up was the BEST
You are the best, Pantera. Thanks for looking out for us!
I have 5 hens and 1 rooster, I have a Buff Orpington, a Barred Rock, an Olive Egger, an Americana, an Easter Egger and my rooster is an Easter Egger.
The buff Orpington is a very calm and gentle bird, the barred rock and Americana are both spunky, the olive egger a is more laid back but the Easter egger she’s very skittish and flighty like you said.
I chose breeds that would do well in the cold since I live in northern Illinois. But I also chose dual purpose birds as well as good egg layers.
The Easter egger hen was a freebie from the place I ordered my rooster from because I only wanted one chick and they said it would not survive by itself.
I had another Easter egger but it had a bad cross beak and passed way fairly early on.
Pantera, I agree with you 100%. I especially love the Barred Rock. I need to clean up my flock. I currently have way too many roosters and a lot of barnyard mixes. The mixes are fine but they have been laying a smaller egg. I think I will stick with the 3 you mentioned. Good luck and keep us updated.
I love your way of delivering information and your personal perspectives.. I’ve had all of the birds you mentioned and my prized pet of 13 years was my Rhode Island Red rooster” John Wayne”. Most protective bird I’ve ever seen. But my favorite Easter egg broody Ameracauna? Birds are fascinating and amusing. I love your new cowboy! Keep us looped into your beautiful world.
Muscovi and Swedish Ducks have been a good addition to our homestead. Good egg layers and good meat.
If I wasn't so dang allergic to their feathers, I'd get myself a couple "pet hens", and fight the HOA rules.
Thank you for this video and all your viewers and their comments, I have chickens as a kid and plan to get some of my own this spring love all the input!
Me and my grandaughter love our buffs, we have 4 and 4 barred rocks, and 2 Americans. The 2 americanas are the look outs they are the first to notify the flock of an Arial predator. They are in a covered run but still make their cluck noises and the rest run in the coop. The flock works well together.
I only have 17 chickens and might expand. I love all the tips and advice you provide us newbies. I bought my chicks from Cackle Hatchery in Missouri and called them every time I had a question. (probably cringed and said , oh it is her again! Lol!) Ihave Bardrock, Buff and Golden Lace Wyandotte. They are fantastic. Hugs!
Silver spangled hamburg...good in cold..laying now...no lights no heat..no mash..below zero at night...
I love mixed breeds so much! Hybrids. Some of my best birds come from ees/oes/barnyard mixes. Love em. And the egg colors are gorgeous!! Love chickens.
Same for me Buff Orpington. Always my favorite.
Chickens are like flowers, each different but all beautiful...
Hi 👋
Yes we love ❤️ our Buff Orpingtons.
We’re adding more Colors of the breed to our Flock Mama Farms breeds cause they’re one of the Best breeds. Just got our eggs delivered today to begin 🐣 hatching. Thank you so much for your video.
Agree! First chickens i got are buff orpington and barred rock. Idk about others but I love these birds.
Love your opinions. Straight and to the point. People with knowledge and experience matters and his high,you Regarded! Love your spunk and channel Too! Nancy from nebraska
It was the Sears Wish Book for me!!! Loved it! Now it’s the James Avery catalog. Now tgat we are homesteading I don’t even look at it anymore! Priorities have changed!
WOW that is a lot of chickens! What a joy to see them.
We are finally in a place where I can have some. So very excited!
Cool. I may think about the barred rock to integrate into my Wyandottes. I think they may be the best as far as extreme cold here in Maine. My rooster is a mixed breed and uS a large comb which has a little freezer burn this year. Gotta watch for that. I too am upgrading and that will include reassessing my coop. I need to add some natural sunlight and get it insulated more, move around a few things too so I can get a dust bath in there in winter and make it more user friendly. I've only had chickens for two years and see the error of my ways!
I love my buff Orpington rooster Fergus 🥰 he’s such a handsome man. Sapphire gem is also a great bird
Love your videos! And love how real you are! Don't censor your heart! Love it! Shine on!
We love Buffs!
My husband bought Black and Red Sexlinks in Oct. They are supposed to have a very high production. He got them from a broader for $5 each. His thinking was they would start laying in Feb. He was right!
If we would have waited until spring. They wouldn't have layed until June.
We will be getting more Buffs when they are available.
Thanks for your tips! Very helpful.
Lane and Rhonda from TN.❤🐔❤🐔❤
I love reading about the different breeds in our Murray McMurray hatchery catalog ! Of course, I recommend supporting a hatchery closest to you who's practices you like etc. ! I just had never ordered chicks before ( still haven't ) and that was one who's name I was familiar with and who many homesteaders have really liked. I have really enjoyed the info in their catalog, which I think I for free just by requesting one.
Patera - u must be further south than I realized ! Looks very green there ! I am in NW Wisconsin, hi from the cold, snowy north !
I love my French Marans, Welsummers and Easter Eggers. I know Easter Eggers are known to be flighty but mine are sweet and calm.
I absolutely agree with your choices, I do add one more, the Black Australorp because they make the best Mama's, will easily take orphaned chicks. After coyote attack, I had one adopt a buff's 4 chicks.
Our Golden Comets are so sweet!!!
My cat has one who is her best buddy.
My flock is a mix of several things...Ameraucana, Barnevelder, Red Sex-Link, and Whiting True Blue (which was an exotic bonus chick in a chick order to Murray McMurray). I have been crossing and incubating what I prefer for the past 4 years. The Ameraucanas are way too flighty and not productive enough in the winter. The mix I'm getting from the rest are gradually developing the kind of bird I want -- productive, not mean, not hawk-bait. You hit on all these important points in your video today. Thanks for a great video.
I laugh and laugh at all your birds coming out that door! Oh, and Rip is ADORABLE!!!!
100% agree with your picks and the reason you picked them! God bless
I have one Buff Orpington named Lorelei. We call her the Big Busty Blonde. She rules our coop, but is very calm.
I love my Buff Orpington girls! They've been good layers, and easy to care and handle. 💗
I live my Buff O. But also adore my dominques, & silver laced wyandotts. Gorgeous little ladies who are healthy, sometimes sassy little layers! Thanks for sharing your thoughts & plans!
I got 2 barred rock pullets this winter to see how we would do with raising them. Ours are fairly quiet, except in the snow and they run to us and trained to brace themselves to be picked up after one pick up to get them into a non- snow area. I like them and I'm going to expand selection when we build a bigger coop.
I had Black Australorps and while great birds, the feed to egg conversion was not the best. These girls eat a lot! I loved my barred rocks and buff orpingtons, good egg layers and dual purpose. I also like the Silkies for incubating eggs. Great little mothers.