What chickens to get? (srsly)

[Road_Warrior]

We've decided we are going to get 2 maybe 3 chickens for our yard. For no other reason than because we can, but also for eggs and to keep some of the insects and other junk in the garden down. We will be getting hens for laying only and will have the run of our backyard which is a typical 1960's size suburban back yard (i.e. big)

Question for those who have chooks: is there any particular breed that is better than others for laying? We don't want 50 billion eggs a day, but we don't want 3 slack *** hens that do stuff all but eat all the time either. We have been told that certain varieties of chook are better layers than others, and have a longer lifespan (we don't want to get hens that only have a 12 month lifespan).

Anything else I should know? We've got a chook run in the works so that's covered.

[Franco Cozzo]

ISA Browns are good laying hens

[Uncle Niceguy]

Hey mate you want "Darling Downs" chickens they lay on average an egg a day
and are mainly brown and white. there is also special feed you can get called shell grit this helps with calcium levels and ou just mix it with regular chook feed

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

ISA Browns are good laying hens

What's their longevity like?

[Uncle Niceguy]

most chooks can live long lives if treated well and in the right habitat (nothing too stressful and away from chook eating dogs) but we tend to rotate our chickens every 2 years so when there 2 y.o we have some of the best chicken you'll ever eat mmmmmm.

[Tonz]

We rent a house on egg farm, theres approx 4000 barn laying chooks I have nothing to do with the noisy little buggas esp at 5.30AM. They last for about 2 years then get their necks stretched and finish up at dump. They are not good for meat, but as I said these are commercial.
Incidentally this farm is only 1 of 2 that are approved by both RSPCAand Egg Authority in South OZ

In South Oz these are the ISA brown.
Its going to depend where you live, different breeds for different states. Check with RSPCA or someone with qualified experience.

While NOT demeaning the comments posted so far there is often so many half arsed comments that really know chook ****** about anuthing. Yes I agree its good to get peoples opinions and feedback but sometimes we need to think rationally and get qualified experience.

Rant over.

[FCleader]

Not sure if it's still possible to do this, but my girlfriends parents rescued some chooks from a battery egg farm, they were free I think. Anyway they lay at least 1 egg a day and have lived quite good long lives since then and you get to feel good about yourself.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by FCleader

Not sure if it's still possible to do this, but my girlfriends parents rescued some chooks from a battery egg farm, they were free I think. Anyway they lay at least 1 egg a day and have lived quite good long lives since then and you get to feel good about yourself.

How long though? I've heard that they are bred to cark it after 12-18 months and that's when they replenish their stock, although it could be an old wives tale as Tonz alluded to.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

How long though? I've heard that they are bred to cark it after 12-18 months and that's when they replenish their stock, although it could be an old wives tale as Tonz alluded to.

Never heard of chooks being bred to fall off the perch that soon (happy to be proven otherwise of course!). All the chooks I had growing up have lived for 7-10 years.

I tell ya what... NOTHING beats your own free range eggs.

[BAXR8_Ute]

Most chooks live for a fair few years but the laying will slow down after a while which is why people get rid of em. I've had ISA browns before and they had no problems... Except they couldn't take on a dog.

[302 XC]

Having 9 chooks here
Not sure on variety, 7 off one type , 2 others are different again
3 we bought local , the other 5 were the neighbours give to us when they moved house
We can get up to 1 egg each per day, never any more than 1 each per day
But depending on the climate, weather,ect we can get none a day
They rome the yard every arvo , we feed them a bag of laying mash every week , about $20 odd, they get lucerne as a floor covering every month or so

The chook manure and left over floor lucerne gets put threw a mulcher (nice n fine) and put back in the vegie gardens
Weve had ours gotta be over 2 years and still lay good enuf for us,but its not just the eggs we have them for
They eat anything, even weeds from the garden
Like a mobile processing station
Unwanted product in, wanted product out

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by 302 XC

They eat anything, even weeds from the garden Like a mobile processing station Unwanted product in, wanted product out

This is another reason we want them, weeds and winter grass can be quite uncontrollable with a large block and in summer we seem to get a spider, ant and cockroach infestation that takes ages (and litres of pesticides) to get under control - especially redback spiders, I killed 15 of the bastards in one day last year. The chooks would have a field day with all that insect matter and seeding grass all over the place.

[GT-GTF]

I have ISA browns (light brown gingery colour), australorp (black/blue) and white leghorn. My favourite is the australorp. They are a stronger and more attarctive bird than most others and are consistently good layers of good sized eggs.

ISA's maybe a shade ahead in terms of numbers but there aint much in it and ISA's being a smaller bird will give you smaller eggs.

Have you thought about maybe getting one of each of three varieties? No need to get three of the same as they will all get along.

[FCleader]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

How long though? I've heard that they are bred to cark it after 12-18 months and that's when they replenish their stock, although it could be an old wives tale as Tonz alluded to.

Definitely an old wives tale, the chooks are still alive today and were adopted 7 or 8 years ago. They get rid of the chooks because they no longer lay the required amount of eggs per day after 2 years approx, so the company loses productivity.

However, you may have to wait a week before you get any eggs, as the chooks that were rescued spent about a week just laying in the sun with their wings spread because they had never done it before.

[grandpa_spec_F6]

The gf has bantams which are very easy too look after, lets it out in the yard for the day, back in at night.

Pretty much keeps to itself and lays about 3 - 5 eggs a week I guess.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by georgevlah

Have you thought about maybe getting one of each of three varieties? No need to get three of the same as they will all get along.

Sounds like a great idea and probably what we will end up doing. Now to get cracking and build a chook shed!

[Uncle Niceguy]

would you like pics for inspiration and ideas???

[Jim Goose]

Youll definately notice the difference in taste with free range well fed chooks!

Had chooks when i was a kid and each one would lay at least two eggs a day.

These days I have shop bought eggs, but these are from Charters Towers and honestly taste great when compared to eggs sold at woolies or coles...

[gtfpv]

i always get the free range ones .

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by eb-fairmont

would you like pics for inspiration and ideas???

like this..???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LK9JIVUHaM

[Tonz]

As I said before its the ISA are a great layer but they wont do well in Darwin too b hot (for anything )
If free range they will last for years but USUALLy battery & barn hens do have a shorter life span or desire to live.

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

Sounds like a great idea and probably what we will end up doing. Now to get cracking and build a chook shed!

Ive got 2 pens
One is an old caravan with the windows out and wire mesh put up
One is a tray/cage of an old truck, wire covered sides and corro roof,steel floor easy to clean
Ive done them in both mobile situations so they can be moved rather easy
Skies the limit really,something old and rustic, or something that blends in with the rest of the buildings on the land

[Road_Warrior]

Yeah all I'm going to do is go to a salvage yard and get some 2nd hand jarrah rafters and corrugated iron and knock a rectangular pen up.