- Okay, girls.
Stop training.
You can have a couple snacks.
Today, we're gonna talk chicken breeds.
If you've been convinced by my recent primer
on how to start keeping chickens
to actually start keeping chickens,
well, then, today's video's gonna be very helpful for you
'cause we're gonna run through
some of the most popular breeds
and how to decide the breed to choose.
I mean, it was a really difficult decision.
Now, I have six of them
and I'm actually getting four more pretty soon.
So I'm gonna go over the ones I have,
as well as how to select breeds in general.
So you've got seeds and you've got breeds.
I'm definitely more familiar with seeds,
but when it comes to breeds,
you can actually break them up into a hybrid breed
or an heirloom breed,
much like you can a seed.
So a hybrid breed is gonna be a more modern breed
that will grow a little bit faster,
perhaps it has some different characteristics
that might be more favorable.
But the heirloom breeds or the heritage breeds
are ones that were predating the 20th century.
They were produced via natural mating patterns
and they'll grow a little bit slower.
They might have not as many features, so to speak.
Oh, sorry, girls.
But they're stable,
they're a stable cross, they're a stable breed,
and they are gonna be fantastic, fantastic hens for you.
So why don't we start it off
with our two little fatties over here, Butta and Lav,
the Orpingtons.
For the money,
there is probably no better breed in my opinion
than the Orpingtons and the varieties they're in.
I have a Lavender Orpington and a Buff Orpington.
I'm actually going to be getting a Jubilee Orpington here
pretty soon.
These hail from England.
They'll produce about 200 eggs a year.
They'll live for about eight years.
They can be great mothers, they're very docile hen.
They typically like to be held,
they like to hang out with their caretaker,
and they really just happen to be
sort of an all-around producer.
They're also a good meat bird,
which is why they were bred in the first place
to have this sort of hybrid blend.
Chetty, why don't you relax a little bit?
To have this sort of hybrid blend of an egg and a meat bird.
So Orpingtons, at this point, they're a heritage breed.
You're gonna get what you're gonna get,
and they do all the things that chickens like to do.
They wanna rummage outside, they want give dust baths,
they wanna forage, they wanna hang out.
But the one thing I'll say is the potential downside of them
is specifically a Buff Orpington.
But Orpingtons, in general,
can tend to go broody a little bit more often
than some other hens that we're gonna talk about.
What that means is they're just gonna think
that they want to hatch an egg.
They get this mothering quality,
which actually makes them really good.
If you do want to start hatching fertilized eggs,
you can actually slip one underneath them
as they're going broody,
and they're going to hatch that egg,
and then go ahead and think
that that's the egg that they produce.
So they can be good mothers in that sense,
but if you're not gonna do that,
then it can sometimes be a little bit frustrating
to have a a hen go broody.
In fact, Butta here,
she went broody for about a month or so.
But I have to be honest.
It didn't really affect myself, or the egg production,
or the other hens that much.
They got a little bit annoyed
that she tended to clog the egg box
but they ended up using some other egg hutches
and I started seeing eggs
kind of show up all around the coop here.
And then after about a month, it was done.
The next breed up is the Cream Legbar.
My Cream Legbar is right here.
Her name is Rufio.
She's the one who has the little mohawk.
She has that sort of little headdress going on here
and she has a very pretty hen.
I have to say, out of all of them,
I might find Rufio's sort of feather pattern
and overall look the most aesthetically beautiful out there.
And what you'll notice with Rufio
who does not like to be picked up, I can try it,
but I don't think she's gonna like it very much.
Let's see if we can get her.
We got you, we got you, we got you.
Look at her.
She doesn't like being picked up that much.
She's a little bit more independent of a hen
compared to the Orpingtons,
which are completely fine to be cuddled.
But Rufio is a little bit more compact
and it's not necessarily because as a hen,
she's a smaller hen,
it's more that her feathers
tend to sit a little bit closer to the body.
I think the pattern of the feathers is gorgeous.
I think that sort of streamlined look
with a little tuft of hair up top
and a little bit more of a floppy comb,
to me, is a beautiful look.
But they're going to be
a little bit more of an independent hen overall,
so you're not gonna get that sort of cuddly,
fluffy sort of vibe from them.
But they're still great layers.
They'll lay about 200 eggs a year.
These eggs, as far as my research can show,
are supposed to be like a light blue or green.
I have never seen Rufio lay an egg
that is light blue or green.
It boggles my mind.
They all are sort of this lightish brown color.
Sometimes, I get a slight blue tinge on an egg,
but it's not what I see in the photos,
which made me think actually Rufio might be a rooster,
but she's definitely not.
So something's going on.
I might have a one of one Cream Legbar here,
but this is another beautiful English breed.
They aren't too expensive
and they add a lot of joy to the flock.
Next up,
we have Lobster right here who's running away from me.
She is a Rhode Island Red,
and Rhode Island Reds
are one of the most tried and true breeds out there.
There's a heritage breed of the Rhode Island Red
and there's also a production breed of the Rhode Island Red.
So it might not be the smartest of the birds out here.
Lobster, come here.
Come here, show the people.
There she is.
Anyways, these are very, very heavy-producing birds.
You're gonna get 250 eggs a year
off of your Rhode Island Reds
and they're gonna be relatively large brown eggs.
So a fantastic producer and also a great bird.
If you are raising for meat,
this is one of the more common breeds to raise for meat.
So you're not gonna get a lot of flash
with a Rhode Island Red.
I think she's a beautiful hen, don't get me wrong,
but she does just look like a chicken
compared to someone like Rufio here or the Wyandottes,
which I'll get to in a second.
But if you want an all-around, tried-and-true producing hen,
you really can't go much further than a Rhode Island Red.
It's one of the most suitable breeds for that purpose.
And that's why you see a lot of homesteaders out there
with a flock 20 deep of just Rhode Island Reds.
Now, we have the two flashiest hens
in this epic flock, at least,
and this would be my Wyandottes.
I have Gucci here, my Gold Laced Wyandotte
and I have Chetty here who is my Silver Laced Wyandotte.
And these hens are getting a treat of their life.
I've never fed them this many treats,
but I wanna show you off all these breeds here
'cause I love them so much.
So Gucci and Chetty are both Wyandottes,
which is a really popular breed.
They're one of the more beautiful ones out there.
They're actually a little more cold-tolerant
than your average hen
'cause if you take a look up close at their comb,
you can tell that the comb sort of lays flat.
It's like this rose-style comb
that just, simply put, there's less surface area
for it to freeze in a very, very cold winter.
And so they have this sort of honestly,
slightly menacing sort of look, almost more Raptor-esque
than some of the other hens with a large protruding comb.
I think they look a little bit more aggressive,
but to be honest with you,
at least my two, they tend to be pretty chill.
They're a little bit on the louder side,
both Chetty and Gucci.
Their egg songs can be quite loud
compared to the other hens.
(Wyandottes squawking)
As well as just their general demeanor
seems to be a little bit more,
I suppose, worried or a little just more loud and panicky.
But it's not that bad.
It tends to calm down in the afternoon or so
after those egg songs start to die back.
They will be a little bit more independent, in my opinion,
than some of the other breeds.
These two docile Orpingtons,
they tend to like to be held no matter what.
Chetty and Gucci,
you're gonna see, Gucci really does...
See? She really doesn't want to be held.
And if you do hold her, as well as Chetty,
I have to sort of really put some pressure on their wings
so they don't escape.
Whereas if you pick up Lav, you pick up Butta,
even you pick up Lobster,
they sort of just sit there in your hands,
not too much pressure.
And they're like, "You know what? I like my life here.
I'm very, very happy."
Chetty and Gucci's really don't seem to like that,
but they still are great producing hens,
light to dark brown eggs, 200 plus a year.
And if you like this sort of look,
well, there are 10 different sort of color variations
that you can get in this breed.
In fact, one of them is going to be coming up
in my next batch of hens.
Before I get into the new breeds
that I'm bringing into the epic flock,
I wanna make a call out to you guys
because I want your input on their names.
But the names have to follow a very specific set of rules.
Number one, it has to be one word.
Number two, it cannot be a proper name like Chad or Jacques.
And then number three, it cannot be a chicken pun,
like Eggstra or something like that.
I don't like that.
It just has to be a word that is not typically a name
and sort of fits in.
I've already introduced all of my hens,
so comment down below.
But the first one I'm going to be getting
is a Black Australorp.
The Black Australorp,
if you pay attention to the suffix of that name, that -orp,
well, it is a cross between an Orpington
and then Australian hens.
This is a hen out of Australia.
It has these sort of black iridescent feathers, a black eye,
and then the only real marcation on it at all is the comb.
It's got that red comb that most of these hens have.
But it's a very, very pretty hen.
I think what's interesting about it
is it is very, very much a producer.
In fact, 250 plus eggs a year,
but one farmer even got 364 eggs in a single year.
That would mean there's only one day,
maybe Christmas, or New Year's, or Easter,
that this little Black Australorp,
that he had took a break.
It was putting eggs out every other day of the year,
which, if you're raising these chickens for eggs,
think about the financial math of that.
Not that it's all about that,
but if you're getting an extra 100 eggs out of a hen
and that's really what you're here for,
then it might really make a great breed choice for you.
So I'm curious what you think I should name
my Black Australorp.
Leave it down in the comments,
but there's a couple more breeds to come.
The next breed I'm bringing into the flock
is the Buff Brahma.
This hen has a very unique look.
In fact, it is the king,
or I suppose the queen, of all poultry.
It is a massive, massive hen
with feathers sort of trailing down to its feet.
Really interesting look, but not the biggest producer.
You're going to get about 150 eggs a year.
So if you're looking for a breed
that's a absolute workhorse,
well, then, this one's just not for you,
but it is certainly a fascinating breed.
Now, I'll be honest with you.
I picked up the Buff Brahma, or I'm going to soon,
because I like the look.
I have a lot of hens here.
I'm getting far more than my fair share of eggs right now.
And this is a docile breed despite its size.
Great for children,
but also just great to hang out with
and sort of cuddle with, pick up as a caretaker like myself.
I'll be hanging out with my Buff Brahma,
which I need your help in naming.
But I think the thing that's interesting about them
is their size really makes them
not really the most budget-friendly hen.
You're gonna be feeding them more
and actually getting less eggs,
so you gotta be aware of that.
But they're a very beautiful hen
and they actually do a little bit better
in the colder months.
Their laying tends to pick up in the colder months.
So if you have hens that slow down,
well, your Brahma can at least fill the gaps a little bit.
And then the only other thing I would say here
is they do tend to go broody, kind of like the Orpingtons,
but they don't go as broody.
They don't tend to sit as much or as long
as someone like Butta here,
who, I guess, I'm rewarding for being so broody
'cause she's been eating like a queen today.
The final two new hens I'm bringing to the flock
or actually an homage to my existing flock
'cause I'm bringing in one more Orpington
and one more Wyandotte.
I'm bringing in a Jubilee Orpington,
which was originally named the Royal Jubilee Orpington
after Queen Victoria.
But these are an Orpington, much like Butta or Lav,
but a little bit fluffier even
and a little bit more regal.
I mean, the patterning on them, as you can see,
is just quite, quite beautiful.
But it really has the same traits
as the rest of the Orpingtons.
And then I'm also bringing in, as I mentioned,
the Wyandottes have about 10-ish different varieties
that you can choose from as far as their color variants.
And what I've got now coming in is a Splash Laced Wyandotte,
which is a very, very pretty hen.
And I think I just wanted some of these reliable breeds
that I really love.
I love my Wyandottes, I love my Orpingtons,
so why not give them one more friend
in their own breed to hang out with?
It's really important to keep in mind
that the traits that I have described for these breeds,
it's simply the average,
the average behavioral pattern for this particular breed.
A lot of comments I see,
"Oh, well, my Orpington doesn't do that,"
or, "My Wyandotte's a nightmare," or whatever.
That could be true.
I mean there is, of course, a personality variant
in every individual hen.
They all do something a little bit different.
They have their individual quirks, much like other animals.
And so this is just a description
of what tends to be the case, okay?
So what I've noticed is my Orpingtons, for the most part,
have sort of lived up to their reputation.
They tend to be a little more docile.
If you can get your hands on them,
they do like to be held.
They do chase or run away from me just a little bit.
I would say, the Wyandottes, to me,
have differed a little bit
from their classical behavioral characteristics
in that mine do tend to seem a bit more aggressive
than they were advertised.
And they also do seem to be a little bit less likely
to want to be held than some of the Wyandottes
that I've seen out there.
The thing I would say is the Cream Legbar, Rufio,
she really has absolutely lived up to her reputation
as an independent sort of foraging hen.
And that is what she is.
She doesn't really like to hang out,
she does not like to be grabbed, and she's quite fast,
and she'll make sure that you can't get ahold of her.
She also tends to be one of the most aggressive hens here
when it comes to stealing snacks.
She wasn't for a while.
For a while, she kind of hung back.
I think she was a little on the smaller side
and she got picked on,
but now that she's kind of found her feet
or found her feathers,
'cause she did go through a molt as well,
she has really become quite a terror
when it comes to the snacks.
And then my Rhode Island Red, honestly,
has just been a chicken.
I don't know what else to say.
Lobster has just been a classic chicken.
She's very, very average as far as behavior,
but nevertheless, quite a gorgeous hen.
So, I'm really curious.
What breeds excite you?
What have I missed?
The two new entrants here, again,
are the Black Australorp and the Buff Brahma
and then another Orpington and another Wyandotte.
So I've shown you all the hens,
I'm curious what you think I should name them.
I will let the Epic Homesteading community
name at least one of the hens,
but I'm also gonna put it out on our Instagram channel
and on our main channel,
as well as some of the other places you can find us.
I'm sorry I wasn't moving around too much today, guys.
I've been feeling a little bit sick
and maybe just a little bit in need of some rest,
or a quick two-day vacation, or something like that,
but hopefully it's been fun.
Hopefully, you've been enjoying this.
Until next time.
Good luck in the garden and keep on growing.
I'm gonna betray your trust real quick.
Hold on, there's something in here.
Oh.
Grab some. I grabbed some.
And I got you, and I got you, Rufio.
I got you.
I gotta turn you around somehow.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Bicycle kick, I'm sorry.
Go on.
Oh, little fight.
Okay.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Let's stop, let's stop, let's stop, let's stop.
I don't know.
Think they're jealous of who gets to spend time with Daddy.