Gardeners wait for seed catalogs to arrive in the middle of winter, but for me, the first sign of spring is the arrival of chicken catalogs.
Full of promise, plus breeds that are rare, common, colorful, and plain, the chicken catalogs hint at the coming summer. The poultry world is at your fingertips! All of the chicken breeds of the world are now available via mail order. Or, rather, nearly all of them. Certainly, there are hundreds of breeds and varieties to purchase.
I love looking at the catalogs. Some come via email and refer me to a website. Others are full color paper catalogs. A few are just plain, typed sheets with breed or variety and price. I pore over the list, then refer to my notes about which types have worked for us, and which have not. I always like to try at least one new variety each year. Deciding which will be the newest test is always hard.
I have eliminated most long-tailed, feather-footed, and top-knot breeds because of the additional care they require. I’ve also eliminated all bantams – I want full-sized birds. Bantams make great cage birds, but on our farm, even standard chickens are at risk of aerial predators. The full-size versions tend to do better, though.
I’ve also eliminated all white birds. They might as well be painted targets – or carry around “chicken dinner” signs.
That still leaves a lot to choose from. I’ll for sure get a batch of Red Broilers as our dinner chickens. The egg layers are the fun ones. We’ve had great success with Golden Campines, so I’ll definitely grab some of those. That leaves us with picking a new variety to try.
The Dorkings look fun. I really liked seeing them in Wales, but I can’t find the red ones I saw there. I can only find them from specialty breeders, and until I know they work, I’m reluctant to purchase expensive chicks. I’ve always liked the look of Anconas, but the extra-large combs may be an issue in winter. I love Buff Orpingtons, but they haven’t been too durable here, so I’m not sure I want to try them again. Welsummers might be fun – I’ve never had really dark egg layers – and Barnevelders look fun for the same reason. Minorcas have been nice in summer, but they don’t tolerate our winters very well. Even though I like them, I’m not sure they’re a good choice. The Brabanters we had were decent layers, but they only lasted one season. Russian Orloffs have the same cute muff, though, and they might make a good replacement.
I now only buy pullets for my laying flock. The extra cost is worth it to avoid having cocks.