Red Pile Chickens

Oh....I was lost there for a minute, lol.

As long as they also have access to a solid surface to stand on should they choose to, they should be just fine. It's a fine line to figure out how large the mesh should be to allow the droppings to fall through freely, and to make sure they can't get a foot stuck or something grab them from underneath, however.....1" spacing may be a bit large if they are small Pyles.

Well I never caught anything, but nothing else has died/been killed.

I was planning on going to the cattle sale this coming week and getting a couple new chickens. Any suggestions? I'm looking for something that will produce eggs really well and will atleast sometimes set on the eggs for me. Just looking for a list of types to look for.

Well, are you looking for more small breeds?

The quandry you may run into is that most of the best layers are not broody, while the best broody hens often aren't the most prolific layers. I've had great luck with keeping a combination of Aracuanas (they lay the pretty blue and pink eggs, and LOTS of them, and have the funny feathered "ears"), leghorns, Australorps, and/or Rhode Island Reds for egg production, and then having Cochins and Orpingtons for broody hens. If you like the smaller birds, some of these are available as bantams as well, and seem to keep the same laying/broody charachteristics as their larger versions. I have also found that although the eggs are small, the Japanese varieties of bantams are VERY prolific, and downright viciously protective moms, often raising very large groups of babies. I've even had Japs raise baby ducks, after stealing the nest from the mother duck.

Yeah I'm looking for bantams, do you know of any site that might list some bantam breeds and give their characteristics?

Are any of the japanese varieties common?

Well, around here they are very common.... I had the black Japs and the black tailed white japs, as well as the Aracauna bantams.

Murray McMurray hatchery is the best I've found. I usually buy mine at a local exotic sale, but have bought some from there when looking to increase the quality and diversity of the birds. Never lost a chick from them, and they are great to deal with as well.

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/cate...ms_chicks.html

Thanks! I've got me a list to go by as a look through the cattle sale monday now.

The cattle sale was a dissappointment. There was only one stand with any chickens and they didn't look all that great, not to mention that the prices were double or more what they usually go for. I may look into getting some from that hatchery.

Well I just realized the minimum order is 25 birds and I'm not sure that I'm ready for such a big leap from 5 or so to 30 or so. Out of curiosity though, what all order modifications do you get when you shop there?

I think I am going to look at some local classifieds and call around, I don't know that I can find anyone I trust to give me a truely purebred chicken though. That goes for the cattle sale too, it just seems questionable to me.

Not sure what you mean by "modifications"?