Australorp genetics are in many of our crosses, and they bring a lot of stability. The purebreds are tough, generally have good laying longevity, brood and raise their own chicks with remarkable consistency, and lay very well. They are known as one of the best heritage free range brown egg layers, and definitely live up to that name. The Australorps in particular seem to pass consistency and winter laying to their offspring.

White Rocks are some of the best chickens we've had when it comes to longevity. We had one hen who was one of our top ranking layers until she was five, which is saying quite a lot when most breeders and egg producers recommend butchering chickens at three after they've passed their optimum laying potential. The White Rock is another well rounded breed: consistent laying, cold and heat hardy, and good foraging traits. They aren't particularly good brooders, and their coloring isn't ideal, but the longevity trait is vital and hard to find.

Initially, we didn't think the Brahma would be the best fit (we just got them because we liked them and the numbers just barely worked out, but don't tell anyone that, lol). As it turns out, they were pretty good! They were definitely cold hardy, laid fairly well for their first couple of years, and went broody. The results of the Brahma crosses are what drew our attention. The Brahmas throw a slightly lighter build, but great winter hardiness. The chicks do take a bit longer to reach maturity, but once they do, they are surprisingly stunning layers! The light dusting of feathers on their feet adds some winter protection, but doesn't get in the way of foraging.

The Hamburg is a small athletic chicken that's known as the "Dutch Every Dayer." We got them to test the theory, which proved somewhat inaccurate due to the fact that ours weren't allowed to free range at the time, and Hamburgs don't tolerate confinement particularly well, but the crosses were pretty impressive. we first crossed them with the Easter Egger, which threw a hardy, broody (surprisingly), thrifty, smart, and moderate layer of medium blue eggs. While we wish they laid more, they sure fit the bill when it came to thrifty foragers and impressive mothering ability. One of the resulting hens flew out of her pen every day to lay under the cows' feeder (unbeknownst to us), she then went broody and hatched out four chicks in the middle of a snowstorm without any difficulty. The second cross we tried was with a Black Australorp. These chicks weren't as efficient at foraging, and they didn't brood, but they knocked the ball out of the park in terms of their laying ability. The two hens from this cross laid almost an egg a day until they were four! The other interesting thing we noticed was the lack of lice on the Hamburgs and their progeny. When other hens were struggling with lice, our chickens with Hamburg genetics were lice free.  

We haven't been able to try crossing the Norwegian Jaerhons yet, which is unfortunate, but they are a really great breed in and of themselves. Their coloring is absolutely perfect for Wyoming, and they've really thrived here. They are quite small birds, but despite that, the hens lay HUGE creamy white eggs with great consistency. They are also pretty good foragers. They are some of the most "birdy" of all my chickens, standing and moving much like a wild bird and displaying remarkable resilience. One of our Jaerhon hens was attacked by a dog and had her neck ripped open top to bottom. She was back to laying an egg almost every day after only a month! Quite a little champion!