Chicken Support Insights - Episode 33: The Breeds Most People Choose Wrong (And What a Hatchery Founder Would Pick Instead)

Choosing the right chicken breed begins with understanding what you want your flock to achieve. In this special episode of Chicken Support Insights, Cortney and Valley Hatchery Co-Founder Vinnie discuss common breed selection mistakes, break down popular chicken myths, and share practical advice for choosing birds that match your goals, climate, and lifestyle. The conversation wraps up with a fun rapid-fire round where Vinnie reveals some of his personal breed favorites.

What matters most to you when choosing a chicken breed: egg production, temperament, appearance, or something else?

If you're ready to dive deeper into breed selection, be sure to read our article, "A Guide to Choosing Breeds That Meet Your Backyard Flock Needs." It explores the key factors to consider, from flock goals and temperament to climate, available space, and long-term planning, so you can choose the breeds that are the best fit for your backyard flock.

For more backyard poultry education, breed selection guidance, chick care resources, and seasonal flock management tips, explore Valley Hatchery's educational content. If this episode helped you think differently about predator warning signs and coop security, be sure to subscribe to Chicken Support Insights for more practical poultry education and backyard chicken insights.

Transcript

Cortney 0:09

Hi, everyone, and welcome to another special episode of the Chicken Support Insight podcast. Once a month, we bring a special guest for a special episode where we dive into a unique topic or sit down with a special guest to share their stories, insights, and expertise. I'm Cortney, and today we're excited to be joined by one of our founders of Valley Hatchery, my friend Vinnie. Vinnie is our resident chicken breed expert with years of experience helping backyard chicken keepers choose the right breeds for their flock. So, Vinnie, before we dive in, how long have you been helping people select chicken breeds?

Vinnie 0:47

I've been working with chickens and helping people through breed choices for quite a few years now. One of the things I've learned is there isn't really one perfect breed. The right breed depends on the person, what they want from your flock, where they live, and how they plan on raising them. Helping people figure out that right has become one of my favorite parts of what I do here.

Cortney 1:11

That's a wealth of experience, and we're excited to have you share some of that knowledge with us today. If you've ever wondered whether you're choosing the right breed for your backyard flock or just the one that everyone else seems to be recommending, this episode is for you. Today we're talking about how Vinnie got started, the mistakes new chicken keepers often make, how to choose breeds based on real goals, and which breeds Vinnie would personally pick. And before we finish, we're gonna put Vinnie through a rapid-fire breed round. So stick around for that. Let's jump in. And what made you fall in love with raising chicken?

Vinnie 1:56

So my journey really started in my late 20s when Santino, the other founder here at Valley Hatchery, asked if I would help grow the business and be on the phones. And I'll admit, I thought he had lost his marbles wanting to sell chicken online. Growing up, I had chicken, but back then I wasn't a breed expert. I only knew them as the red chickens. And now I know that they were Rhode Island red, but that comes with years of experience. Everything really started changing for me once I started talking with customers. People were asking about breeds I'd never heard of. Someone would ask for Dominique, and another person had called them Dominiquers one time, and I had to scour to find that information that was a nickname for Dominique. It was just this crazy world of stuff that I had never experienced. And the customers made me fall in love with it. They wanted to know about a colors, a production, personalities, hardiness, and all these things. And every conversation made me realize there was so much I didn't know. So I started researching everything I could because I wanted to actually understand the answers to the questions that our gut showers were giving us. And then for breeds that like really hooked me in, it was the buff silky. They looked so different compared to the other breeds that I wanted to figure out why. So that led me into feather genetics and then color genetics of chicken, learning about frizzle feathers, satin feathers, led me into feather shredder jeans, are you thumb chicken, dominant and recessive white, and just eventually the hundreds of different breeds that there were. When I first started, I thought there were five or ten different chicken breeds. But that answering the phone and talking to our customers has just become something that I truly, genuinely love about our business.

Cortney 3:50

Well, I think that's what listeners don't always get to hear. So thank you for that. There's a lot of experience behind the advice, and that experience changes how you look at different breeds and what works for different people. So great job wanting to know and diving into those different things. So there's just explaining all those different things that go into chickens and poultry and backyard flocks. So thank you for that. After helping so many new chicken keepers over the year, what's the biggest mistake people make and what questions should they ask before bringing birds home?

Vinnie 4:22

That's a good question. And I don't think it's usually one big mistake. It's usually several small ones. And it all usually comes down to the preparation. People use the wrong buttons, use a regular light bulb instead of a proper heat bulb. They put chicks in a fish tank with poor ventilation. They don't have their brooder completely set up and ready before the chicks arrive. They use bowls for water, pans for feed. You know, chickens themselves are very hardy birds, but as chicks, they depend on us getting everything right: the proper sheet, good ventilation, cream water, quality feed, the right equipment, and that makes all the difference for those chicks. Once they're older, another big mistake is not making sure the coop is predator-proof. I've heard heartbreaking stories involving raccoons, dogs, hogs, pretty much any predator you can imagine. I've heard heartbreaking stories from. Before bringing the chicks home, the question you've got to ask yourself, is my brooder completely ready? Is my coop finished in predator brewed? Have I chosen breeds that fit my goals, my climate? And the biggest thing I could leave all of our customers and listeners with is don't be afraid to ask us a question. There isn't really a bad question when it comes to chicken keeping. Nobody knows the answer until they learn them, and that's what we're here for.

Cortney 5:51

Right. And I think that changes the whole way someone approaches their first flock. Instead of starting with which chicken looks best, they're starting with, what do I actually need this flock to do for me? Let's get into the question everyone wants to ask a breed expert. How should someone choose the right breed for their family or farm?

Vinnie 6:09

So the first thing I do is I don't recommend a breed. I start asking questions. Things like, how big is your coop? How many chickens do you want? Are you looking for a layer, a dual purpose bird, a meat bird? Are you just looking to have a fun pet chicken? And then, you know, there's different glasses. So do you want large styles? Do you want phantoms? What is your climate like? Is this your first block? That lets me know do you believe easy to raise chickens? Are you are you comfortable with any chicken breed? And once I know those answers, it becomes much easier to recommend breed to people based on that. If someone's just getting started, I recommend something like Barred Rock. They're friendly, dependable layers. They're dual purpose if you need them for that. And being a heritage breed, they have a good lifespan with often eight or more years. But if you're looking for a colored egg layer and you're just starting out, Easter eggers are great. They're friendly, they lay well, and then you've had some fun for the egg gap because they can lay those blues, greens, pink. So the best thing to do in those is explain that breed's trait and any special care it may need. Like silkies. Absolutely, we can have silkies like up here in Ohio or even colder region. They just need that extra winter protection. Brahma is if you need them in the hot weather, they just need plenty of shade and fresh water. Make sure that something that can be provided to them so they are living their best life. And it's just the color someone's looking for, we can narrow that down to multiple different breeds. There's usually several. Like it gives someone the woke or eight color they're going after. My goal is helping you find the best fit for you.

Cortney 7:54

And I love that because it brings everything back to fit. The most popular breed isn't automatically the right breed. The best choice is the one that actually works for your goals, your family, and your setup. Now I want to clear up a couple of chicken myths. Is there any truth to the idea that brown eggs are healthier than white eggs?

Vinnie 8:14

No. Egg show has nothing to do with what's inside an egg. Nutrition comes from the help of the hen and what he eats. So healthy hen, healthy eggs.

Cortney 8:25

That's right. And while we're talking about myths, what's one old wives tell about chickens that still makes you laugh when you hear it?

Vinnie 8:32

I still get a chuckle when somebody calls in and says that they need to order a rooster so that their hens will lay eggs. That's one of the biggest myths and best shakes that's that I've heard. And it gives me a chuckle every time. Both hens, they're gonna lay eggs whether there's a rooster around or not. The only time he's acting theory is that you want fertilized eggs to hatch into tomorrow chicks.

Cortney 8:56

I think that's a good reminder that there's a lot of chicken advice passed around, but it's always worth asking where that advice came from and whether it actually applies to your flock. So before I put you on the clock for rapid fire, I want to give you one question where you're allowed to explain your answer. If you could only raise one chicken breed for the rest of your life, what breed would that be and why? That's a hard one.

Vinnie 9:23

It is a hard one. I've had lots of different favorite breeds through the years. I mentioned earlier my first favorite was the buff silkies. And then I loved Millie Fleur. My current favorite, a Swedish flower hen. They are an incredible bird, but if I had to choose one, I would go with probably the buff silkies, you know? The first favorite favorite, your first love. They're hard to embrace. I don't think I could ever not have them in my coop. They're cute, they're full of personality, you know, silkies come in multiple colors. They're not the most practical breed, but they are the breed that made me fall in love with chicken.

Cortney 10:06

All right, we're going to remember that answer. Now we're gonna make this a little harder. All right, Vinny, it's rapid fire time. I'm putting you on the clock. Short answers only. One word, one breed, or one sentence. No long breed expert explanations this time. Are you ready?

Vinnie 10:23

I'm ready.

Cortney 10:24

All right, favorite egg color.

Vinnie 10:26

Blue.

Cortney 10:26

Favorite dual purpose breed.

Vinnie 10:28

Bard rock.

Cortney 10:29

Best beginner breed.

Vinnie 10:30

Buff orbenton.

Cortney 10:32

Best layer.

Vinnie 10:33

Cinnamon green.

Cortney 10:34

Best pet chicken. Milky. Most underrated breed. Buckeye. Most beautiful breed. Polish. Most talkative breed. Ooh. Speckled Sussex. Heritage or hybrid? Heritage. And last one, what's a coop must have?

Vinnie 10:54

For the coop itself, good ventilation.

Cortney 10:56

I would go with that one too. All right, you survived. I definitely wanted to stop you for an explanation of a few of those, but we'll save that for conversations for another episode.

Vinnie 11:06

Absolutely. I can't wait to be back here with you again.

Cortney 11:09

So I think one of the biggest takeaways today that the best breed isn't always the most popular breed. It's the one that matches your goal, your climate, your available space, and how you actually want to enjoy your flock.

Vinnie 11:22

Yeah, absolutely. Don't be afraid to ask questions before you order. We much rather help someone choose the right breed from the beginning than have them realize later it wasn't the right fit for them. You know, a little planning up front goes a long way. And our goal has always been to help people build a flock they're going to enjoy for years to come.

Cortney 11:42

That's right. Helping them enjoy their backyard flocks every day. We're here seven days a week to support you. If you have any questions, any chicken questions you'd like us to answer in a future Chicken Support Insight episode, we'd love to hear from you. Have a chicken question for us, just leave us a voice message using the fan mail link in this episode's description on Buzz Sprout. We listen to every message, and you might hear your question answered in a future episode on Chicken Support Insight.

Vinnie 12:11

Thanks for listening, everyone, and we hope we'll see you again next month.

Cortney 12:15

Thanks for joining us, Vinny. It's been a pleasure, and take care, everyone. Bye for now. Goodbye.