The Poultry Catalog Is Here!!!!!

When I was little I loved when the Sears Christmas catalog would come in the mail.  I think it was Sears anyway.  It was at least an inch thick and I would go through it page by page, dog-earing all the ones with things I wanted.  I think my sisters and I made lists with page numbers so our parents could find what we wanted in the catalog. I have no idea if Mom and Dad ever bought us any of the things we marked.  It didn't really matter because the fun was going through the catalog and dreaming.  At least that's how I remember it. 

Today my 2011 Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog came.  I ordered our turkeys through them last year so that's why I got it.  This year I want to get more chickens but I don't know what I want to get.  I'm not really sure what my plans are so I haven't decided whether to buy meat chickens, productive egg layers, chickens just for pretty, or a combination of all three.  I do know I want to get some Welsummers.  They're a beautiful bird and lay very pretty dark brown, sometimes speckled  eggs.  I didn't see them in the McMurray catalog so I did a search on the internet to see if any other hatcheries had them. The one I went to first was sold out.  I hope I can find them somewhere.  I'll keep searching.  Another breed that lays a chocolate egg is the Maran.  They don't lay as many as the Welsummer but they may be even darker.  Of course I'd love some more blue and green egg layers too.

Welsummer Rooster and eggs

 Maran eggs

Easter Eggers (Araucana and Ameraucana eggs).  Can be blue, green, pink and other variations.

 Since I don't think I want to get turkeys this year (way too much work) I think I might buy some meat birds like the Jumbo Cornish X Rocks or Cornish Roasters.  They mature very quickly (8 to 10 weeks) so I couldn't get too attached to them before I put them in our freezer. 

And then there are the chickens that make nice lawn ornaments, like the Polish breeds.

 Or this Polish breed. Oh wait, that's David Bowie.

 The Top Hat Chicken

 And then the Cochin which comes in many colors and look like they're wearing pantaloons.

There are so many pretty birds I'd love to post pictures of but it would take me all night. 

I don't know how I'll choose.  This is just as much fun as the Sears Christmas catalog, for sure.