Trying to decide

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New2FarmLife

New2FarmLife

Hatching
Feb 8, 2016
4
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7
New to the chicken world and excited!!

I live in east Texas. it gets really hot in the summer. I have a lot of outdoor space!

I'm wanting some free range chickens that will produce a lot of eggs. I have small children that will be involved in their care so I don't want any aggressive breeds. I think a flock of 4-6 chickens will be good to start with. From what I've read in the forums here I'm thinking about getting 2 leghorns and 3 or 4 buff orpingtons.

Let me know what you experienced chicken farmers think! I am ready for lots of advice!!
 
New2FarmLife said:
New to the chicken world and excited!!

I live in east Texas. it gets really hot in the summer. I have a lot of outdoor space!

I'm wanting some free range chickens that will produce a lot of eggs. I have small children that will be involved in their care so I don't want any aggressive breeds. I think a flock of 4-6 chickens will be good to start with. From what I've read in the forums here I'm thinking about getting 2 leghorns and 3 or 4 buff orpingtons.

Let me know what you experienced chicken farmers think! I am ready for lots of advice!!
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Welcome to BYC! Glad you joined the flock! I suggest Black Australorps. They are good in the heat and cold and they lots of eggs too. So long as they have shade to get out of the sun and plenty of water you're good.
1000
 
Welcome, so glad you could join!
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4-6 sounds perfect. Chickens are great backyard pets/livestock and love to follow you around, perch on your porch, and adore getting treats. Some breeds are better in hot weather then others (generally large comb means more heat tolerant and small comb means less heat tolerant).
Leghorns are awesome but can be flighty birds and may not lay through the winter. Red Stars and Black Stars are very friendly and hardy and lay well, as well as being beautiful, though they tend to have a pretty short laying life. Turkens, Plymouth Rocks (of all colors), Rhode Island Reds, and Speckled Sussex are all pretty friendly chickens that do well in warm weather and are good producers and foragers. Mediterranean breeds (Leghorns, Minorcas, Andalusians, ect) can be a little skittish but they also can be raised to be friendly and are great in warm weather and at foraging.

Best of luck!
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. Buff Orpingtons are a very friendly and gentle breed (good with children) and are good layers, but with kids involved I would personally avoid Leghorns. While they are great layers, they are typically high strung and flighty. Mine screamed bloody murder whenever I handled them and my kids hated them. I would suggest either going with Australorps which are extremely hardy, calm and gentle (good lap pets), and better layers of brown eggs than Buff Orpingtons, or else Black Sex Links which are friendly and hardy laying machines that will churn out more than 300 large brown eggs per hen per year. Whatever breeds you decide to get, good luck with your flock. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Cheers.
 
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There are so many different breeds to choose from it can be a bit confusing but it's also a lot of fun selecting which breeds best suit your needs. There's an article in the Learning Center that may be of help to you. Just remember, each bird is unique and may not exactly match breed characteristics.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...cken-guide-to-picking-backyard-chicken-breeds

Have fun and if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask.
 
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Hi and welcome to BYC - you have exciting times ahead for sure! I'd suggest getting a variety of breeds - that way you will gain experience first hand of which you prefer for the future (yep, chicken maths will have you in its vice-like grip very soon, i promise!)

All the best
CT
 

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