Need Advice For Start Up

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

 

The Frequently Asked Questions section has many useful links in it.  And the Henderson chicken chart (you can google that) is a great place to research breeds.

Try filling out the form on this Breeds site. It might be helpful. http://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds  Also click on Coops at the top of the BYC home page for wonderful coop designs. Remember you will always want more chickens than you think you will at the beginning. No one ever complains that they built their coop too big! Welcome to BYC!
 

 

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined us!

Your problem is probably going to be deciding which way you want to go forward. There are several different ways you could choose and they all work. There are just so many different things you could do it's hard to give any real advice.

The way I see it, you have two basic choices. You can raise specific egg layers and specific meat birds or you can get the dual purpose that are good for both eggs and meat. Since they are not as specialized for either meat or eggs but are a compromise, they won't be as efficient but they are more sustainable.

Some things that might enter in the basic decision is whether you're going to free range them where they forage for a lot of their own food or are you going to keep them confined and buy all their food? Do you want to hatch or buy replacements? Do you want to process a bunch of meat birds at one time and fill a freezer with meat or would you prefer to process fewer at a time in case you have a power outage and a lot of meat in the freezer? Do you want chicken meat tender enough to fry, like the meat you buy at the store, or will you be happy using slower moister methods to cook it?

You'll find people on this forum that answer these questions differently and do things differently. It's not a case that one way is right and another is wrong, but that we have different goals and circumstances and use different ways to get there.

It may seem overwhelming, but its not. I suggest you read a lot in the Learning Center above and follow some posts in this forum. Ask specific questions. The only dumb question is the one not asked. There are plenty of people on this forum with different experiences that will be glad to help you.
You've got time. Keep at it and once again,

Howdy from Austin, Texas. Red Sex Links have worked out well for me.

 &  from Alabama. Glad you joined us. 

  and    from S. Florida!   So glad you joined us!