New to backyard chicken raising!

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nsl06001

nsl06001

Hatching
5 Years
Aug 22, 2014
2
0
7
Hey everyone!
I'm planning on getting 5-10 chickens for my backyard. I already have a fantastic coop and run. Recommendations on good layers? What is the best food? What else should I buy for them? Any tips for me?
 
Welcome to BYC!!!!
I REALLY like Black sex links, Australorps, Rhode Island reds, and Ameraucanas.
My favs are Black sex links because they are really friendly and are great layers.
I feed mine Nature Wise.
 
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Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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You will first want to stop by our learning center for lots of great articles on getting started, space requirements, feeding at different ages and all the other aspects of keeping chickens...https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Lots of good breeds out there that are friendly, hardy and great on laying...Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorps, Sex Links, Rhode Island Reds, Wyandottes, etc....Take a look at both of these breeds pages on some of the aspects of these breeds...

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf

Enjoy this new journey you are on and welcome to our flock!
 
Welcome to BYC! There are so many breeds to choose from, you'll have to figure out what's important to you (do want broody birds, ones that lay colored eggs, ones that are cold or heat tolerant, etc.).

Here's a link from My Pet Chicken that might point you towards which breeds might best suit your needs. I'm not advocating ordering from them, but the quick breed selector could be helpful plus they have some really good photographs of the birds they sell so you can get a pretty good idea of what they actually look like. (I like Murray McMurray myself but they mostly have drawings of breeds and I prefer photographs.)

http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/which-breed-is-right-for-me.aspx

No matter what you end up with, chickens are great and so much fun. Enjoy!
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

You've received great links and advice above.

Some good layers include leghorns, RIRs and sex links. They'll keep those egg cartons on stock. However, if you are looking for tame birds, then these are not the best options. You should then look into buff orps, (my favorite) black australorps and EEs
 
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Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. For sheer egg production I would recommend black sex links. They are hardy, friendly, egg laying machines. I have raised them for years along with dozens of other breeds (actually BSLs are hybrids & not a breed) & they have consistently been my best layers, frequently laying more than 300 eggs per hen per year. If you prefer a standard breed, I would recommend black australorps. They are extremely hardy in both cold & heat, are very calm & gentle (my children, & now my granddaughter, made lap pets of them), & they are the best layers of the standard, brown egg laying breeds. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. What ever breed you decide to get, good luck with your flock.
 
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Glad you joined us! We're all here to help.
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I would personally recommend getting Wyandottes. They're beautiful, mellow birds that are generally great layers of brown eggs.
 

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