Back in Jax

Hi, y'all! After moving about a bit, I am back in Jax & ready for more chickens! A few years ago we had up to 43 chickens of various ages, breeds, & sexes when we lived in the Hammock area of Palm Coast. I will now be living in an old neighborhood in town & will have room for only 3 pullets. (I can't let this get out of hand again, lol!) I am looking for suggestions on the friendliest breeds to get. From our experience, I am so far leaning to a Buff Orpington, an Australorp, and maybe a Barred Rock or Ameracauna. I know I do not want Leghorns, Silkies, Cornish, Polish, Cochins, or Naked Necks. I have heard good things about Speckled Sussex, RIRs, & the sex links. After I decide, I am trying to figure out how I am going to then get only one PULLET of each breed here locally, especially so late in the season. Angel's Rest Farm used to be where we'd get our chicks, but they were straight run, and they no longer have the breeds for which I would be looking. We'd like peeps, not chicks several weeks old, as these will be more pets than producers, and we want to bond with them to have the friendliest flock possible. So far, the only option I think there is would be to purchase a layer variety from one of the large hatcheries, and then sell the ones we cannot keep. Any suggestions?

Welcome to BYC. We're on the Westside off Timuquana and Wesconnett.
You can call around to the local feed stores and ask if they have chicks. Most feed stores around here get their chicks from either Mt Healthy hatchery or Ideal hatchery.

Thank you, that is good to know. My daughter & I went around to several feed stores last weekend to see what they had; we found Speckled Sussex, Golden Comets, and sex links. Hoping to not have to wait til spring. (I would go ahead and order the breeds I wanted & sell off the extras before that would happen probably...)

Welcome to BYC!

And welcome back to chickens

In our mixed flock, the SS are the sweetest. They aren't bothersome to the other girls, they are friendly and nice layers. Plus they are as pretty as can be.

If you don't find what you want from a feed store or want to order 15-25 chicks, there is one place I've made note of. I haven't used them yet but have heard really good things about DD Chickens & Hatchery in Newberry. They are west of Gainesville so a bit of a drive for you but it might be worth checking out to see if you think it would be worth it.

Good luck finding the birds you want!

Thank you, I will look into that-maybe there is a day trip in my future! I have heard really good things about the Speckled Sussex, and since these gals will be mostly pets, they may be one that I get.

TraceeLynn430 said:

Thank you, I will look into that-maybe there is a day trip in my future! I have heard really good things about the Speckled Sussex, and since these gals will be mostly pets, they may be one that I get.

Click to expand...

If you end up going to Newberry, let me know what you find there. I've heard he has quite a nice set up and I think he has a Facebook page (not sure about that, I'm not on there). Keep us updated on what breeds you get, ok?

Will do! I saw their Facebook page, but I stay away from FB for all the drama... I found that MyPetChicken.com will ship just 3 chicks at a time and you can chose your breeds, so that may be an option. If I were to go to Newberry, I would probably see if anyone else needed any chicks...

Maybe they've changed how they do things but MyPetChicken will sometimes have higher minimums depending on your zip code. About a year ago I looked at getting a few sent here and with my zip code, they wouldn't ship anything less than 6 or 7. Their shipping charges were crazy too...for me to get the 6 or 7 minimum, the shipping charges were more than the chicks themselves. Still, it's a place for you to check out.

Good luck!

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. Buff Orpingtons, Australorps, and Speckled Sussex are all very calm and gentle breeds. My children made lap pets of them. In addition, Australorps are extremely hardy in both heat and cold, and the best layers of these three breeds. If egg production is a priority, I would recommend Black Sex Links (if they are available) which are very friendly and hardy, egg laying machines. I've raised them for years (along with dozens of breeds and hybrids), and they have been my best layers, consistently churning out more than 300 large, brown eggs per hen per year. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Whatever breeds or hybrids you decide to get, good luck with your flock.

Welcome to the Backyard chickens flock, so glad you joined us.