Best Age Bird For First Timer

[Striver]

Hi all. I've been wanting to keep chickens for awhile now, but the city I currently live in doesn't allow it. But, I'm in the process of buying a farm with a coop and run. I should be able to move in around mid to late May.

For somebody in my position, what would be the best age chickens to get? I've read up on using a brooder, but would it be better to skip that stage your first time? Would the weather (I'm in central Indiana) play a role?

My goal is to have laying hens for awhile until I get a feel for it. Then I'd like to keep meat birds too. Eventually I'd like to breed my own, but I want to take small steps and learn as I go. Thanks in advance.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Depends. If you get chicks now you won't get eggs until October ish. But they're not hard to take care of, and they make it fun for a first timer, since they can tame them down.

But if you end up with a roo you either won't be able to keep him in the city, or he'll be nasty tempered. Rarely do roosters who grow up without adult hens end up nice tempered, at least IME.

I'd get hens just because you won't get eggs for a while, but if you just want pets for a while go with chicks. Be prepared for a rooster.

 

[Bine]

Maybe you can get 6 month old chickens from a breeder near your new home. I find it always helpful to have a someone around how knows about the breed and can help, when something goes wrong. Wyandotte is good dual propose breed for starters, here ( Europe ) I would recomend Spitzhauben, Sulmtaler or Bielefelder. If a breeders club is in your area, contact them and they can help you to find a breeder near you. Most breeders are happy to show the birds and tell you everything about the breed. So you can see, what your chickens will be like.
There is of course the danger, that you set out to get five layer hens and end up with a ornamental bantam breed like I did years ago, because the little chickens the breeder had running around only for his grandchildren to play with were so sweet and charming, that I forgot about the eggs.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Maybe you can get 6 month old chickens from a breeder near your new home. I find it always helpful to have a someone around how knows about the breed and can help, when something goes wrong. Wyandotte is good dual propose breed for starters, here ( Europe ) I would recomend Spitzhauben, Sulmtaler or Bielefelder. If a breeders club is in your area, contact them and they can help you to find a breeder near you. Most breeders are happy to show the birds and tell you everything about the breed. So you can see, what your chickens will be like. 
There is of course the danger, that you set out to get five layer hens and end up with a ornamental bantam breed like I did years ago, because the little chickens the breeder had running around only for his grandchildren to play with were so sweet and charming, that I forgot about the eggs. 

Yeah, none of those breeds are found commonly in the us, lol.

Common laying birds here would be orpingtons,Wyandottes, sexlinks, RIR, production reds. Finding a spitzhauben would def be hard, and pricey.

 

[Striver]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I might go the 6 month old route. I'll have eggs earlier and won't end up with a rooster. Then next year I can get pullets, and if there's any roosters in the bunch the older hens can train him up.

 

[eagrbeavr]

Do your homework before you buy 6 month olds too. it would be really easy for someone not honest to screw you over with sick or old hens, or a rooster that no one wants. maybe you'll just want to wait til next year then you have time to make sure the coop and run are good, settle in, and do more research with breeds and care, then start with chicks next year. Raising chicks certainly hasnt been hard.

Good luck with your new home

 

[Striver]

Do your homework before you buy 6 month olds too. it would be really easy for someone not honest to screw you over with sick or old hens, or a rooster that no one wants. maybe you'll just want to wait til next year then you have time to make sure the coop and run are good, settle in, and do more research with breeds and care, then start with chicks next year. Raising chicks certainly hasnt been hard.

Good luck with your new home

Very solid advice. Thanks.

 

[eagrbeavr]

Hey by the way, I see theres a 'Animals in Need of Rehoming' section on here, so you never know. You may come across something that fits you in your area.

Best of luck to you

 

[dheltzel]

I strongly suggest you start with chicks, and get them soon, because availability is an issue the longer you wait. You might get lucky and find healthy 6 month old pullets, but you are more likely to get scammed in some way. Think about the economics a bit and you'll get why. If I have the space to raise a chick to POL (Point of Lay) in a healthy environment, I will have so much into her at that stage that I will want to keep her and sell the eggs. She is quite valuable to me for that first year. I will however, sell you the older hen I want to replace for $20 and might even tell you whatever you want to hear - unless I have a reputation to protect (which I do). So, I can be upfront and tell you she's an older hen and you can decide between her for $10 and a POL pullet for $40. Be very wary of any "breeder" selling "POL pullets" for under $30 each, the economics don't support that, as least where I live.

OTOH, baby chicks of high quality are much easier to find, and priced more reasonably. You have to supply the labor, which is "free" in your case because you want the experience and enjoy it, so your end result is cheaper and the hens are much better, having been raised personally and conscientiously. And raising chicks is so much fun, double that if you have any children around to enjoy them also.

Watch some YouTube videos about brooding and rearing chicks and I think you'll be sold. You will likely have these hens for at least 5 years, take the first 6 months as the investment you make in a happy and healthy bird that will them reward you for years to come.

I wish you were close, I'd have you come by and learn about this stuff first hand, but the forums here are almost as good. If you have not done so already, go post in your state forum in the social section and see if you can find someone close by to go learn from. Nothing like seeing it happen in person and being able to ask questions.

Best of luck with this, I can tell you it's a lot of fun. I predict you will be breeding your own sooner rather than later, and be firmly "hooked" on this hobby.

 

[Bine]

Do your homework before you buy 6 month olds too. it would be really easy for someone not honest to screw you over with sick or old hens, or a rooster that no one wants. maybe you'll just want to wait til next year then you have time to make sure the coop and run are good, settle in, and do more research with breeds and care, then start with chicks next year. Raising chicks certainly hasnt been hard.

Good luck with your new home

This is why I recomend a breeders club. Registered breeder (here) have to put rings on the birds with the hatching year and a induvidual number. So every bird can be traced back to the breeder. A registered breeder would never sell a ill bird and risk a fine or/and the club's vet showing up. One big bonus of registerd breeders is that they all birds are vaccinated against newcastle and bronchitis and get wormed, most club's here organise vaccine parties, where you can pick up the fluid every three month for a fraction of what it would cost at a pharmacy. I pay 20 Euros a year and get all vaccines for all my birds incl. Marek.
And yeah... a Spietzhaube chick here would cost 5 Euros, saw it on gff for $ 59... that is quite a difference.