Chicken Newbie from Louisville and long time lurker!

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Shellie2413

Shellie2413

Hatching
Feb 5, 2016
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Hi Everyone,

Shellie from Louisville, KY here!! I have been considering getting chickens for the past year; ever since our great Uncle Sam has decided that our meat can be sent overseas for processing in foreign countries! NO WAY do I intend to eat grocery store chicken any longer than I have too! lol Since chicken is our staple diet, we have decided to try our hand at raising our own self sustaining food source and I couldn't be more excited! I am soooo happy to have found this site and look forward to making new friends and acquaintances; not to mention people who enjoy talking about chickens! I'm sure my hubby is tired of the endless hours and chatter I have put into researching breeds, coops, and how to do it on a shoe string budget! lol

We are in the process of setting up our brooding station in our barn, along with our exterior runs and coops outside. My new babies will have a 10x10 brooding room, along with a 20x30 enclosed coop and run. We intend to order a flock of 25 that will continue to perpetuate itself, along with 15 Cornish X for some quick meat! Here is what I have chosen so far: 5 Brown Leghorns, 5 Barred Rock, 5 Buff Orphintons, 5 Cochins and the jury is still out for the last 5!! lol I'd like to have some Jersey Giants and another breed as well that will not only provide the staples, but are easy on the eyes as well.

Do you think these choices will make for a good dual purpose, self sustaining flock? Any breeds I shouldn't put together?

Thanks everyone and I look forward to getting to know all of you!

Shellie
 
Hi :welcome Shellie

Glad you could join the flock! It sounds like you are very busy there getting ready for your new chicken adventures :D I'm afraid I've never raised meat birds as I mainly have polish which have no meat on them at all :/ You might like to drop by the meat bird section, I'm sure members there will be able to help you with the breeds you have chosen. Here is the link ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/21/meat-birds-etc

Wishing you the very best of luck and enjoy BYC :frow
 
Thank you! I love the Polish!!! Naturally, the kids want their "pet" chickens. Being as I'm Polish, I thought it would be fitting for us to have a few lol I'm going to wait until next year to venture into some of the exhibition breeds since it will be a few years before my youngest can do 4H with chickens, but I thought this could be a fun choice for her
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Hi Shellie and welcome to BYC. You have some great pointers already from other members so I'll just say a big hello and wish you the best of luck with your plans.

All the best
CT
 
Hi Shelli,
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It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into your preparations, that will sure make things go smoother. Have you checked out the Learning Center yet? It has some really good articles dealing with all sorts of poultry topics.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

I think the dual purpose breeds you've selected will do fine together. As for the one you're still unsure about, everyone has their favorites. I like the sex link girls for their egg laying and the Speckled Sussex for them temperament and looks.

Best of luck with all your plans. If you have questions, always feel free to ask, everyone is here to help.
 
Hi Shellie,

Fellow Louisvillian here!!!!!! Love seeing the backyard chicken trend grow locally.

Congrats on the new kids. Sounds like you've done your research so far, which is always comforting to hear from soon-to-be chicken owners. There's a couple great resources here in town that I'm sure you're aware of, between Fresh Start Grower's Supply, and then KY Horse Supply. Both informative as well as good local sources for supplies you'll be needing. They even have educational meetings as well that I've found fun to attend.

Best of luck as you start your flock. I don't have any personal experience with meat birds, but have had a backyard flock for eggs as well as raised baby chicks through incubation. Feel free to reach out at any point. Always love to talk chicken :)
 

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