Help me decide on chickens

[scyllarus]

Hello! My husband and I are moving in a few months (around October, probably) and we'll be on some property (iirc we have like...1/4 acre, I think). I need to check the details on the actual ordinances but a quick Google search of the city and county says I should be able to keep chickens - even roosters - as long as they're not a nuisance. We're in a suburban area in Georgia, so I don't expect to have a huge number of predators. The weather gets hot and humid in the summer (up to 100F a few days out of the year) and somewhat cold in the winter (typical temps around 30's, dips down to 20's here and there). We get thunderstorms often in the summer and we very rarely get snow.

We already keep Coturnix quail as our current producers (no room/not allowed chickens where we are now) and are thinking of putting them in a nice aviary and keeping them more as pets rather than producers. We'll probably end up keeping a small backyard flock of chickens, maybe 5-6? We're accustomed to culling birds but would rather keep them for eggs vs meat. Pet production, if you will.

So! Now that that's out of the way, here's what I'm looking for:
Friendly - I like to interact with my animals. I don't *need* to pick them up and hug them, but it's a bonus if I can snuggle a chicken.
Friendly with other chickens - I have enough trauma from quail scalping each other, thanks.
Not flighty - We don't really have predators. I'm more worried that they'll fly out of the yard and get hit by a car.
Heat-hardy - I'm happy to provide a fan and wading pool, but they need to be able to tolerate hot and humid summers.

Things that matter less:
Eggs - We don't really eat that many eggs, maybe a dozen a week? So 3 eggs a week per hen is more than fine. All colors are welcome, too, but I wouldn't mind if I could get a couple of different colors.
Broodiness - I don't mind if they go broody, we're likely to want to raise a few chicks at some point anyway.
Quiet roosters - I know this is probably not a thing, but breeds with quieter roosters would be welcome. I don't think we'll start with a rooster, but we might end up with one.
Size - Smaller is probably better? We have small dogs (who have been around chickens without issue) and I would be distraught if one got hurt. On the other hand, bantams are apparently better at flight, so maybe not.
Foraging - Frankly, there's not that much to forage for the hens. The backyard is just standard grass with a few trees at the edge of the property.
Aesthetics - I think most chickens are beautiful! But I noticed I really like bearded/muffed chickens, certain colors (blue/black/splash, mottled/spangled, laced, mille fleur). I'm fine with silkie or frizzle feathers. I'm not as fond of naked necks or short legs.

Things I want to avoid:
Vaulted skull - I'm fine with crests, but not with vaulted skulls if I can help it.
Feathered feet - It's hot, it's muddy after thunderstorms. I would consider a breed with feathered feet but it's not preferred.
Exotic breeds - It's not so much I don't want them as it's likely going to be a pain to find one.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Congrats on the new space! To be honest I would not consider a Rooster on limited land space. I know many people would but I think a way EASIER, peaceful way to go on a 1/4 acre is 4-5 hens, no rooster. Again just my opinion. The hen breeds that I think meet your criteria are: Orpingtons (Lavender and chocolate are so pretty, very sweet) Speckled Sussex, very sweet; Creme Legbar, very sweet; Any Wyandotte. Good Luck. Have Fun!!

 

[AntiqueB]

Don't be so sure you don't have predators. My town, in a suburb of NYC, has raccoons, foxes, opossums, skunks, hawks, and eagles. A raccoon just broke into my neighbor's garage a few days ago, and also broke the lattice to get under my porch. Lots are generally 50' x 100' so we have even less space than you!

I liked my Orpington because she was heavy and couldn't fly well, but I also love Easter Eggers, Speckled Sussex, and Barred Rocks. If you get them as chicks and socialize with them, they will be more likely to be friendly and snuggly!

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I'm seeing a lot of Orpington, Sussex, and Wyandotte. I think I'm a little worried about the Orpingtons' ability to stay cool given...well, they're very borb. Bird-orb. But it does look like non-show birds are less round, so it'll probably be okay. I like the colors all of these come in, and they all look very cute from initial Googling.


I do not want feathered feet. I spoke to the Husband since I posted and he's very against dealing with feathery feet. That being said - I was looking into Belgian d'Anvers bantams because they're so stinkin' cute - I don't know if you (or anyone else) has any opinions about these?

...I am a little tiny bit sad that it looks like I won't have a bearded chicken. I might attempt getting an Easter Egger anyway - though if anyone has any beard-y recommendations that would fit in with some Orpingtons/Sussex/Wyandottes, I'm all ears! I finally remembered the name for Russian Orloffs, which hit all the aesthetics for me but which I can't find/keep easily.

Belgian d anvers would be good. My Orpingtons do good in heat. We already have 80 plus degrees days. And last year they did well in 95 plus degrees.
Just add cool water, i add ice, then i have watermelon and mist their run. Provide plenty of shade and the coop has fans.

Im hatching some Russian Orloffs i can get them locally. Maybe post in your state forum on here and someone will help you find some.
We have had 100 plus days and the breeder says hers are ok in the heat.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Sussex is a great breed, I am not sure if they will fit exactly into your standards but the speckled variety has wonderful camouflaged plumage, go broody often and lay the amount of eggs that you want—good egg production but not too much to where it will harm them. I aim to always keep Speckled Sussex because they are beautiful, friendly and great.

 

[Shadrach]

I suppose I'm a little frustrated because I figured that, if chickens are recommended a minimum of 10 sqft of run space, the back yard is far more than 60 sqft - looking it up, 1/4 acre is 10890 sqft. I appreciate the advice, though.

I have absolutely no idea how this ten square feet per chicken in a run came about. I do know it wasn't from asking chickens. It seems to me that if one wanted to know how much room a chicken would use given the choice then one would put some chickens on a large area of land and see what they made use of. Funnily enough people have done this and what they report is each group of chickens claimed about an acre per group, much like their ancestors the jungle fowl. I cannot think of a single creature that would be happy confined to that kind of ground to size ratio. This isn't to say one can't keep five or six chickens on a quarter acre plot, a lot depends on what the plot contains. Most building plots of the kind of size tend to be pretty bare of much other than some grass and perhaps a few flower beds and hard standing. This is okayish for people but chickens have a completely different idea of garden aesthetics and what should grow there. I don't usually comment on what breed of chicken should I get threads. What made me comment on this thread is you haven't got chickens yet and you have an opportunity to develope a chicken heaven rather than a prison camp with some patience and work which you will probably enjoy as much as they would. I can read that you've considered their security and hopefully researched their housing. Some time and effort making a garden diverse in vegetation with established bushes and other places of interest in the chickens view will reap huge dividends in the ong run.

 

[123RedBeard]

I had 25 chickens in a 25'X50' run out at daybreak, locked in the coop by sunset ... It was nothing but dirt around the few bushes and trees in a year ...

I too don't understand how this 4 sq ft in a coop, and 10 sq ft in a run came up as a "standard" ... It's way to small in my opinion ... Double the coop, multiple by 20 for a run, at a minimum ...

 

[123RedBeard]

Another thing to keep in mind ... Placement of the coop ... If your able to have it in a shady spot in Georgia, all the better, but ... Chickens tend to stick around home ... As in the 25'-50' around the coop will most likely get the most wear and tear ... If you had shade in the middle of the back yard, the chickens would spread out and use more of the yard, compared to the coop in a corner.

Some chickens will tend to roam farther than others, some will scratch more than others ...

If you're planting this fall, by spring chick season you will want some type of protection for the new plants, or the little dinosaurs will dig them up and eat them, give the plants a chance to get established for a year or more ...

 

[scyllarus]

We have a bunch of mixed breeds. Feathered feet get damaged feathers which get picked at by other chooks. Plenty of bloodshed there.

Speckled Sussex, Cream Legbars, Welsummer, Leghorn.

You might want a rooster as well if it's a small group. Make sure you cuddle the thing a lot while it's a chick.

I've seen a lot of experiences with aggressive (and nonaggressive) Leghorns, and for some reason my assumption is that the Legbars and Welsummers are a little more aggressive than the other breeds listed. I'm already avoiding feathered feet because of the mess, so these are more reasons to not deal with them.

edit: Looked it up and I think my concern is that Legbars and Welsummers are a bit flightier and more aggressive in general. I know that it depends on the individual, how we handle them, etc as well, but I want to set myself up for success.

I don't think I'll be keeping a rooster at first since a lot of people have mentioned these seem to be for more advanced keepers. However, I really love the way Russian Orloff and Jersey Giant roosters look, so I'm not deeply against getting a rooster once I feel more comfortable with keeping chickens (and clear it with neighbors, etc) - but I assumed it would be worse to keep a rooster with only a few hens? More issues with overbreeding, for example.

 

[SourRoses]

My Ameraucana (not EE) get along very well with the sweet Orpingtons. The Ams often have a very curious personality, and are smart and in charge, yet they don't tend to be mean.

I've kept English Orpington (very floofy) in the heat here in FL, and provided the right conditions they do okay (open-air or partially open-air coop NOT a box, and deep shade under mature trees to rest in summer). I wouldn't call them heat hardy. But my neighbor has the production American bred Orpingtons in Buff and Lavender, and they seem to do quite fine.


Here's one of the beardy girls from my Am + Orp mix...