I want ONE breed...DUMB???

[JacinLarkwell]

No, don’t care whatsoever what they look like. I care about the traits of the birds. And I get what you are saying about Walmart shopping…I live by that rule almost always. However, right now I don’t see anything available locally. Are you saying it’s impossible to accomplish what I want with hatchery birds? Like why can’t I cull from 20 hatchery birds? Are you saying all 20 will be garbage?

And if I were able to find a good local pair of free ranging birds, there no guarantee the hen will remain broody with the change of environment or either won’t get picked off by a predator. This approach really does sound like putting all my eggs in one basket.

Not all 20 will be garbage. I get a lot of really nice hatchery birds. I also get some not so nice birds. Go with a bulk order and then let yourself and nature whittle it down to a smaller number

 

[762]

Not all 20 will be garbage. I get a lot of really nice hatchery birds. I also get some not so nice birds. Go with a bulk order and then let yourself and nature whittle it down to a smaller number

What do you consider bulk? Looking at getting 20. That’s a lot to start off with, I think.

 

[TooCheep]

How many do you want (ideally) in your flock? If you want 20 and are willing to sell/cull/accept losses then buying 2-4 extra should work fine.

I understand what Shadrach is saying about buying from a breeder, but if you can't find anything there, then possibly buying from a local store (Tractor Supply, Rural King, local feed store) might work for you. That is basically one step removed from buying from a hatchery since that is likely where they get their birds, but at least you can examine them individually before buying them to see if they look healthy.

If you allow free-ranging, then predator losses are a fact of life. Mine free range all day and I've lost one to a hawk in 5 years with my group of 4. They have lots of cover which helps minimize problems from hawks during the day.

 

[762]

How many do you want (ideally) in your flock? If you want 20 and are willing to sell/cull/accept losses then buying 2-4 extra should work fine.

I understand what Shadrach is saying about buying from a breeder, but if you can't find anything there, then possibly buying from a local store (Tractor Supply, Rural King, local feed store) might work for you. That is basically one step removed from buying from a hatchery since that is likely where they get their birds, but at least you can examine them individually before buying them to see if they look healthy.

If you allow free-ranging, then predator losses are a fact of life. Mine free range all day and I've lost one to a hawk in 5 years with my group of 4. They have lots of cover which helps minimize problems from hawks during the day.

I’m really not sure. I think we’d like to end up with a dozen or so and go from there.

Good point about TS I’ll have to call to see what they have coming.

 

[3KillerBs]

So if I go 10 lavender Orpingtons and 10 black Australops, what could be my strategy for getting out of the breed I don’t prefer?

It's not usually too difficult to sell birds on Craigslist, though there is always the option of eating the ones you don't want to keep.

A note in re: Lavender Orpingtons. They frequently carry a gene that causes their feathers to be "shredded" -- which is not necessarily compatible with long-term survival in a free-range environment since they aren't as weatherproof as they ought to be.

Have you looked at Ideal Poulty? They're my favorite for their small-order policies.

Hoovers is, unfortunately, known for having birds that, while they may be healthy, only vaguely resemble the breeds they're supposed to be. :\

 

[762]

It's not usually too difficult to sell birds on Craigslist, though there is always the option of eating the ones you don't want to keep.

A note in re: Lavender Orpingtons. They frequently carry a gene that causes their feathers to be "shredded" -- which is not necessarily compatible with long-term survival in a free-range environment since they aren't as weatherproof as they ought to be.

Have you looked at Ideal Poulty? They're my favorite for their small-order policies.

Hoovers is, unfortunately, known for having birds that, while they may be healthy, only vaguely resemble the breeds they're supposed to be. :\

Really? Seems like there’s an obstacle at every turn…

 

[NatJ]

I understand what Shadrach is saying about buying from a breeder, but if you can't find anything there, then possibly buying from a local store (Tractor Supply, Rural King, local feed store) might work for you. That is basically one step removed from buying from a hatchery since that is likely where they get their birds, but at least you can examine them individually before buying them to see if they look healthy.

Yes, being able to see the chicks is an advantage to buying from a store, even if the chicks did originate from a hatchery.

But on the other hand, the chicks are sometimes mis-labeled. if the hatchery ships the chicks directly to you, they are more likely to be the kind you thought you were buying, because there are less opportunities for mistakes along the way.

I can see good points either way.

No, don’t care whatsoever what they look like. I care about the traits of the birds. And I get what you are saying about Walmart shopping…I live by that rule almost always. However, right now I don’t see anything available locally. Are you saying it’s impossible to accomplish what I want with hatchery birds? Like why can’t I cull from 20 hatchery birds? Are you saying all 20 will be garbage?

And if I were able to find a good local pair of free ranging birds, there no guarantee the hen will remain broody with the change of environment or either won’t get picked off by a predator. This approach really does sound like putting all my eggs in one basket.

I've gotten hatchery birds before, and never gotten chicks from a breeder.

Whether you can get the "right" traits from a hatchery will usually depend on what traits you want. Hatchery birds are often healthy and good layers. Hatchery birds tend to be middle sized: the big breeds are not as big as they should be, and the bantams are not as small as they should be. Various details of the appearance may be wrong (missing a 5th toe or a beard on the face, feather color a bit wrong in places, foot color wrong, body shape or size a bit off, and so forth.)

If you just want broody, you could look into bantams. I agree with @JacinLarkwell suggestion about Cornish Bantams. I had some from Ideal Poultry a few years back, and they were nice little birds. They laid pretty well, sometimes went broody, had a reasonable amount of meat on that round little body, and did not have movement issues the way a big round chicken does. Mine were in Northern Virginia, and they did fine through the summer and the winter. I liked the pretty colors too. The Dark Cornish Bantams have black double-lacing on a rich brown shade and were my favorites, but the White Laced Red were quite nice too.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

What do you consider bulk? Looking at getting 20. That’s a lot to start off with, I think.

Anything 15 and over. Typical minimum order. At least, that's what I call bulk

 

[gypsylady32]

I have always loved Barred Plymouth Rocks. I had wanted them for years and finally got 2. Then I got 2 Sapphire Gems and I wish I had stuck with the barred rocks. I did a lot of research, and the rocks are just a great fit for me. I love my two gems, but they are very different. More stand-offish and "don't touch me" kind of birds. My two rocks are my sweet hearts. I think it's perfectly ok to go with just one breed. Also my two different breeds do not intermingle. They keep to their own kind. There is a 6 mo age difference between them so maybe that could be part of it.

 

[Chinachik]

Getting ready to find some new chicks and build a coop while they start to mature. Seems like it would be nearly impossible to prohibit interbreeding without a lot of work, I want to find the right breed of dual purpose bird. I don't want to cross-breed anything because I want the natural traits of the birds I choose to remain intact. We want brooders that produce a good amount of eggs but also, eventually meat.

I want one breed because I do not want to depend on a hatchery to provide brooders for my egg layers, etc. If I have more than one breed of rooster, there will be no way for me to know which rooster has fertilized which eggs, etc. My ideal is to buy chicks once, and create a sustainable flock from those chicks.

From what I've read, Orpingtons seem pretty perfect. Forage well, generally too big for hawks but relatively quick on the ground for their size, 4-5 large eggs per week, great brooders and mothers, and good size for eating. Still researching breeds, though.

Regardless of which breed I go with, am I naive in thinking this can be done?

I have two Delawares and can tell them apart by their markings of black and their combs. Not sure about the hawks not being able to get them. They are big birds, but we had a large white rooster years ago and the hawks had no problem taking his head with us standing there. I let my girls out this morning for a little free range in a fenced area outside the coop. Mama and daddy hawk seemed to be telling each other watch for the large white birdies we'll get them when their not looking. So girls were disappointed when they had to go back in the run..