Kikiriki
Songster
1. I started with three. It was a good number because I would have had way too many eggs with even one more hen. Also, consider the cost of feed. 1/4 lb per bird, per day.
2. I do wish I had mixed them up from the start. I had favorites I wanted, but then just got what was close: production layers called golden comets. Great layers, diverse personalities. But then I had to wait years before I could get the breeds I wanted because they are so lovely to me.
3. I have no feedback on size...
4. That fence will not be sufficient, especially when they are young and slender. The chickens were all out yesterday and one of my Easter Eggers flew up to my roof from the ground! Their run is net covered even though I have 6 foot fencing. Also, that fence is low enough for dogs to go over easily. Dogs can also make it over or under a 6 foot fence. Cats will be a problem until the chickens get big. Also, Chickens will dig out of their enclosure. I lost one escapee.
5. If you have good breeders near you, go with that. If not, check for breeders who go to a swap meet in your state. The benefit is that the swaps will increase your choices. You can also try to arrange with a breeder to meet halfway. Feed store birds are hatchery birds. Ask what hatchery they use, then research here to see if people are happy with that hatchery. My Easter Eggers were an impulse buy from a feed store, and I regret it. One has a really awful personality, and one of them has bad genetics: her face is completely off center and her legs grow feathers (they were labeled as Ameraucanas, which they are not.)
Last thought:
How fond of your yard are you? Three chickens=one rototiller (their run has nothing alive left, and the soil is fluffed really deep. That was with three hens in 640 sq ft)
Have you checked if your existing plants are toxic? (I had several that had to be dug out)
Do you mind 6" deep holes all over the yard? (Ankle breakers)
Do you have shade and shrubs for hiding under, or all lawn? (They love to nap under a non toxic dense shrub)
Are the roots of your plants protected? (I had to put a pile of pine cones and branches around some plants. Pine cones kind of lock together, and in a pile, they are not pleasant to walk on for the chickens...works well to keep them off an area.)
Do you have a plan for dealing with waste?
I used to let my girls have the run of the backyard for most of the day. I then had to restrict them by dividing off areas. They soon discovered they could escape those low fences, so I now let them out for just a few hours a day to keep the damage down. They will completely cover a sidewalk with dirt in minutes. They will poop wherever you walk, so hosing down is needed. They like to eat my vegetables grown in containers, and they love to scratch the soil in those containers, killing the roots. They like to eat the leaves off my blueberry bushes. They think mulch is something to be moved and buried under dirt.
This is all why I think started small is better. As you discover issues, it is easier to resolve them. I had no idea chicken poop could smell so bad! Chickens poop ALOT! I made a composter just for the waste stream. A big container with a drainfield, like a mini septic system. Chicken poop cannot go directly on a garden, it is too salty and too strong. It has to age for a year while wet. If it stays dry, it will still be too strong once it gets wet. I killed my compost worms by thinking I had aged the poop well enough.
So let me finish by saying I LOVE having my own chickens! I just got more! But there is a learning curve. Don't let let me scare you off. I researched so much before I got the first batch, but each item above was still a big surprise as it developed.
