Mixing breeds in my flock

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I've had all those breeds except Sussex which I suspect are also very good. I love having birds that don't look the same and it makes it much easier to tell their eggs apart and notice if someone is having any health issue. I will probably always have Orps, Rocks, and EE in my flock. I get blue, green, and olive eggs from my hatchery EE. I always fear getting brown eggs from them but never have so far.

What ridge runner says about not having enough for tendencies to really add up in your instance is true. My birds are all such individuals. 50% of my EE are super friendly lap birds, while the other two (and 1 in the past) were quite flighty. And we all keep talking about EE because most hatchery birds don't fit the Ameraucana breed standard, so it's a big controversy, but really irrelevant.. they are great birds!

My rocks have always been the top hen, but not bully. First in my flock of 3 and now in my flock of 50+. And I have read from people with Reds, that which hatchery theirs came from made a big difference in the aggression level though I can't remember which was which. My red was spry but not a bully and also not a lap chicken but definitely enjoy hanging around our feet. Guess I haven't added 1 to my second flock though. I would consider getting a New Hampshire instead of the red as they are very close but allegedly friendlier, though I can't confirm. And some hatcheries have both RIR and production reds, don't know how the difference between those two is.

You might be surprised by liking something you didn't expect to. I got a white leghorn just because I needed 1 more chick and they said she would lay at 16 weeks. I thought she would be the first one over the fence and gone to predators. When brooding I thought I wouldn't get them again because her flightyness was rubbing of on all the other chicks. Well she didn't lay until 22 weeks, 2 weeks later than my PBR. But she has proven to be a really entertaining member of the flock even though she avoids actual human contact. And it's my EE who insist on going over the fence.

I kind of like having 2 of each bird... but I'm gonna vote for really mix it up! Although I would suggest getting chicks at your LFS (local feed store). I have lost countless chicks to shipping. So if you order what you want and loose some you may end up with half as many birds as you were hoping for aside from your kids possibly encountering dead chicks. It was an issue with USPS, so you might not have the same problem but at least you will know it's a possibility. Going with a hatchery close to you should help minimize loss. Feed stores have usually absorbed all the casualties before we buy. Just be sure to look out for pasty butt. And if you are going mail order, prepare ahead of time with electrolytes and probiotics.... something like Sav a Chick or Nutri Drench is recommended.

Also if you haven't got your heat source yet... many people like mama heating pad. But if you are going with a lamp, red is much preferred for it's calming effect and it reducing pecking issues as well as not being as disruptive to sleep as white light.

All your girls will molt next year. You might consider getting 3 or 4 this year and adding 2 or 3 next year to keep you in eggs. But having multiple breeds should help to spread the molt out so some might still be giving eggs while others molt.

MIX IT UP!
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Thanks all for your advice!! This is such a great forum, and I've learned so much about chickens, I'm so excited to start. I've made my decision in case you're interested. I'm opting for a very mixed flock, that way they'll be easy to differentiate and I'll know who's laying and who isn't. Drum roll....Buff Orphington, Sussex, Black Austrolap, Dominique, and 2 Ameracaunas. The only downside is that I have to wait until mid-may for all these girls to be available. Thank you, thank you
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Sounds like a fun flock!  :jumpy   :cd

Which Sussex? I love the look of the speckled. :love  Of course they are all beautiful though.... 

So build bigger and beware of chicken math... 1+1=3...   3+3 = 10...    10-2= 48!!! :oops:   


Boy, truer words have seldom been spoken. I don't have a Buff Orpington or a Speckled Sussex because I didn't take chicken math seriously enough!
 
IMO Buff Orpingtons make the ideal beginners backyard chicken. CALM(docile), quiet, friendly, good egg production, and make good brood hens. When flock dynamic issues have arose RIR's were the bullies and the Buffs took the worst of it. Ameraucana are fun flock members and add diversity to any flock's egg colors. Kids like to know who has been laying and different colors rewards their curiosity with discernible hard evidence. Never had Sussex or Barred rocks. Australorps are good for all the same reasons as Buffs and lay a little better.
 
Thanks all for your advice!! This is such a great forum, and I've learned so much about chickens, I'm so excited to start. I've made my decision in case you're interested. I'm opting for a very mixed flock, that way they'll be easy to differentiate and I'll know who's laying and who isn't. Drum roll....Buff Orphington, Sussex, Black Austrolap, Dominique, and 2 Ameracaunas. The only downside is that I have to wait until mid-may for all these girls to be available. Thank you, thank you
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I think you'll be very pleased with those choices. The Dom's I have had were all real sweety pies.
 
My experience with Australorps hasn't been as positive as most. Mine are petulant trouble makers who don't lay exceptionally well.

Bear in mind, all my birds are hatchery stock.

My Sussex are nice to look at, but lay smaller eggs than most.

My Buff orps were adoptions, because they didn't interest me previously, but they have been true to orp form, are good producers, and docile.

I've not had RIR, because i don't want the attitude problems, but i do have a NH hen that is a nice, mid-order bird that lays a speckled egg of exceptional size.

My barred rocks were also adopted, and I've enjoyed them. They are the top two hens, though one tangles with the rooster a little too often for her own good. i'm tempted to try dominiques, but hate to give up egg size.

My cuckoo marans are middle of the pack in every way, but even as a hatchery bird, lay noticeably dark eggs that are nice to see in the basket.

My leghorn is a bit flighty, but a laying machine, and when most of the other eggs are brown, white becomes a novelty of its own.

I'm currently brooding my first EE chicks, and at almost three weeks they are the most laid back, social birds I've had.
 
Like others have mentioned, many factors make up the flock. As far as human docile birds, everything I've ever had in hen form was friendly to humans and to me. They view us as the providers of food. My Easter Egger hens and Buff Orphingtons have been the best with kids. However, my Easter Egger rooster was Satan incarnate, and my polish rooster and my white leghorn/polish cross roosters have been very human friendly - no attacks at all. So keep in mind that what is great in a hen may NOT be great in a rooster, especially with little ones. I wouldn't keep a rooster for a while until you and your kids get some experience with chickens. Then, choose carefully, realizing that even then, you might get a dud.
 

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