I made a similar post when my 30 chicks moved out to the garage. It makes the house feel so lonely without the constant chorus of peeps!
As for only having meat birds, you have to have some layers, and then a roo to make the eggs fertile, then an incubator and at least two brooders running at all times. Plus some broody Silkies to raise chicks right in the coop. Oh and don't stop there, find your local chicken swaps/stocks and start selling chicks, oh and while you are selling at the swap you will find all kinds of wonderful things to bring home, like turkeys, quail, peafowl, guineas, heck why don't you get some rabbits too, and that kitten is really cute!
Getting chicks is like getting a free sample of crack, you just need one batch to get you hooked. The thing that makes chicks even more addictive than crack is that they are inexpensive and easy to care for.
My husband brought up the idea a little over a year ago that we should get some layers from the feed store so we would have fresh eggs (there was a coop here when we bought the house so we might as well fill it). We bought 8 "pullet" chicks of 4 different breeds. That's when I found feathersite.com and saw all the great breeds! Then I wanted a less common breed and settled on Wyandottes. Then in November I bought two bantam pullets thinking they would brood some chicks (Yeah, no such luck). One of the original 8 turned out to be an EE roo and I sold him in January in prep for my Wyandottes coming. This February we ordered 27 Wyandotte chicks in 5 different varieties, and the 1 free rare, from McMurray. They sent 30 chicks but 2 Wyandottes died, one in transit and one the day after they arrived. Then at a chicken swap I picked up a SLW 8 month old roo (oh and not to mention the pretty Royal Palm turkey tom). Then a few weeks later at another chicken swap I saw someone who had what looked like 2 partridge Wyandotte chicks. I didn't have partridge so I bought them. About a week later I noticed they had muffs coming in, legs turning greenish, they were actually EEs so I sold them. When the Wyandottes got older I kept 14 and sold the rest. My free rare is a SSH cockerel and he is leaving for his new home today. A friend had set some SLW eggs for me and 2 survived hatch so I brought those home. Then one of the chicks was doing poorly so I thought it would die. I told DH to pick up 2 chicks at the feed store so the survivor would have company. The feed store had a six chick minimum so he came home with 6 Speckled Sussex pullet chicks. By this time I had also set my very first hatch of Wyandotte crosses in my brand new bator. On May 8, 8 chicks hatched from 17 eggs set. One died a few days later, she was weak from the start. Tomorrow I am selling off most of the chicks, the 2 SLW, 6 SS, and 7 Wyandotte crosses. 2 of the SS and the SSH cockerel are all going together to Maine and I am getting a buff Silkie pullet in exchange.
Hi I'm Val and I am a chick-a-holic!!!!!!!
