One thing I have learned in the 5ish years that I have been doing this is to go bigger than you think you should. I learned the same thing with fish keeping years ago (aside from nano tanks but that is another story).
That said, if the birds will be confined to the coop then, no, less than 4...
I eat a lot of eggs in a raw state (homemade mayo etc) and have never gotten sick that I know of. Not from my backyard eggs, eggs from other backyards nor store bought eggs. Well, for whatever that is worth anyway.
This is not an easy question. I have answered it, in ways, before. I have a fair few breeds of bird and I am not sure I could say I have a favorite because I like different things about different birds. That said...
Easter Eggers: I have only four of these, from TSC, and I love them very much...
We have three coops, one which happens to be the remnants of an old greenhouse that had a packed gravel floor. That one has the best run by far. It drains really, really well! Poo does not accumulate either.
Coop number two has a covered but all dirt run and it works out okay much of the year...
Eh--I've tried everything but they seem to turn out how they are going to turn out. Genetics, I guess. I have bought a lot of straight run birds so I have had a lot of roos turned soup! Anyway, I have had three friendly roosters out of about 20....for whatever it is worth. I still have those...
I have loads of birds across four flocks and they pretty much lay wherever they want to. I provide them with milk crates stuffed with straw and many of the birds use these but not all. Some use the corner of their coop and others lay in my flower pots or behind my hastas...One Buff Oprington...
I keep chickens because I enjoy doing so. I have had an interest in chickens for some thirty odd years (that might be a tiny exaggeration as that is the entirety of my life but not by much). When I was a little boy often times I found myself in a local feed/supply/hardware store staring at the...
Not so much tried as socialized but my Border Collie does well with the chickens and ducks. She rounds them up at night, or so she thinks. But otherwise leaves them be. They free range, as does she and there have been no issues in the past three years.
My Shepard, well, not so much. :P She...
I have a fare assortment of birds and they only ones that have every had an issue with cold tolerance were my Brahmas and they are not supposed to...Could be poor genetics due to them being hatchery birds, Idk.
Came from Meyer Hatchery
Anyway, I have a few breeds from your list.
Orpington...
Wow, that is a hard one. You see, chicken math has hit me hard over the past few years. I am about 40 birds deep and that is just chickens. I have ducks too...And more banties are coming this spring!
Standards: I think I would go all 6 EEs. I have EEs, Orpingtons, RIRs, Barred Rocks, Brahmas...
My wife decided to call the feed mill and they said that the feed won't hurt the birds, which I had assumed, but that I could transfer weevils to feed for other animals if I was not careful. She said that I could bring it back and exchange it if I wanted to but that she would refund me...
So I bought #400 of mash from the local feed mill as per usual and while I didn't notice any movement when I put the bags into their cans yesterday I did notice some beetles and maybe some weevils in the feed. In all three cans. I'd not say there is more bug than feed but there are quite a few...
Well, I am on brood number 5 and I have spent a lot of time with every chick I have ever raised to this point. Some are super friendly, some are tolerant of me and some ignore me. I think interacting with them helps but I wonder if there is more to it than that. Like some breeds just being more...
See, I learned something new! I had no idea they were auto sexing. So I think I should probably have got all pullets as what I ordered and she is just sassy!.
Thank you.
Can you sex chicks based on their behavior? I mean, I ordered all pullets in one particular breed (Welsummer) but I have one that reminds me of the roo from my last batch of chicks. This chick is very sassy. Pounces on other chicks, charges my hand and puffs up its chest. All at 5 days old. It...
Up front cost may be more, as others have stated, but in the long run a coop you build yourself or convert from a shed/barn will be cheaper. Those prefab coops need a lot of work just to make them 'okay' and even then they do not seem to last.
Is the splash the one on the left? I have one like that and three like the one on the right. My gosh are they adorable! Super friendly but a bit skittish still.
In this group the Welsummers are the ones that seem the friendliest so far. I know...they are only four days old. But the like...
Thanks for the link and that is cool. Though, mine are easy to id from the other chicks because they have puffy cheeks. :D Now if I could just tell if they were blue, black or splash. I am sure that will be more clear in a few weeks. Idc what color they are honestly. I wanted some cute...