15 chicks split with a neighbor

[KateLandChick]

I ordered 5 Buff Orpington, 5 Red Star, 5 Turken. I will be splitting them with my neighbor. I will be keeping 7/8 and they will taking 7/8. I also said yes to the free rare exotic chick. I'm having second thoughts about the free chick. I'm worried it will be a rooster and mean and loud. I have kids and they will be involved and I don't want them to be afraid. I think I might cancel the free chick. Thanks for listening! Lol My dad and husband are going to start the chicken coop today! Chicks will be here the week of September 1. I can't wait, I can't believe how excited I am about chickens! I plan to take pictures through the whole thing. Any advice is welcome! Should I keep more of one breed that another? The neighbors don't care which ones they get they just want layers.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Congrats on the soon to be new chicks! I hope they all arrive safely to you.

Sounds like you had the right idea with splitting an order with the neighbor! Some of these hatcheries have such large order requirements. When in doubt, go with your gut...not always is the free chick a rooster. Sometimes they are just something exotic that they had extras over from a hatch order and do turn out to be hens. Not all roosters are mean, but some can be. But yes, they can be loud. So if you are concerned then cancel the freebie.

Have you stopped by our learning center yet? Lots of good articles on all the aspects of keeping poultry...https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

When you get your new chicks, make sure to dip all the beaks in the water first thing before feeding. The leading cause of pasty butt is dehydration and eating before hydrating. So get them all watered before feeding. You might put a couple of Tablespoons of sugar in a quart plastic waterer and fill with water, for the first 2 days to help with blood sugar levels and energy. Shipping can be hard on babies.

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask. Enjoy your new babies and welcome to our flock!

 

[KateLandChick]

Thank you, TwoCrows! I love that I have a place that I can talk about chickens! I'm a little chicken crazy right now. I have read two books and re-read those two a couple times. My husband thinks I'm a little nuts. Lol

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Sounds like you should have a nice flock! X2, on cancel the free chick if you don't want to take that big of a chance getting a rooster, we've actually had about 60/40 with a few more roosters but have had some nice hens as the freebie. Would your neighbor take the chick if it turned out to be a rooster? You also need to consider what to do with an accidental roo in your regular order.
With the three breeds you are ordering, the Red Stars/ Red Sex Links should be the best layers, they are a production bird bred to lay a ton of eggs the first two years or so, but do tend to be rather short lived... they are usually really good with people but can be bossy with other birds, though usually not mean.
The Buff Orpingtons are really popular as pets, they tend to have really nice temperaments and be really nice to get along with, they are broody though and don't lay as well as the Stars.
Turkens are decent layers,and lay really big eggs, I'd put them # wise about even with the Orps, they weren't really happy when it is really cold (-0), they do have nice temperaments... they do have a look you have to like though ...
You might want to check out the member reviews on the breeds you are looking at, a lot of them mention temperament etc.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds

 

[drumstick diva]

Kelsie gave you a run down of the breeds so I will just say - Welcome to BYC.

Incidentally turkens are chickens only a mother could love. No offense turken people - their mothers love them very much

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

When they first arrive they'll be peeping.. a lot! This means they are stressed and cold so obviously get them warmed up and settled immediately. Dip their beaks in water with either a little sugar or ACV to boost their immunity and then put them under the heat. Also, be sure to check for pasty butt when they first arrive. If they do have it, wash their vent, apply vaseline or coconut oil and check on them frequently.

It's normal for them to not do much of anything on the first day. On the second or third day they should be running around, eating, drinking and exploring. If they are still huddled under the heat and peeping, something is wrong. If you notice them not eating then use you finger and tap at the food. The curious ones will run over and quickly discover the food.

Make sure to not use newspaper for a bedding as this will damage their legs. For the first week you may consider using rubber shelf liner. Shavings might confuse them and make them think its food.

 

[KateLandChick]

Thanks, everyone for the great tips! Do you think we will be able to tell the difference in the BO's and the Red Star's when they arrive? The Turkens will be easy. ;-)

 

[KateLandChick]

I think if we get an accidental roo we might just live with him unless he is mean,then my husband or dad might have to make him into meat. I don't think I could do it. The rare one might not be good for meat. However I'm very interested and a little excited about a surprise. It's hard to say no to something free that could be really cool!

 

[TwoCrows]

The Red Stars might be a bit more reddish in color, although they can also be similar to the Buffs as chicks. As they molt their fuzz, the Buffs will stay Buff color and the Red Stars will be a more red in color. You should be able to tell the difference in a few weeks.

Enjoy your babies!

 

[Kelsie2290]

You might want to call the hatchery and ask if they will mark one of the breeds for you, most are willing to do that so you can tell them apart for sure when you get them..
X2 What TwoCrows said about telling the chicks apart, the Stars should be a more reddish color, they often feather in white to start with though on the wings. McMurray has videos of both breeds as chicks that might help.
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/red_star.html and http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/buff_orpingtons.html
I've always liked getting the free chicks (though roosters aren't a problem for me), one nice thing is sometimes you get breeds you never would have ordered on your own, and you find out you really like them... and even small breed roosters make good soup