Lots of things helped me make the decision to start raising chickens... eggs, family bonding, hobby, etc. I KNEW I wanted a small flock of Australorps because that is what my mom got for us kids when I was younger... what a great breed of chicken!
Unfortunately, I couldn't find them anywhere (except online and in large quantities) and I am very spontaneous... I bought two Barred Rocks and one Rhode Island Red
( I have a sneaking suspicion that one of the Barred Rocks is a Cockerel
. A week later I asked around, found a few interested friends, and ordered 25 Black Australorps to split between us. I KNOW there will be some cockerels in the bunch. I greatly respect all three breeds and I would rather have quality pure bred chickens than a million running around. I am having a custom coop built, and at the moment, the plan is to build the coop w/ a partition in it and have one run attached to each side. This is so I can keep chickens apart if i want. Does anyone have any ideas as to which chickens to keep apart? (separate by sex or by breed) I am so excited however I don't want to make ANY mistakes.
Also, I may want to show some chickens, do I need to keep the show stock in a different place than the laying stock? Or does it matter? Anyone know of any good resources so that I can learn more about showing? And where can I find a list of shows in California? For the most part, I am really interested in anything my family and I can do with my new little guys. I just need some guidance
Thanks so much!

Unfortunately, I couldn't find them anywhere (except online and in large quantities) and I am very spontaneous... I bought two Barred Rocks and one Rhode Island Red


Also, I may want to show some chickens, do I need to keep the show stock in a different place than the laying stock? Or does it matter? Anyone know of any good resources so that I can learn more about showing? And where can I find a list of shows in California? For the most part, I am really interested in anything my family and I can do with my new little guys. I just need some guidance

Thanks so much!