Advice on what chickens to get

[goldeneggtees]

Hi, I posted to new member forum about getting chickens for an old coop that is in our backyard of a new house we just bought. I am a little confused as to what hens we should get.

Question: I see I can get 6-10 buff orpington chicks online that will be shipped to our house. But I also see a craigslist listing that has older birds available - Ameraucana, Cukoo Maran, Welsummer Chickens for Sale - $15 each. Should we get some chicks (for the purpose of our two children getting to watch them grow up) and also get some older birds who are ready to start laying eggs? Would the adult hens be ok with the little ones? And are the birds listed good birds for egg laying purposes. I didn't see much info about the latter two breeds on any websites.

Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks! Howlinggood

 

[blueseal]

chicks would be agreat experience for your kids, and older hens shouldnt be in the same pen with the chicks as the big birds will kill the little ones.delaware are a good gentle breed and buff orppinngtons are good also.

 

[Crazy_For_Chickens]

I would personaly recommend chicks. It is a great experiance and They will learn to trust you early on.

If you put the adult chickens with the chicks you will find dead chicks everywere!!! Orpingtons are good egg layers and are very friendly.

Have a nice game!

CFC

 

[TXmom]

I have 2 Buff Orp chicks (7 weeks old) and I love them...they are so friendly and they make pretty little noises and talk to me.

And they'll lay brown eggs when they start laying this summer. Ameracaunas lay blue eggs (or green if they're actually Easter Eggers). The Marans and Welsummers lay very dark brown eggs. If you get grown hens and chicks, it'll be a few months before you can introduce them to each other, and then it has to be done carefully so they don't fight too much.

 

[Jenski]

If you are able to care for young chicks, I personally think it is a better way to ensure you don't end up with unwanted illnesses in your flock.

Good luck on your chicken journey!

It's great fun.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I'm a newby myself but the joy of watching my 10 grow from a few days old to 3 wks has been great AND they grow so fast I'll have eggs by July or August.

I too saw the Craigslist ads locally but chose to get mine just days old from local feed store that ordered immunized chicks.

Best of luck to you

 

[Ridgerunner]

Check out this link for info on breeds.

The Henderson chart
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

This selection tool can also help.

My Pet Chickens
http://www.mypetchicken.com/breedQuestions.aspx

Good luck!

 

[goldeneggtees]

Hi all, thanks for the advice. It makes sense that the older hens would kills the little ones, but I just didn't know. I think I will stick to getting chicks for now. It'll be fun watching them grow!

 

[Bil]

I agree with getting chicks! I have been amazed at how quick they grow! They are so fun to watch. I'll find my daughters in just sitting by the brooder or incubator watching. So much better than TV my middle daughter said!! That's almost enough to make a dad cry!!

 

[lisahaschickens]

I would strongly suggest getting a book on raising chickens and it will have tons of great information all in one place and it will answer some questions you probably didn't know you had.

Also, since you want a small number of chicks, your best option is to go to a local feed store and pick them up. They have them in stock this time of year. Shipping a small number of chicks is tricky and you could have a high rate of loss. If you do get chicks (which I, too, would recommend... skip the adults), please make sure to read up on how to construct a brooder and what sort of environment the new babies need. It is critical that you have a proper brooder so you don't lose too many chicks.