Hi Indiana Ima and Welcome to BYC!
I have just 3 hens, all different and each laying a different color egg. I love the variety, I get such a kick out of seeing the mix of colors in my carton! As a newbie myself I really like knowing which bird lays each egg. For instance I can tell if one has stopped laying -- I can then keep an eye on her and make sure she's ok. They really do become pets and therefore get treated with more TLC than a farm animal. The 3 I have are an Easter Egger (i.e. an brown ameracauna), a Black Australorp, and a Black Copper Maran. The maran is my heaviest layer, usually 6 per week. The Aussie is a smidge less, she'll usually lay 3 or 4 days in a row, then take a day off. Third is the EE who will lay 2 or 3 days in a row then take a day or two off.
In terms of temperament, the Aussie is definitely the tops, she is such a sweetie! When we have visitors, or our granddaughters over and they want to "play" with the chickens, the Aussie is the one we know can be held and petted most easily. The others are ok, but really want to run away. And her feathers are so incredibly soft and fluffy, I love to hold her.
With the arrangement I have, we put the girls into a daytime pen to give them more room to range. The Aussie is light enough that she can fly to the top of the 5' fence and get out when she wants to, but since she's so easy to catch I just pick her up and drop her back in.
You're looking for high egg production. That was high on my list, too. But I got what I got -- meaning, just because the statistics say they will be heavy layers doesn't mean the chicken you get will conform to that. Obviously my Aussie doesn't. If I had it to do over again I would buy my pullets from people I've met here on BYC -- people that have a flock of good healthy layers with predictable attributes. Buying chicks at a feed store or small animal auction is really a crap shoot. Knowing the attributes of the parents can take some of that guess work out of the equation.
Take your time, you're going to have these birds for several years. I was in a big rush. It turned out ok, especially since I got my Aussie, who was supposed to be a black sex-link by the way. It's been a year for learning... so much learning... and so much fun!
What ever you do, enjoy the process and the fun. Chickens are the BEST!
I have just 3 hens, all different and each laying a different color egg. I love the variety, I get such a kick out of seeing the mix of colors in my carton! As a newbie myself I really like knowing which bird lays each egg. For instance I can tell if one has stopped laying -- I can then keep an eye on her and make sure she's ok. They really do become pets and therefore get treated with more TLC than a farm animal. The 3 I have are an Easter Egger (i.e. an brown ameracauna), a Black Australorp, and a Black Copper Maran. The maran is my heaviest layer, usually 6 per week. The Aussie is a smidge less, she'll usually lay 3 or 4 days in a row, then take a day off. Third is the EE who will lay 2 or 3 days in a row then take a day or two off.
In terms of temperament, the Aussie is definitely the tops, she is such a sweetie! When we have visitors, or our granddaughters over and they want to "play" with the chickens, the Aussie is the one we know can be held and petted most easily. The others are ok, but really want to run away. And her feathers are so incredibly soft and fluffy, I love to hold her.
With the arrangement I have, we put the girls into a daytime pen to give them more room to range. The Aussie is light enough that she can fly to the top of the 5' fence and get out when she wants to, but since she's so easy to catch I just pick her up and drop her back in.
You're looking for high egg production. That was high on my list, too. But I got what I got -- meaning, just because the statistics say they will be heavy layers doesn't mean the chicken you get will conform to that. Obviously my Aussie doesn't. If I had it to do over again I would buy my pullets from people I've met here on BYC -- people that have a flock of good healthy layers with predictable attributes. Buying chicks at a feed store or small animal auction is really a crap shoot. Knowing the attributes of the parents can take some of that guess work out of the equation.
Take your time, you're going to have these birds for several years. I was in a big rush. It turned out ok, especially since I got my Aussie, who was supposed to be a black sex-link by the way. It's been a year for learning... so much learning... and so much fun!
What ever you do, enjoy the process and the fun. Chickens are the BEST!
