Beginner Chicken Mama in Colorado

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WELCOME TO BYC.
 
ZombiePagan89 said:
So what is the highest and longest yielding chicken. I don't really want to mix breeds mostly because I want to make sure I learn about one at a time. Keep in mind I want it to be very cold tolerant but high in egg production.
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. If you want to stick with one breed, then go with the RIR. My question is what attracted you to them? Name recognition? There is nothing special to learn about individual breeds. You are better off having a mixed flock and seeing what breeds fit your needs and go from there. There are so many beautiful birds to choose from how can you go with just one? The biggest advantage of a variety of breeds is having different laying patterns so you have egg production over a longer period.
 
Percheron chick said:
. If you want to stick with one breed, then go with the RIR. My question is what attracted you to them? Name recognition? There is nothing special to learn about individual breeds. You are better off having a mixed flock and seeing what breeds fit your needs and go from there. There are so many beautiful birds to choose from how can you go with just one? The biggest advantage of a variety of breeds is having different laying patterns so you have egg production over a longer period.
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Well I am only allowed 6 hens in my area. Honestly, I know that RIR are very cold tolerant and produce a good number of eggs in a year. I would not be slaughteting them for meat unless the SHTF. So the main requirement is lots of egg production and long lasting egg production. I have other pets and children that visit so the chickens would have to be friendly and docile. Preferably not high flyers or very fast because I am short (4'11") and not fast myself (Haha). So really if someone can tell me about a better bird to get I would look into it. Wanted to get them from the same brooder at the Wadel feed store to reduce pecking order issues that would occur. They will all go into the same brooder when I bring them home so I sorta want an already established pecking order. Figured that would happen if they all came from same batch and were the same breed.

Will need a good discription of the names of the best chickens. Since I am new.
 
:)Welcome :welcome I think the breeds that were already suggested are all good. I have a mixed flock ( love all the different egg colors), all of mine are hardy breeds. I personally don’t have any RIRs, the one I got as a “pullet” turned out to be a rooster and I had to rehome him to a small farm. High egg production wasn’t my goal but I wanted layers that weren’t known to go broody a lot. My chickens range from age 5 to 10 years, the 10 year old GLW still layer eggs last summer but sparingly. Read up on some of the breeds, their temperament, egg laying averages and hardiness..... Nothing wrong with RIRs but you have choices :)
 
ZombiePagan89 said:
So I was thinking of getting day old or a few day old chicks (about 10 chicks so I can give some to my dad). I would get them this weekend 3/16-3/17. I would start them in a small brooder I have big tubs, heat lamps, and pine shavings already (I would get the food and food/water holders when I get the chicks). Then as they get bigger I have a room in my house I can convert into a pin. A bigger area so they are not cramped. Its an 7×7 room they could stay in until they are 5-6 weeks old and have their feathers. By then it will be mid April (21st) average temperatures should be highs of 60s lows of 30s. If I get Rhode Islands Reds or another cold tolerant chicken I should be able to put them outside at 5-6 weeks and they will be okay if the temp hits 30 (right?) ? I will be building my own coop and run I figure a coop of about 7'×7' raised 1.5' so that the space under the coop could be use as a run then extend the covered run out an additional 5'×5' so there is ample space to forge and frolick. I don't think I can keep roosterss in my municipality. Will be 10 hens (if my dad does not end up wanting chickens). I will have 5-6 if my dad does end up wanting chickens. Was thinking of building the coop as the chicks grow. Any thoughts are appreciated.
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I would start building the coop before they arrive. I built my coop and I flipped houses for 5 years. It still took me 5 weeks to get it done during my spare time so it was barely ready for the chicks when they were ready for the coop.

I would also recommend you construct in more standard units. Instead of 7x7 make the coop 8x8. I would also make the run 8x10. Although that size sounds like a lot (including the space under the coop) it is not. There will be no frolicking and most definitely no foraging in the run. It will be a mud pit in about a month. You will want to use wood chips or something like that for the run litter.

I would also make the space under the coop 2' so you can get a rake under there to clean things out when needed.
 

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