Best way to go?

[Northwood Silkies]

ok, what is the best way to go when just starting a flock?

1. Buying adults

2. Buying the eggs and hatching them yourself?

3. Or buying chicks?


Just don't know what to do. I bought 7 White Silkie chicks that are 5 weeks old but if I'm getting into raising these guys it's best if they are not related to each other right? Or doesn't it matter if they are related?
We breed Pekingese and i know i would never breed brother,sisters together but the chicken world may be different. Is it? I'm so new to chickens so bare with me LOL.
I'm waiting for these 5 week old chicks to get older so i can sex them and then i can weed out the ones i don't want.
Lots and lots to learn

 

[Suburban Sprouts]

If you want really good quality birds within a certain breed, you will probably do best with buying eggs from breeders with good stock and hatching them yourself... Unless there is a great silkie breeding near you, then you could get chicks/adult birds.

But you won't want to order hatchery chicks.

So, there's a lot of different ways to go but if it were ME, I'd keep an eye on the hatching eggs auction here on BYC.