Brand New to Chickens, Still Learning

[CassChick]

Hey y'all! My name is Cassandra and I'm in the beginning stages of researching and learning all about chickens!

Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Extremely new! I don't have any yet but hopefully this time next year we will!

How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
While searching the interweb everything about chickens!

Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I'm happily married for 6 years now, we have two beautiful kids, one boy and one girl, both under two.
I'm a stay-at-home mom but will be starting school again to get a degree in business or maybe go all out and switch degrees to Agriculture! The more I'm learning about raising chickens, gardening, and just overall self-sufficieny, the more passionate I am becoming about self-sufficieny!
We currently only have one dog, we have no real idea what breed he is since we adopted him from the shelter but they said he was a husky mix! We adopted him when he was 3 months old and now he's almost 4 years old.
My husband was in the U.S.Navy but with unforgiving physical standards he is getting kicked out soon and now we'll have to switch to civilian life.

I have many questions about Chickens and will be an active member of this forum!

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to BYC, glad you joined the flock.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC, Cassandra! You have a very nice and thorough introduction. Do you have any preferences on the breeds of chickens you want?

 

[CassChick]

Welcome to BYC, Cassandra! You have a very nice and thorough introduction. Do you have any preferences on the breeds of chickens you want?

Thank you! I have a few preferences already, but I can't decide which ones! My favorites so far are Rhode Island/New Hampshire Reds, Delaware, Lakenvelder, Naked Necks, and Silkie Bantams, Ameraucana, Australop, Orpingtons, Plymouth Rocks, and Wyandottes! I can't decide just one, there is so many! Mostly I want one that is extremely heat tolerant since I live in the desert, and that is friendly since I have two little ones, and one that is not submissive since I have a dog, and can handle small backyard.

 

[Michael OShay]

The most heat tolerant one on your list is the Australorp. Black Australorps are commonly raised in Australia's outback where temperature's frequently reach 113-115 F. I raised Black Auustralorps in the northern Sacramento Valley where summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (123 F once) and with shade, good coop ventilation, and plenty of fresh water they did just fine. In addition, Australorps, along with Orpingtons, have the best reputation on your list for being friendly and gentle. I have all of the breeds on your list, except Naked Necks, and the gentle reputations of the Australorps and Orpingtons is well deserved. Australorps are also normally the best layers on your list. Until it was broken by a White Leghorn in 1979, a Black Australorp held the world laying record of 364 eggs in 365 days, and while my Black Australorps have never reached that kind of production (and likely never will), I have had a few of them lay over 300 eggs in a year. I personally think that Black Australorps are the best dual purpose breed in existence, but obviously not everyone is going to agree with me on that, so I would recommend that you research these breeds for yourself, and get the breed (or breeds) that you think you will be the most satisfied with. A good place to begin is BYC's Breeds icon at the top of this page. Whatever breeds you decide to get, good luck with your flock.

 

[gander007]

Alright Cassandra,

great to have you joining the BYC flock

BYC has a very useful learning center

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

So glad you could join our community!

You have been given some great advice about breeds and tolerance. You might want to chat with your chicken neighbors to see what breeds to best in your area and also how they survive your hot summers....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/26/where-am-i-where-are-you

Have you stopped by our learning center yet? Lots of good articles on helping you get started and raising your birds proper...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Enjoy this new adventure you are on and welcome to our flock!

 

[ronmauldin]

Welcome from the Ocean State!

 

[Blooie]

Welcome! Sounds like you have really put together a good list and those "in the know" have given good advice! Might I stick my nose and also suggest an Easter Egger or two? They are like rainbows in the grass - no two are exactly alike - and the ones I have are very friendly. Many of them have adorable muffs on their faces, giving them a uniquely appealing look. Since you have little ones, they'll get a kick out of the blue and/or green eggs, too. My grandkids chose Easter Eggers when I was looking into what kind of chickens I wanted and I'm so glad they did.

 

[CassChick]

The most heat tolerant one on your list is the Australorp. Black Australorps are commonly raised in Australia's outback where temperature's frequently reach 113-115 F. I raised Black Auustralorps in the northern Sacramento Valley where summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (123 F once) and with shade, good coop ventilation, and plenty of fresh water they did just fine. In addition, Australorps, along with Orpingtons, have the best reputation on your list for being friendly and gentle. I have all of the breeds on your list, except Naked Necks, and the gentle reputations of the Australorps and Orpingtons is well deserved. Australorps are also normally the best layers on your list. Until it was broken by a White Leghorn in 1979, a Black Australorp held the world laying record of 364 eggs in 365 days, and while my Black Australorps have never reached that kind of production (and likely never will), I have had a few of them lay over 300 eggs in a year. I personally think that Black Australorps are the best dual purpose breed in existence, but obviously not everyone is going to agree with me on that, so I would recommend that you research these breeds for yourself, and get the breed (or breeds) that you think you will be the most satisfied with. A good place to begin is BYC's Breeds icon at the top of this page. Whatever breeds you decide to get, good luck with your flock.

Thank you! This is a great help.

Welcome! Sounds like you have really put together a good list and those "in the know" have given good advice! Might I stick my nose and also suggest an Easter Egger or two? They are like rainbows in the grass - no two are exactly alike - and the ones I have are very friendly. Many of them have adorable muffs on their faces, giving them a uniquely appealing look. Since you have little ones, they'll get a kick out of the blue and/or green eggs, too. My grandkids chose Easter Eggers when I was looking into what kind of chickens I wanted and I'm so glad they did.

Yes, I'm looking into Ameraucana's and I have not even thought about that! I'm sure my picky-eater son would love to eat a blue egg!