I am in Rancho Cucamonga. We have our coop built but we have not added the chickens yet. We are interested in getting 1 Barred Rock, 1 Golden-Laced Wyandotte, 2 Silkies, and 1 more of undetermined breed. Would this be a good mix? Where is the best place to buy the birds? Rancho Cucamonga does not allow roosters so I have to be certain I get only hens. I have researched Chickens Galore! but I am not certain they guarantee the gender, which is a must. Any thoughts would be helpful. Thank you.
For starters, Silkies are not sexable until about 3 or 4 months old so don't let anyone sell you a Silkie chick as a positive sexed chick. You can't tell until they are much older. Amber Waves Silkies in Norco has a wide assortment of colors in Silkies but they are quality and won't be cheap. Amber Waves has a website you can visit.
I have no idea what feed stores you have in Rancho but in El Monte at Wes's Pets and Feed you will find an excellent assortment of breeds. El Monte is a very poultry-oriented community and has an egg-packing industry so Wes carries a large variety of chicks and bantams - the bulk of which he orders from Privett Hatchery in NM. His phone is 626-442-0781. I suggest calling beforehand so he can tell you what breeds he still has available and when his next shipment is coming in. Do your homework to know what breeds you want and don't let him talk you into some other breed as not all breeds are compatible with each other. I got my Dominique pullet chick and my Silkie juvenile pullet (a private Silkie breeder brought in stock into Wes's for private sale) and Wes also has adult birds although most of them are cockerels and roosters. It's a tiny store location but chicks don't take that much room in a brooder in his store. Very nice assortment and he usually has chicks available into September but not much choice by then. He even carries hybrids/sexlink layers and broiler crosses but I only like heritage breeds.
If you want excellent layers and non-combative breeds I would suggest Easter Egger pullets (actual APA Ameraucanas are nice too but only available through private breeders and not found in online hatcheries or feed stores). Silkies are not sexable until about 3 or 4 months old which is when I bought my pullet at Wes's 2 years ago - he knows a private breeder who brings juvenile Silkies in sometimes.
Rather than BR I would suggest a smaller Dominique which will be easier on the feed bill. Wyandottes are a 50/50 chance of getting a non-dominant personality. If you want egg-layers the EEs lay as terrific and as often as White Leghorns and give you LG-XL colored eggs too and they're non-combative - a bit kooky spooky jittery types but sweet alert free-rangers and talkers. Ours crave human interraction and conversation and there's an array of feather colors. But don't mix Silkies, EEs, or Doms with LF that will weigh over 5-lbs as adults like RIR, BR, Wyan, Buff Orp, 'Lorp, NHR, White Rocks, Sussex, Chantecler, Java, Jersey Giant, Brahma, etc etc etc. Some of these LF are reported as docile or gentle but if they are around smaller breeds will still take the opportunity to bully smaller birds.
Good luck and I think you'll find Wes's a fun place to visit because of the variety of chicks - even though he's small he has variety. His chick prices range around $7 each - beats ordering from a mail order hatchery and chancing dead chicks by mail. Call ahead or visit. It's fun to see all the chicks.
