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Hi Ron and welcome to BYC and to the chicken world! It isn't often that I see others from OC raising chickens so it's great to have you here! We got our three chickens nearly 4 years ago, when my kids (a boy and a girl) were exactly the ages of your kids. They loooooove their pets! Be sure that your kids handle the chickens often, especially while they're still chicks, so that they're used to human touch.
As for adding more birds, you may want to check with Ham & Eggs Ranch to see if she has any pullets available:
http://www.hamandeggsranch.com/live/main/index.html
I've not yet used her, but know people who have and have been pleased with her birds.
Another thought . . . Since yours are still young and not yet laying, it's hard to say what kind of egg production you will get from your girls. How many eggs do you typically eat and what do you plan to do with the extras? Our three girls produced tremendously in their first couple of years. The RIR's did 301 and 307 eggs in their first year of production and the EE did 245. The greatest number we got in a single week was 18. Now that they're nearly 4 years old, and now that we've since lost one of the RIR's, the number of eggs have decreased pretty significantly. Last week we got 8 eggs, but there was a period of several months where I was forced to buy the cage free eggs from Trader Joe's, which although wonderful as far as store eggs go, didn't hold a candle to what my girls produce.
If you plan to slaughter your chickens at their first major molt, then perhaps this won't matter. But, if you're looking for consistency in laying and yet plan to keep your birds as pets, you might want to consider not maxing out your coop right up front and waiting to add the new birds at the time the first group is beginning to slow down in egg production. That way, you can purchase additional birds every couple of years and assure that you won't end up egg-less for months at a time without also outgrowing your capacity.
I know this suggestion wouldn't be followed by many of our fellow BYCers with unlimited land, but those of us who live in the city don't always have the luxury of having enormous flocks. It does take a little bit more work to incorporate new birds into an existing flock, but it's something that us city folks sometimes have to do.
As for other varieties, I'm looking into adding at least one Salmon Faverolles when I add to my flock in the next couple of months. They're supposed to be good winter layers. My EE (probably the same thing you're calling an Araucana), although extremely sweet and beautiful, can go on breaks for up to 7 months and I'm looking for a chicken that will help fill that gap. The Faverolles are also supposed to be fairly mellow and sweet, which would be good with children. They can get picked on as they tend to be the bottom of the pecking order, so you'd need to carefully screen your existing flock for the suitability of Faverolles in the mix.
Whatever you decide to do, have a LOT of fun with them! Chickens make wonderful pets and I hope your kids love their chickens as much as mine love theirs.
Hi Ron and welcome to BYC and to the chicken world! It isn't often that I see others from OC raising chickens so it's great to have you here! We got our three chickens nearly 4 years ago, when my kids (a boy and a girl) were exactly the ages of your kids. They loooooove their pets! Be sure that your kids handle the chickens often, especially while they're still chicks, so that they're used to human touch.
As for adding more birds, you may want to check with Ham & Eggs Ranch to see if she has any pullets available:
http://www.hamandeggsranch.com/live/main/index.html
I've not yet used her, but know people who have and have been pleased with her birds.
Another thought . . . Since yours are still young and not yet laying, it's hard to say what kind of egg production you will get from your girls. How many eggs do you typically eat and what do you plan to do with the extras? Our three girls produced tremendously in their first couple of years. The RIR's did 301 and 307 eggs in their first year of production and the EE did 245. The greatest number we got in a single week was 18. Now that they're nearly 4 years old, and now that we've since lost one of the RIR's, the number of eggs have decreased pretty significantly. Last week we got 8 eggs, but there was a period of several months where I was forced to buy the cage free eggs from Trader Joe's, which although wonderful as far as store eggs go, didn't hold a candle to what my girls produce.
If you plan to slaughter your chickens at their first major molt, then perhaps this won't matter. But, if you're looking for consistency in laying and yet plan to keep your birds as pets, you might want to consider not maxing out your coop right up front and waiting to add the new birds at the time the first group is beginning to slow down in egg production. That way, you can purchase additional birds every couple of years and assure that you won't end up egg-less for months at a time without also outgrowing your capacity.
I know this suggestion wouldn't be followed by many of our fellow BYCers with unlimited land, but those of us who live in the city don't always have the luxury of having enormous flocks. It does take a little bit more work to incorporate new birds into an existing flock, but it's something that us city folks sometimes have to do.
As for other varieties, I'm looking into adding at least one Salmon Faverolles when I add to my flock in the next couple of months. They're supposed to be good winter layers. My EE (probably the same thing you're calling an Araucana), although extremely sweet and beautiful, can go on breaks for up to 7 months and I'm looking for a chicken that will help fill that gap. The Faverolles are also supposed to be fairly mellow and sweet, which would be good with children. They can get picked on as they tend to be the bottom of the pecking order, so you'd need to carefully screen your existing flock for the suitability of Faverolles in the mix.
Whatever you decide to do, have a LOT of fun with them! Chickens make wonderful pets and I hope your kids love their chickens as much as mine love theirs.
