Can a variety of breeds be raised and kept together?

[Farmama]

I'm new to chickens and am planning to order a few layer or dual purpose chicks, soon. Can't decide what breed to get and wondered if it would be okay to get more than one breed? That way I don't have to settle on just one kind

Would they get along as chicks? As adults? Right now I'm thinking of trying to get a breed that will start laying early and be good layers (wht. leghorns, maybe) and a couple of different dual purpose breeds, such as Barred Rock. I live in an area that is intensly hot in the summer. Usually winter isn't too bad, but this year we are experiencing some fairly cold temps. Our chicken coop is quite large.

Farm Mama

 

[Ridgerunner]

Many of us raise different breeds together and have no more problems than those that just raise one breed.

One thing that can happen. Chickens form cliques. Certain chickens tend to hang out together in their own little group within the flock. Sometimes the whole flock hangs together and sometimes certain groups hang separately. There are different theories on that. Many people think it is that they segregate by color. I don't totally agree with that. I think it is more that certain breeds have certain personality tendencies and those personalities hang together. Since personality traits are breed tendencies, it looks like they are segregating by color.

One of my cliques consists of two Black Australorp and one Delaware (white) hens. These were raised with other hens, some even the same colors, yet these hang out together. I have others, like four buff-barred and black-barred that hang together, but that is age based. Those four were raised together and will hang together until they totally mature and truly become part of the flock. Then they might or might not join other cliques.

 

[Farmama]

I see. Thats good news for me! Thank you for the help.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

It's easier if you raise them together as chicks.

 

[ginormous chicken]

That is true. But I didn't have that luxury. Mine are such a hodge podge. They are together as a flock. Although, even though you can keep standards with bantams. I wish I didn't and might separate them out when I have a second coop. From my human eyes, I feel my bantams get picked on. They just are very low in the pecking order. But yes they can assemble as one flock!

 

[Gypsy07]

I keep four different breeds in the one coop. My Marans are huge fatties and my Leghorns are little skinnies. Pecking order is more dependent on age than on size and length of time spent as part of the flock. Young birds joining the flock get picked on a bit at first but grow up and take their place in time. Older birds joining the flock usually slot right in without any fuss at all. Some of the little 'groupings' that get on best are birds that weren't raised together. I'd say as long as you have a big enough coop and enough roosting space, there's no reason why different breeds couldn't live together perfectly happily. I think a lot of the problems people have with birds not getting on are more down to the birds' living conditions than any breed conflicts. Just my opinion. I'm sure there are loads of examples of birds that just will not get on with each other, this is just my experience...

 

[DelcoChix]

I have quite a variety of girls, some from the same batch of chicks, some a year younger and they get along fairly well. The biggest thing, I think, is to make sure you have enough room for them, no matter inside or out....really helps when they go through their pecking order if those lower on the rank have plenty of room to get away. Funny thing, we had 10, one day old chicks in the very first batch we raised, and right next to them in a separate brooder we had two Buckeye pullets that were three weeks older. We raised them separately until they were fully feathered, but it ended up that when we moved them out to their brand new coop/run for some reason they never accepted the older Buckeyes..to this day, they pick on Nugget and Patty terribly, yet the three girls introduced a year later get along fine. Guess my point is, go for it--they really are individuals and as long as you either raise them together or gradually introduce them I'll bet you'll do just fine (you can see in my tagline the variety we have..but the cochins and silkie are separated as are the young Sussexes, Wellies and Blue Laced Red Wyandottes)....

 

[crazyhen]

I don't see much of a problem till you introduce a roo. Then he maybe to big for some of them and actually cause bodily harm or not large enough to do his job. If the hens are apprx. the same size it is better for that reason. Otherwise they can all be cooped together. Gloria Jean

 

[gritsar]

Just my opionion here, but from my own personal experience, leghorns don't make good first time chickens. There are plenty of other breeds out there that lay well and handle hot summers without being spazzes.

 

[Gypsy07]

What was your experience with Leghorns? Just wondering, cause I got three in my first year of chicken keeping. Okay they were older birds, not chicks, but I didn't really think they lived up to their reputation of flighty, excitable and noisy. They act just the same as my other birds except when you walk up to them, they scoot away a little bit quicker than the others.