Can you mix breeds in same coop

[Chainsawnc]

Hey all Neill here and new to chickens.. Actually really new.. Dont even have any yet.. :~) we found a place selling wyandottes ( silver and gold laced) and orpingtons and a few other breeds.. Which is the best for being the calmest ( being able to pick up and hold) & can we mix breeds in same coop.... We want brown eggs. But want chicks for pets to. We will be raising from young chicks. Thanks for any info

 

[ChickenAndMore]

If you play/hold your chickens enough they will all be really calm. You can mix chicken breeds just don't expect pure breed chicks from them. I don't have any golden/silver laced Wyandotte but I do have a blue laced Wyandotte and she is really sweet. I have raised buff orpingtons And they are really sweet to. Some say buff orpington roos are aggressive but mine was really sweet he was actually nicer than the hens.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Yes - the only reason not to mix breeds is if you want to pursue breeding of pure bred chickens - for that you would need to maintain separate pens for each breed to prevent cross-breeding between roos/hens of different breeds.

 

[Chainsawnc]

Thanks we aint goin to breed so only hens

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

There are some excellent articles and threads here regarding socializing chicks - I would suggest reading through them to get some ideas as to how to build a friendly relationship with your flock.
I will say we have BO, GLW, SLW (the three you mention) - as well as Easter Eggers and Light Brahmas right now. The BO are all three VERY friendly, always the first to greet you, jump on your lap, etc, the 3 EE turned out to be two pullets/one cockerel - one pullet is almost as friendly as the BOs, one is an absolute nut but starting to settle a bit and the cockerel is not friendly, but that is okay with me as long as he does not become aggressive. The SLW and GLW are all curious, but standoffish - though beginning to settle a bit more as they reach the point of lay. The Brahmas are attention hogs - more out of a desire to have what others have than to actually receive our attention (if the EE or BO's are on my lap, a brahma will try to shove her way in and push the other bird/s off, etc). All 16 of these birds have been raised together and in exactly the same way - and all have developed their own personalities, while breeds can offer up general guides as to what a particular type of bird may/may not be like it really boils down to the individual.

 

[Blooie]

I have in my coop:
5 Easter Eggers
5 Golden Laced Wyandottes
3 Red Sex Links
3 Buff Orpingtons
2 Speckled Sussex (one of which is our only roo)
2 Cuckoo Marans

All get along well, and it's nice to look out and see a rainbow in the yard.

 

[Michael OShay]

Most standard chicken breeds will mix together well. Some Like Orpingtons, Australorps, Brahmas, Cochins, and Sussex (all brown egg layers) have reputations for being very gentle and docile. Of course there can always be exceptions in any breed, but I have had all of these breeds and ours have lived up to their docile reputations. My children, and now my granddaughter, made pets of the these breeds. I have had other breeds like Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes (also both brown egg layers) that have been generally pretty docile, but occasionally I have had an aggressive one. There are excellent quick reference charts at http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/breed-list.aspx and http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html that you can look up the temperaments of the various breeds and Murray McMurray has an excellent "chick selector" that includes temperaments on it. You will find it at http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chick_selector.html Just be sure to click on "show more characteristics. Of course in any chicken flock with any breeds you are going to have the usual pecking order established.

 

[rjohns39]

I understand with ducks you can let mixed breeds live together as long as you separate them a month before gathering eggs for incubation. Is this true? How about for chickens? I'd like to have a mixed flock--but only gather eggs for incubation in the first week of march each year. Somewhere between late December and early January they will be moving in off the pasture to hoop houses depending on the weather, its a perfect time to separate by breed, if that will work. Thanks... Taking my first order of chicks last week of March I hope.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I understand with ducks you can let mixed breeds live together as long as you separate them a month before gathering eggs for incubation. Is this true? How about for chickens? I'd like to have a mixed flock--but only gather eggs for incubation in the first week of march each year. Somewhere between late December and early January they will be moving in off the pasture to hoop houses depending on the weather, its a perfect time to separate by breed, if that will work. Thanks... Taking my first order of chicks last week of March I hope.

If you want to hatch purebred chicks, yes, you would need to separate the chickens by breed at least one month prior to starting to set the eggs for hatching.

 

[Carmengay]

HI, I'm new

. I have purchased 7 chicks; 2 are straight run & 5 are pullets! (Rhode Island reds) I have a question about mixing breeds as chicks! I purchased them last Friday! Is it ok to add to them; but it be a different breed? Thank you in advance