CCL or Ameraucana cross, what to get?

[Chickstarrs]

Hi. I am starting up my flock. I have 4 3-day old black Australorp and 4 2week old Easter eggers. I would like a friendly, colourful mixed flock with colourful eggs and dual purpose birds. So I am trying to decide what to put with them. The choices right now are day old Cream Crested Legbar (pullets), day old Speckled Sussex (because they are so pretty) or 5 week old Ameraucana X Easter egger that may be old enough for sexing. My coop is 9 x 7.5 ft. x 6.5ft high. The nests boxes hang out the side. The run is about 6 x 23.5ft. It is only temporary until we can get more fencing material to make it bigger (approx. 10 x 26ft.) Any suggestions or recommendations? There are so many wonderful breeds of chickens that it is hard to decide!

 

[NatJ]

Given the choices you have, I would get: 2 Cream Legbar pullets, 3 Ameraucana x Easter Eggers (try for pullets), and 4 Speckled Sussex (plan to eat a few roosters.) If you have the little and big chicks separated, I would add new chicks to the appropriate groups--littles with littles, bigs with bigs. If your chicks are already together in the coop, just add the new ones too.

If each adult chicken needs 4 square feet of space in the coop, then you have space enough for 16 and 3/4 chickens. My recommendations would put you at 17 chicks, but I assume a few will be males. Eating or rehoming the males will bring you back to 16 or less, which should be fine.

I agree, it's fun to try different breeds

 

[Chickstarrs]

Given the choices you have, I would get: 2 Cream Legbar pullets, 3 Ameraucana x Easter Eggers (try for pullets), and 4 Speckled Sussex (plan to eat a few roosters.) If you have the little and big chicks separated, I would add new chicks to the appropriate groups--littles with littles, bigs with bigs. If your chicks are already together in the coop, just add the new ones too.

If each adult chicken needs 4 square feet of space in the coop, then you have space enough for 16 and 3/4 chickens. My recommendations would put you at 17 chicks, but I assume a few will be males. Eating or rehoming the males will bring you back to 16 or less, which should be fine.

I agree, it's fun to try different breeds

Thankyou so much for your suggestions.

 

[Chickstarrs]

There are also Mille Fleur D'uccle chicks for sale nearby for $15. Would they fit in okay with the larger birds and is that a good price?

 

[NatJ]

Bantams usually do fine with larger chickens. I have no idea what a good price is.