My suggestion is to talk it over with them. Ask your questions and see what you can work out. They are all run by different people and can have different criteria. I can't tell you what they will do but they can.
You'd have to check with what the store/state policy is. Some states require certain # of chicks to be sold together, some stores require the same. I don't know if any require all to be the same breed though.
Oops, so I might have goofed?? We have three pullets arriving this week, two Orps to add to the one we already have an a Cinnamon Queen which is a hybrid of RIR and RIW. Do I need to be concerned about this?
Not an ideal combination, so definitely keep an eye on them and be prepared to step in if it gets out of hand. They are usually fine when they are young, especially if they grew up together, but when they come of age and start laying, they tend to get territorial and dramatic (favorite nest box, favorite sleeping spot etc.) so that's when you should keep an eye on them to spot any issues before they get too far. As with other animals and people, chickens are individuals and have natural variance; not all display the worst (or best) of their breed, so you may get lucky and have no problems. But the potential for problems is higher with this combination than with others.
Well that's not good news. I appreciate your response and insight. Sounds like I may need to take up living with the chickens for a while. Especially since they're coming in at 15-20 weeks of age and will be terrible teenagers. Oh boy. Fingers crossed this works!!
Put a camera in the coop and one in the run if you can afford it, ideally one that pans so you can get a look at the whole area. It will help you check on them without having to walk out there every time there's a noise. A bunch of my Orps got into a fight once and I was able to intervene before it got too late, because I saw it on the camera (otherwise I can't get out there every time they squawk, as they squawk over minor stuff all the time). They are normally a very peaceful breed, but even peaceful chickens can find something to fight over. In this case, it was teenage drama and trying to establish the pecking order. One of them had beef with another, and the rest jumped on the bandwagon and ganged up on the victim, just to earn easy points in the hierarchy. The victim's head was all bloody and she lost part of her comb. I saw it on the camera and separated her before it got too far, because chickens turn into monsters when they see blood and can easily kill (and eat) the bleeding comrade. I've heard worse stories from RIR's attacking more docile chickens. Doesn't mean it will happen to you, but it is something that happens, more so with RIR's who are notorious bullies. Maybe the Cinnamon hybrid will be better, but keep it in mind just in case.Well that's not good news. I appreciate your response and insight. Sounds like I may need to take up living with the chickens for a while. Especially since they're coming in at 15-20 weeks of age and will be terrible teenagers. Oh boy. Fingers crossed this works!!
If you already have grown chickens in the flock and the Cinnamon Queen will be younger (and a single one), that's already important factors in your favor. The older chickens will be higher in the hierarchy on seniority alone, and will be able to hold their own for a while. She may still challenge them when she grows up though, or she may take her frustrations out on her more docile peers. Conflict can happen between any chickens, even orps, but that doesn't put all combinations on equal footing. Where orp fights may be isolated one-off events, RIR's are more prone to consistent bullying behavior that may not resolve as easily.
