Chicks vs Pullets for a Starter Flock??

[woodmort]

IMHO I'd never start a flock with anything but chicks from a healthy source--preferably a hatchery. If you buy pullets or laying hens your're opening the door to disease and parasites. Over the years I've been offered chickens and always, politely but emphatically, turn them down for that reason. Nor will I allow anyone who has poultry to enter my coop. Over protective? Probably, but I've manged to keep my flock disease free.<knock on wood>

 

[nuts4chickens]

I agree with the above post. I bought started birds ONE time and they ended up being sick and I had to cull every single one. Being new to chickens, it is really easy to be taken advantage of. I now only hatch my own eggs or buy day-old chicks from a hatchery for that reason. No one with birds is allowed in my coop either.

As far as breeds to start with, I would try to get some dark brown layers, brown layers, blue layers, white layers, and light brown layers. It makes for a colorful basket and you can always tell who's laying what and if someone has stopped laying for some reason. I have welsummer, california white, barred rock,a couple sex-links, EE, and russian orloffs. I'd love to add olive eggers at some point, too.

 

[Mrs. K]

I think you have a good mix planned. With getting the different breeds, it makes it easy to name them and tell them apart, so you can get to recognize their little quirks. Also, sometimes you will get a breed that you don't really like, or a chicken for that matter, any way, you won't have a flock of them.

The buff o are great birds too to add to that list. I have one that just went broody, and having a hen raise chicks NExt year, will be a fun project.

Are you in 4-H, cause you could take a chicken project.

MrsK