First let me apologize if this is in the wrong forum, I wasn't sure where to post it.
I am new to chickens, this will be our first year owning them, and I'd love some help narrowing down which breeds would work for us. I'm looking for cold-hardy breeds that would do well in Maine. Docile, easy for the kids to handle, and preferably decent meat/egg cross. Primary use would be for eggs, but there is the possibility of using them for meat down the line. I was originally thinking I'd like to start with 6 chickens, but would be open to up to a dozen perhaps.
Here's what I've narrowed it down to so far:
Americauna/EEggers
Australorp
Orpington
Cochin
Plymouth Rock
Rhode Island
Sussex
Wyandotte
Would you say these are all suitable breeds? Any you would cross off the list? What would your top picks be? Would there be any issues mixing Cochins with the other breeds? I'd really like a mix of breeds, if nothing else it will make them easier to tell apart. What would be an ideal mix? The EE is on the list since the oldest kiddo loves the blue/green eggs, but I'm not sure I'd want many of them?
Also, how would I go about finding a variety of chicks without winding up with way too many? It seems most of the places I've looked online are either insanely expensive with shipping, or have a 5+ minimum per breed. We do have a Blue Seal and a Tractor Supply locally, but I'm not sure what breeds they'd be carrying in-store or if they have them sexed? I checked out the order form for TSC, but I think that also had a per breed minimum on it.
I am new to chickens, this will be our first year owning them, and I'd love some help narrowing down which breeds would work for us. I'm looking for cold-hardy breeds that would do well in Maine. Docile, easy for the kids to handle, and preferably decent meat/egg cross. Primary use would be for eggs, but there is the possibility of using them for meat down the line. I was originally thinking I'd like to start with 6 chickens, but would be open to up to a dozen perhaps.
Here's what I've narrowed it down to so far:
Americauna/EEggers
Australorp
Orpington
Cochin
Plymouth Rock
Rhode Island
Sussex
Wyandotte
Would you say these are all suitable breeds? Any you would cross off the list? What would your top picks be? Would there be any issues mixing Cochins with the other breeds? I'd really like a mix of breeds, if nothing else it will make them easier to tell apart. What would be an ideal mix? The EE is on the list since the oldest kiddo loves the blue/green eggs, but I'm not sure I'd want many of them?
Also, how would I go about finding a variety of chicks without winding up with way too many? It seems most of the places I've looked online are either insanely expensive with shipping, or have a 5+ minimum per breed. We do have a Blue Seal and a Tractor Supply locally, but I'm not sure what breeds they'd be carrying in-store or if they have them sexed? I checked out the order form for TSC, but I think that also had a per breed minimum on it.