First Flock

[rainnotebook]

I am so excited because my honey and I finally got around to building our chicken coop! We'll be done this weekend and I just CAN'T wait for my new chickens!

I am trying to decide on my first flock. I want friendly pet chickens. I love the idea of picking them up and holding them. I know you need to start when they're chicks... so these are the breeds I'm planning on starting with.

Brahmas
Silkies
Wyandoltes

Are these good breeds to start off with? Do you suggest any other breeds?

PS you guys are great!

 

[Kittymomma]

My
EE's are very sweet and are good layers of various shades of green eggs. My SLW's are pretty, but kind of flighty.

Congrats on the beginning of your chicken addiction.

 

[smarsh]

my EEs are flightier than SLW. i guess it all depends on the bird.

as long as you stay away from leghorn, game, tight feathered types, there won't be much difference.

 

[rhodiegal]

Congratulations! You will really enjoy having them. I think you have picked some very good breeds. In my opinion, Silver Laced Wyandottes are some of the most beautiful chickens. Being your first flock, I think a variety of breeds is a great idea b/c then you can really see ones you may prefer over others.

I you would like different colored eggs, you could add an Easter Egger (green/blue) and Maran (terra cotta). Your silkie will make a good broody mom if you want to hatch (not sure if you are getting a roo or not). In our experience, it has really just been the individual chicken as opposed to the breed when it comes to friendly or skittish birds. Have fun!

 

[SilverPhoenix]

Oh, how exciting! I think you're going to love keeping chickens--it's so much more fun and enjoyable than one would ever expect! Soon enough you'll be one of us--totally addicted!

I think your breed choices are very good for a first-timer! I haven't had Brahmas but I've heard great things about them. SLW are very nice, beautiful, docile birds, and silkies are just the cutest, sweetest fluffy things! All three of those breeds ought to make great pets, they're not flighty or standoffish sorts of birds. Of course it comes down to the individual birds and how friendly each one is, but just talking in generalizations here. Handle them a lot as babies and you'll definitely have approachable and friendly birds.

Best of luck, and be sure to post pictures when your babies arrive! Have fun with your new flock!

 

[rainnotebook]

Awesome!! Thanks!!! I thought these were a good selection. I'm just so super excited I can't stand it. lol I'm already obsessed!

I will totally share pictures when I get them!

 

[Andi]

Where are you located? Matching breeds to your climate and then looking from there isn't a bad idea. Also, is egg production important?

The most docile breed that I know of is the Orpingtons. They also tend to be a quieter breed. Another breed that I've been hearing good things about is the Buckeye. Its a breed I'd like to try eventually. Sussex, I hear, are gentle with good personalities.

I have a California White hen that is gentle and doesn't mind being handled. She's always the first to check out what's going on the yard and to run up and greet us when we come out. I have 2 EEs, 1 Black Australorp and 1 California White. They are all gentle girls and get along well. For looks, I love the fluffy butt that my BA has. Her feathers are black but have a gorgeous green sheen in the sunshine. Her feathers are also much softer then the other girls'. My BA is also the most reliable layer. All Winter she's only missed a couple days. My CW is also a fairly reliable layer, missing only a handful of days when I didn't realize their protein intake was getting low. (Too many table scraps.) Her eggs are also the largest. I gotta say I love the blue-green of the EEs' eggs. I have one that lays white eggs, one that lays brown eggs and two that lay blue-green eggs. Its fun giving away a rainbow of eggs when I get more than we need.

Just about any breed you'll fall in love with. With enough handling any breed can become quite tame. For every person that says something negative about a breed there will be people disputing it.

About the only chickens that I've heard of that are a little nastier are the bantams. Then again, I've known people that have bantams that are sweet as can be. I wonder if mixing bantams with large fowl gets the bantams a bit more aggressive just because of competition as a result of their size. Despite friends recommending I avoid them, I got some along with my large fowl. They were scrappers and I did need to get rid of them.

Roosters are also more aggressive, which is why some people keep very few of them, if any. Roosters are usually the noisy ones of the bunch. Because they are noisy, many cities have no rooster restrictions to keeping chickens. They sure are eye candy though.

I personally have no experience with Silkies, so I can't help there. Egg production was a priority for me because I'm limited on space, otherwise I probably would have gotten a frizzle, just for looks.

Here's a link to a chart of breeds and their characteristics.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

I wish you the very best in your adventures!

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
I agree with the above: I have a very gentle Buff Orpington. And she's VERY quiet. And both Buckeye and Sussex are on my "I'd like to get" list.

 

[detali]

I agree with the above too. I have three Buff Orpingtons hens and a roo. They are quiet and docile. The roo waits until his hens are ready for him, not like my former roo who raped his hens constantly!

 

[lcw]

Cochins!!! Cochins!!!! Cochins!!!! Cochins!!!!!!