First time getting chicks!

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Aha... I did not think of that one.. My sister is getting a black australorp and she was wondering if they are ONLY black? I told her yes but I am not the pro here. Lol.
 
Since you will be getting chicks for each sibling, you might want to consider each having a different breed so it will be easy to tell them apart. I got 6 different breeds from the local hatchery, a Speckled Sussex, a Barred Rock (these 2 are still chicks) and my previous four were a Rhode Island Red, a Buff Orpington, a Silver Laced Wyandotte and an Australorp. Someone on this site called Buff Orpingtons the 'golden retrievers of the poultry world.' They are so pretty and so sweet. My Australorp is a sweetheart. Cute and funny as well. And yes, the Australorps are black, but those shiny black feathers glow with iridescent green, saying 'just black' doesn't do it justice, they are beautiful hens. The Rhode Island Red is super smart but bossy and tends to peck other chickens and even people. If I had known that was fairly typical I probably would not have included her. Anyone out there feel free to defend this breed, I've only had one! I still love her but she can be trying, and she wouldn't be good for smaller kids.
My granddaughter loves her Black Sex Link, it follows her around. She's only 3 and she likes to carry it, take it on the swings, etc. Yet it still likes her.
 
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Thank you for the suggestions, and I have neighbors who have all RIRs and they seem pretty chill and nice when I see them. my local store does have golden laced Wyandottes, would that be a good chicken for egg laying? oh and i love how colorful your chickens look in your pictures!
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lovechicks1293 said:
Those are some CUTE chickens you have there! I have looked into silkies and they do not sell them anywhere near me
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But they do have leghorns I'm pretty sure..... Oh and nice coop in the background.
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Thank you..and the little coop in the background is my grow out pen. I have a loooot of silkie babies in there right now. The bigger coop is at the right.
Too bad you can't come by silkies. Pretty darn cute little critters!
 
Wyondottes are known for their going broody. But, that can go for any LF hen, just that some go broody more often. My experience is, Wyondottes, and Buff Orpingtons go broody. Now, some will come on and let you know how often, or not, theirs do. :)
 
lovechicks1293 said:
Ohh the Easter egg eggers sound like a cool breed to have! I would like to gather colorful eggs in the mornings
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My mom would not like to hatch anything but to get them from a local hatcherie/farm store. I would like to but I guess as a first timer I should maybe wait a year or two for that kind of project. Thanks!
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I have had, or still have:

Buff Brahmas and Light Brahmas - really liked them, docile and showy,good layers, extremely winter hardy but behemoths who broke almost as many eggs as they laid because often they'd try to fit into one nest box at the same time! Even in they were in there one at a time, they were so heavy that any eggs laid previously were subject to breaking. Also those feathered feet dragged all kinds of debris into the nests. And they didn't do well in the hot summers, especially when it was humid, which you will have a lot. We kept one, Tank, just because she's hubby's favorite.

Specked Sussex - not much NOT to like...curious, friendly, good layers, and do very well in mixed flock. I'll probably have more of them eventually, but gave mine to a neighbor (along with some Buff Orpingtons and Golden Laced Wyandottes after she lost her flock to a dog attack. She still has all of them except 3 Wyandottes, but the SS are still her favorites..

Buff Orpington - (I also have 2 White Orpingtons) - very similar to the Speckled Sussex as far as likability, but better layers, I think. A little hard to tell them apart, though!
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Golden Laced Wyndottes - couldn't get rid of them fast enough. Bully mentality! Had 5. If one was picking on another chicken the other four would stop whatever they were doing and join in the fray. Neighbor took them and she culled 3 of them, but kept the calmest 2.

Cuckoo Marans - not the showiest of birds, but great if you want calm, decent egg production, and just enough curiosity to keep things interesting. I'll always have some. Nice, dark brown eggs, but the eggs tend to fade in color as the chickens age.

Red Sex Links - prolific layers, some can be a little on the testy side. Have had no issues with them as far as hot summers and cold winters, but they do tend to have some reproductive issues. I lost 3 good RSLs to those issues. They'll often lay eggs that are absolutely huge - I got one that weighed in a 1/4 pound. (Yep, a photo of that and the others that were well over 100 grams are available!
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Silkies - hatched them out for my little granddaughter to enjoy. Cute, but that's all I can say about them yet because they are only a couple of months old. Katie loves them to bits! Hope they live up to their reputation for broodiness, as the Orpingtons haven't.

Blue Andelusians, Wellsummers, Ohio Buckeyes - those are are still to immature to determine how they do with cold (although the Buckeyes are known for being cold tolerant) and laying. All seem to be pretty docile birds, getting along very well with the other chickens, older and younger, out there.

Easter Eggers - And, of course, where would Blooie be without her all time favorite? Hands down my favorite birds out there. Every one of them has a unique look and they thrive in a mixed flock. They aren't prolific layers, which is fine with me - how many eggs can you eat in a day - so unless you are selling eggs that's not a big deal. I get some blue eggs, some greenish blue eggs, some pink eggs, and some green eggs. Do fantastic with our hot, dry summers and nasty, cold winters here in Northern Wyoming, and I trust them completely around my grandkids, one of whom is 4 years old and in a wheelchair. She is perfectly safe with them. Of course, she's safe with all the chickens I have out there because if I wouldn't have a chicken I wouldn't trust. They aren't hard to find - most feed stores sell them in the spring as "Ameracaunas" or ""Aracaunas" but they are almost always Easter Eggers. This link will take you to mine.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-easter-eggers-of-oleo-acres

Everyone has favorite breeds or varieties. I tend to go for birds that will do well in a mixed flock because that's what I like to have around. Something about letting them all out to range and seeing that rainbow of chickens out in the grass that makes me smile. Good luck with your coming flock! And welcome to BYC!!
 
lovechicks1293 said:
Thank you for the suggestions, and I have neighbors who have all RIRs and they seem pretty chill and nice when I see them.  my local store does have golden laced Wyandottes, would that be a good chicken for egg laying?  oh and i love how colorful your chickens look in your pictures!:cd :cd
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The chick in mt avatar is a 10 and a half week old SLW chick.my SLW was a REALLY good layer,and I think the GLW should be good egg layers to.
 

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