Friendly Starter chickens

[Mrs. K]

What are measurements of your set up? Those darling coops really do best with 2-3 birds. If you get silkies, just get silkies. Sometimes they are picked on by bigger breeds. They are smaller, so you could go with 3-4 birds if you got all silkies.

Chickens are not a forever pet, I would suggest getting less, and later on, being able to add a bit more, if you like the hobby.

BO are some of my favorite chickens, but they are a full sized bird. I am making an assumption on your coop, so I might be wrong, but if I went with the larger birds, I would go 2-3 birds. The pre-manufactured coops grossly overestimate the number of birds that can be in them, and over crowding leads to very ugly behavior in chickens.

Mrs K

 

[Larry55]

There are lots of friendly breeds. Do u want eggs or something to look at?

 

[Sublight]

Go for 4 chickens, and definitely Silkies if you want sweet, docile, tame birds. They are also fun to look at! Good luck!

Silkies for the win. We got 2 and are now hooked. They are the most friendly thing ive ever seen.
When they free range, if we sit down, they run up and stand beside us and just hang out. Be careful not to step on them. They are so tame. I love my silkies.
The eggs are tiny. I want 50 of them.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! I'm wondering about your coop and run; post pictures! If it's a prefab, it's likely not either large or sturdy enough, so show us what you have!
Silkies are small and more delicate than most birds, and lay few eggs. They tend to do best in a flock all their own, rather than mixed with other larger birds.
I do like Jersey Giants! They are big, and mine have been friendly. The Orphingtons are many people's favorites. There are so many choices!!!
Mary

 

[chuckscleo]

Thank you for all your great replies. Your a very friendly bunch |I cant wait to get involved now.

This is the link for the coop:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/PawHut-Woo...&qid=1500716814&sr=8-19&keywords=chicken+coop
the sizes are on one of the pictures.

My in laws bought the coop for my birthday, i didnt know and im really really grateful for it but i think i would have tried to go bigger if i got one myself.

This is my set up:

I originally had the coop in the metal cage but it didnt leave much room really so ive got the front end of the coop in the run and then its netted around it- its not chicken wire its like a strong metal plastic covered wire, smallish holes, not sure whats it called.

Im really excited to get started and after seeing the chickens and holding them im even more excited today.
I really liked the look of the buff orpington, he only has one at the moment, its in a mixed flock but i got to see the parents and they are beautiful.
I think the jersery is probably going to be too big especially along with a orpington but they sound like they could be really tame as well.

I wasnt leaning towards silkies before but after seeing your replies about how friendly they are im torn now- so many great birds to choose from

Id rather have birds with a lovely temperament that we can enjoy every day than a reliable layer.
With the silkies, what are the eggs like, being small do they still taste the same? also ive read they go broody alot is that a problem? what extra things do i need i need to do?

what do you think is a reasonable number of chickens for my coop size? i know with the bigger ones its going to be less but i dont want just two in case one dies and its left along.

Again thanks for reading and your help.

(hopefully the pics have added ok)

 

[rosemarythyme]

I just looked up the space in that coop. The measurements are a little misleading, a lot of floor space is being eaten up by the nest boxes. If I calculated correctly the usable floor space is about 7 1/2 sq ft which translates to 2 standard size hens (buff orps) or 3 to 4 silkies. If one side of next boxes can be converted to regular floor space, then it's about 3 sq ft more, enough for another silkie.

For reference I'm assuming 4 sq ft (3716.12 sq cm) per standard chicken, and half that for a silkie.

 

[Folly's place]

IMO, most bantams really need close to that recommended four sq. ft. per bird, not a lot less. Mary

 

[rosemarythyme]

IMO, most bantams really need close to that recommended four sq. ft. per bird, not a lot less. Mary

I usually see 2 sq ft per bantam on here so I was using that number. I'll defer to someone who has experience with them!

 

[Folly's place]

I have Belgian d'Uccles and EE bantams, not Silkies. I've also had bantam Cochins and Brahmas, all lovely birds, but there's not room for every interesting breed!
More space is always better than the minimum!!!
Right now I have 41 birds, half bantams, in a coop/ run combination that provides about 300 sq. ft., divided into four separate interconnected areas. They have about 7 sq. ft. per bird, and have been locked in for upwards of three weeks this winter because of the snow. It's working out just fine, but I'd hate to have them more crowded!
Planning on free ranging is great, but at times it's just not possible, so having space in their coop so nobody goes nuts is best.
Mary

 

[chickendreams24]

Okay where are you located?
That coop doesn't have any insulation which I recommend if you're located where it gets cold.

That coop is an okay starter coop but if you are allowed to have more than 3-4 birds it's better to have a larger coop.

Also that coop is adorable but the very thin roost bar in it should really be replaced a 2x4 is a much better roost. This is especially important if you live where it gets cold so they can lay on their feet and warm them. You can use the 2x4 narrow side but we much prefer it wide side.

Now we have a mixed flock in fact we have a couple lol they go to their own coops at night but have some overlap in their free ranging.

We have both buff Orpingtons and silkies. Our silkies are only ever separated for breeding otherwise they live with the main flock and do great.

How do you plan to feed and water them(I wouldn't do it in that tiny coop for sure)? Space ventilation and keeping them from being bored are some of the most important points.

The only thing might be if they get bored from lack of space they could pick on each other then, but that's any chickens. If you have a large enough run or plan to do some monitored(or unmonitored) free range time then they should be okay. That being said those coops are tiny. I wouldn't recommend a Jersey giant in that coop.

With a group of 3-4 birds I would suggest not owning a rooster.

I would also suggest if you choose to do mixed flock raise them together if you can and keep more than one silkie. If there is more than one different bird the odds they'll pick on it are less. Our silkies really don't have any problems with our flock at all.

Like you we have chosen gentle docile birds to keep.

Yes it's absolutely important to spend time with your birds if you want them to be friendly. The sooner the better. Raising chicks is great fun but does add another aspect to it. They do need special care when babies.

Silkies can be incredibly broody, but that really depends on the individual bird. Some of our silkies are quite broody and want to be mommies in worst possible way. Some could care less. Some of our silkies are very good layers some not very good. Their eggs are small and can take 2-3 to make an l-xl egg, but they taste the same to me. Picking up the eggs regularly can help to not give the birds broody thoughts but some birds will try to hatch air they're so desperate. That can apply to any breed though.

Orpingtons can also be broody on occasion. We have hatchery buff Orpingtons (all our other Orpingtons are English lines) and only one has ever gone broody.

If you decide to get silkies I would consider getting 2 silkies as flocks are more prone to attack different birds if there's only one.

If a mixed flock seems your style I would try it. You could try for 2 and 2.

HTH

I got sidetracked so some things may be repeated.