Frustrated with all the options

[JustBabyMargo]

I live in Minnesota, so I need cold hardy. Planning on a woods style coop 6x10 with a 60 sq ft outdoor run. I’d love friendly, quiet(ish), hardy birds. I think Orpington’s look nice, I love the coloring choices of Wyandotte’s. Green/blue egg layers would be fun too. I would like decent layers. Pet quality is fine, since I don’t think we would show. Thanks!

Brahmas are a great, and cold hardy, breed. I would vote against Wyandottes, especially for your first flock, unless you are wanting jerk chickens. They are mean. EE are also pretty good with cold weather. Feather-footed, non-standard combed breeds are probably the best with the cold. Just trying to help with breeds. I don’t have much advice on your hatchery predicament.

 

[Iluveggers]

I live in Minnesota, so I need cold hardy. Planning on a woods style coop 6x10 with a 60 sq ft outdoor run. I’d love friendly, quiet(ish), hardy birds. I think Orpington’s look nice, I love the coloring choices of Wyandotte’s. Green/blue egg layers would be fun too. I would like decent layers. Pet quality is fine, since I don’t think we would show. Thanks!

Older pullets would lay earlier and you would know they were females, but my favorite part of owning chickens is raising the babies (ours are super friendly because of the time we spent with them when they were little!

I googled local hatcheries near you and hadn’t heard of any of them to make a recommendation or not. One option is to get 6 chicks from tractor supply, but they frequently make mistakes on breeds and gender so it wouldn’t be my first suggestion.

There are a couple of mail order hatcheries with low minimum chicks & shipping!
Ideal Hatchery (TX) and Mt Healthy (OH) would be my recommendations because of the low shipping. Ideal has a $30 minimum order which is about 6-7 chicks at usually $4ish per chick plus a very reasonable $7 small order fee. Mt Healthy is a bit pricier for chicks (between $5-$15 each) but has a wider variety of colors of different breeds and no shipping fee. Meyer and McMurray both have small order minimums in the spring but a $35-$50 shipping fee with a small order.

Orpingtons and Wyandottes (my GLWyandottes are very friendly) would be great, and if you want colored layers than Easter Eggers and Olive Eggers would work! I do have to recommend my very favorite breed I have, the Plymouth Rock (there’s a variety of colors), and the Australorp (also quiet & friendly). I am in NY and those breeds are doing wonderful in the snow. After you look around on those sites, please let us know where you picked from and what breeds!

 

[Wolfie307]

Keeping chickens is an ongoing proces. And one way ore another, (most) roosters get culled or need to go.

Thanks for the reply. I do think this would be much easier with a little bit of land and fewer restrictions!

 

[neo71665]

When I started my current flock it was 10 ISA browns and 2 GLW because the store didn't have enough ISAs to complete the 12 bird min. Those 2 GLWs were a-holes the whole time. I lost one of the GLW about a year into it and didn't hurt my feelings one bit. This other one I'm always having to lock up every few months to knock her down the pecking order or all she does is picks and picks on everybody. Before I got a rooster you would have swore there was one because she (and her sister) was attacking everybody pulling feathers out. Those 12 birds were hand raised at the same time. The ISAs are all gentle as can be.

 

[Wolfie307]

Thanks iluveggers. I had an order at Meyer ready to go, but didn’t place it. I’m also still waiting to hear from a MN breeder here on BYC. Right now I’m leaning towards Papa’s Poultry. He had a variety pack of auto sex chicks and mentions that sex link Orpington’s might be included.

What are the thoughts on the cream leg bars, 55 flowery hens, golden cuckoo marans, rhodebars, etc.

I’ve even considered hatching eggs, but that would probably guarantee culling.

 

[JustBabyMargo]

Thanks iluveggers. I had an order at Meyer ready to go, but didn’t place it. I’m also still waiting to hear from a MN breeder here on BYC. Right now I’m leaning towards Papa’s Poultry. He had a variety pack of auto sex chicks and mentions that sex link Orpington’s might be included.

What are the thoughts on the cream leg bars, 55 flowery hens, golden cuckoo marans, rhodebars, etc.

I’ve even considered hatching eggs, but that would probably guarantee culling.

Cream legbars are not so cold hardy, or at least mine isn’t. Not sure if anyone else has the same experience or not, but I was scared that mine wasn’t going to make it through this winter. I hope others will say otherwise so that you can get them. They are one of my favorites.

 

[Iluveggers]

Thanks iluveggers. I had an order at Meyer ready to go, but didn’t place it. I’m also still waiting to hear from a MN breeder here on BYC. Right now I’m leaning towards Papa’s Poultry. He had a variety pack of auto sex chicks and mentions that sex link Orpington’s might be included.

What are the thoughts on the cream leg bars, 55 flowery hens, golden cuckoo marans, rhodebars, etc.

I’ve even considered hatching eggs, but that would probably guarantee culling.

Meyer has some good options and a good reputation. The autosexing breeds you mention are all good breeds and will give you a nice colorful egg basket! I am hatching cream legbars in my cold climate. They aren’t super cold-hardy and the males especially are prone to frostbite, but I have been told by others that they should be ok as long as there is a draft-free space so a tarp around the run in winter could help.
There’s a few people on here that have used papa’s poultry, maybe do a search and read through some of the experiences people have had ordering there!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Thanks iluveggers. I had an order at Meyer ready to go, but didn’t place it. I’m also still waiting to hear from a MN breeder here on BYC. Right now I’m leaning towards Papa’s Poultry. He had a variety pack of auto sex chicks and mentions that sex link Orpington’s might be included.

What are the thoughts on the cream leg bars, 55 flowery hens, golden cuckoo marans, rhodebars, etc.

I’ve even considered hatching eggs, but that would probably guarantee culling.

I was going to suggest autosexing or sexlinked.

Those are great breeds! I'd also suggest Welsummers. Mine is very cold hardy. Of my flock, she does the best in cold. They lay dark brown eggs.

I have had 100% luck with hatchery sexing (oops - I probably just jinxed myself). The one roo I have was a straight run bantam from a feed store.

I now only get my birds from my local tsc. The gal who does the chick ordering knows what she's doing and orders all different breeds and all pullets from Hoover's. She makes sure they are separated appropriately. The only time that fails is when there are only a few of each breed left. They all get put in a "bargain bin" to make way for new orders. So, yes, I got a naked neck, a lavender Orpington, and a Spitzhauben from a bargain bin labeled "Blue Andalusians," but all are lovely ladies.

 

[Iluveggers]

I was going to suggest autosexing or sexlinked.

Those are great breeds! I'd also suggest Welsummers. Mine is very cold hardy. Of my flock, she does the best in cold. They lay dark brown eggs.

I have had 100% luck with hatchery sexing (oops - I probably just jinxed myself). The one roo I have was a straight run bantam from a feed store.

I now only get my birds from my local tsc. The gal who does the chick ordering knows what she's doing and orders all different breeds and all pullets from Hoover's. She makes sure they are separated appropriately. The only time that fails is when there are only a few of each breed left. They all get put in a "bargain bin" to make way for new orders. So, yes, I got a naked neck, a lavender Orpington, and a Spitzhauben from a bargain bin labeled "Blue Andalusians," but all are lovely ladies.

You are lucky your TSC employees know about chickens! One of mine has great employees, the other two can’t even pronounce the names of some of the breeds.

 

[chickmamato7]

I have had great luck with hatchery birds. I got my first flock of 6 pullets from Murray McMurray. They arrived on time and healthy & matured into beautiful birds. All were correctly vent sexed and 3 of them were SL Wyandottes. Warning: the free mystery chick they offer is probably going to be a rooster!

My next order was from Meyer Hatchery because I could get just 3 and that's *all* I wanted. The pullets were only $5.30 ea, but shipping was $50! They arrived a day late & were stressed, but all survived and again were properly vent sexed and developed into beautiful, friendly birds.

Then I decided to give My Pet Chicken a try, since they are the only seller offering sexed Silkie bantams with a 3 chick shipping minimum. I did have to add 1 chick of standard breed for shipping safety (depends on your location if you need to do that or not). I got an EE and it turned out to be one of my favorite birds-- super cute and friendly! This time I paid an extra $22 per Silkie pullet, but they do offer refunds for sexing errors. Shipping was fast, under 2 days, and the birds were not stressed at all. The silkies were of way better quality than I was expecting from a hatchery-- quite fluffy, with nice round crests. One is missing a toe nail and another has split wing, but they are still very beautiful birds. The verdict is still out on the sexing, but so far they all seem to be pullets. 23 weeks old and no red walnuts, but one of them does keep me wondering...

If your not looking for show quality birds, then I would just get what you want from a hatchery. Pay the extra price for pullets so you won't get stuck re-homing at least half your flock and then needing to reorder and integrate new birds to your flock down the line. Another benefit of hatchery birds is that you can get them vaccinated for Merak's.