Getting a new Flock

[rgibb]

Hi All! We are new to chicken keeping... and have a few breed questions. We live on a large farm in Central PA (cold winters/hot summers) and have plenty of grazing area for the chickens. We built a coop that is 4'x8' (32 sq feet) and are ready to get chickens. We will be building a fenced in, secure, outdoor run for them to play safely. I also don't mind them free ranging once they know where home is.

On a side note, we have a toddler that is great with animals and we are looking for breeds that will go well with handling and petting them. I would like good layers but love the idea of a mixed flock and being able to name the birds and identify them if they are lame. I have seen hatcheries offering assorted baby chicks in minimum orders of 15 female peeps. Has anyone done this or have an idea of my best option? OR should I drive over to Amish country (20 minutes) and get 5-8 Red Sexlinks hens that are 20wks old and hope they will become friendly. (concerned with their potential health issues as mentioned in the Breed Forum ... buuuut they would be ready to lay).

With fall quickly approaching here in the rolling hills of central PA I would like to get them here and ready for winter

 

[Michael OShay]

You will probably get a lot of mixed opinions on this, but because of your toddler, I personally would start with chicks rather than 20 week old birds as they will be easier to tame and for your toddler to adjust to them. I would suggest getting breeds that are not only very cold hardy, but have a good reputation for being calm and gentle (potential lap pets) such as Australorps, Orpingtons, Brahmas, Cochins, and Sussex. If egg production is a priority, Australorps are the best layers on this list. If you decide to get sex links, I would personally recommend going with Black Sex Links rather than Red Sex Links. I've raised both sex link varieties over the past few decades, and while they are both egg laying machines consistently churning out more than 300 large brown eggs per hen per year, my Black Sex Links have been friendlier than my Reds (better with children) and have actually outlayed my Reds in really cold winter weather. Also my Blacks have tended to have a longer laying life than my Reds. Whatever age, or breeds or hybrids you decide to get, good luck with your flock.

 

[LRH97]

Great to hear that you're ready for your birds! I agree with Michael Oshay. I have a very diverse flock myself. I think there are many perks to having one. You can sample several different breeds and pick the one(s) you like best, and maybe get more of those down the line. So, if I was in your situation, I would go with getting an assortment of breeds as babies, especially if you're wanting them also as pets. The friendliness of the bird really boils down to the individual personality of the bird (some just don't tolerate being handled) and the amount of time spent with them. The taming process is always easier if you get younger birds. Various breeds exhibit varying degrees of docility. The breeds Michael listed are great. Brahmas, Cochins, and Orpingtons have been particularly gentle in my experience.

 

[rgibb]

Thank you so much for these recommendations! I found a hatchery 1 hour from us so it sounds like chicks!

 

[Michael OShay]

Thank you so much for these recommendations! I found a hatchery 1 hour from us so it sounds like chicks!

You're welcome.

 

[Skylercarr]

I would get chicks and only let you're toddler have supervised visits with the chicks. Personally my favorite breeds are Wyandottes and Easter eggers. Wyandottes are very nice birds and hardy in the winter however they only lay about 250 eggs a year. I really love EE because they are so nice and you are always surprised when you get the first egg from your EE because you never know what color egg they will lay.

 

[allpeepedout]

I just got my first Dominique and she has lived up to this breed's reputation as extremely sweet. A great choice for little kids. My yellow puffball EE chicks were also super friendly.