Getting ready for our first experience with chickens

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glarnerchicks

glarnerchicks

In the Brooder
Mar 22, 2015
90
8
33
Southern Wisconsin
Hi everyone!

I'm a mom of three little boys (7, 5, almost 2). I've had animals all my life, and have worked many years in the pet industry (animal health and nutrition) before landing in the art industry and social media.

While I've had pets of every shape and size, I've never had chickens. My dear husband is willing to build a coop, but this is my project. :)

I found BYC through my frantic Googling. It was a relief to find so much information in one place!

We live in a chicken-friendly village, but the ordinance is very specific.

We're allowed up to 5 hens, so I'm looking at some more docile, friendly breeds - Buff Orpington, for one.

I look forward to sharing our progress as we move towards chicken guardianship!
 
Welcome to BYC and to chickens - it is a grand adventure!

BO would definitely top my list as well (have three, they are the most loving of all our current birds) - I would also suggest the Black Austrolorp. Another bird to consider is the Easter Egger (you will likely see them labeled as Americana/Ameraucana/Arauacana if you visit a hatchery website or a farm store -- that's a mislabel, they are selling Easter Eggers) - they lay colorful eggs that are most commonly in the blue/green family and that is usually a big hit with kids. Speaking of a little variety in teh egg basket - BO and BA lay brown, so would you want to have any white eggs in the mix as well? Are you at all interested in birds with feathered feet/legs? How many eggs, per week, does your family typically go through? It might help to consider the average production rate of various breeds in figuring how best to fit your family's needs in selecting the birds.
 
Hi :welcome

Glad you could join the flock! Great advice there for you from OL Grey Mare on different breeds. Drop by the breeds section for other helpful info on breeds https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds
The coop section also has some great plans that could help your husband in building your coop https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coop_Designs

The learning centre is a hive of information on getting started with your new chicken adventure
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Wishing you the very best of luck with new and exciting journey. Enjoy BYC and all the chicken chat :frow
 
Ol Grey Mare said:
Welcome to BYC and to chickens - it is a grand adventure!

BO would definitely top my list as well (have three, they are the most loving of all our current birds) - I would also suggest the Black Austrolorp.  Another bird to consider is the Easter Egger (you will likely see them labeled as Americana/Ameraucana/Arauacana if you visit a hatchery website or a farm store -- that's a mislabel, they are selling Easter Eggers) - they lay colorful eggs that are most commonly in the blue/green family and that is usually a big hit with kids.  Speaking of a little variety in teh egg basket - BO and BA lay brown, so would you want to have any white eggs in the mix as well?  Are you at all interested in birds with feathered feet/legs?  How many eggs, per week, does your family typically go through?  It might help to consider the average production rate of various breeds in figuring how best to fit your family's needs in selecting the birds.
Click to expand...
 
I have Auracana and my daughter loves going out to collect the blueish colored eggs. We recently purchased a young trio of Somatras. They are a smaller chicken and definitely cant eat the eggs but ours are great for 4H show for our little girl.
 
Thanks!!

We don't go through a TON of eggs, so production isn't of the utmost importance.

I'm guessing we're going to have to have a "take whatever we can get" approach to some point, as I don't want to mess with baby chicks. I'd rather get pullets or grown hens from someone local. :) Do you guys think that's feasible, or will we really have to do the whole brooder business?
 
Welcome!
welcome-byc.gif
I'm glad you joined our community.

Orpingtons are a nice docile breed. I would also recommend the Wyandotte. Mine have had excellent temperaments and have also been very hardy and good layers. Australorps and Easter Eggers are two good choices, too.
 
Finding started birds in a couple of months shouldn't be too much of an issue - many folks purchase surplus chicks this time of year, raise them up and sell them to folks looking to skip the brooder bit. You should be prepared, though, to pay for the convenience as birds ready for the coop and/or at the point of lay are going to cost more than those little day-old brooder babies - but the convenience factor is definitely a plus.
One concern, though, of going this route is that you are wanting friendly "pet" birds, and the socialization of young birds is pretty key in creating that -- not having them at the brooder stage takes the control over that socialization out of your hands.
 
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