Apologies in advance for a super-long reply. Thanks so much for all of the input. After I wrote this post, my husband informed me that he wants bantams and likes EEs the best, which is not at all what I had in mind
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Of course not! I was just looking for some input and wanting to see how others have done it or what they would do in my situation.
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I totally feel you. There have been chickens up on my local freecycle every few days recently and it's taken a lot of self-control not to take them, even though we aren't moved in (I need to get packing too!) and don't have a coop ready yet. As a side note, I think I know you from the LJ Winter/December DDC (I'm Sihaya48). Nice to see a semi-familiar face!
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Thanks, Pat. Good point about plans changing and being able to get more chicks later on instead of getting them all at once.
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I remember the RIRs from when I was a kid being pretty aggressive. Since we have a young child and plan to have more kids, temperament is a priority for me. Is egg production similar to RIRs or less?
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Lots of good tips here. Thank you so much!
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Well, I am a city girl, but had chickens as part of a school project so I think I can tell between a pullet and a 4 year old!
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Interesting. This is something to consider, but will mean two separate coops, right? Not sure if that's going to be feasible...
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This was what I was originally wanting to do. Glad to hear it as advice from someone else.
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This is exactly the kind of advice I was hoping to hear! Thanks for bringing up the production cycle - that's something I didn't consider.
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Is it going to be a problem to start with a coop large enough for 50-75 chickens but only have 10-20 in it? I was under the impression that it could be bad for the chickens in the winter if they have too much room (Michigan winters can be pretty rough).
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If it was up to me, we would hire it out. I have no interest in doing it myself, having watched it done before. However, my husband is very interested in doing it as both of his parents are butchers and he grew up with deer carcasses hanging up in his garage every hunting season.
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Thanks for mentioning McMurray as an option and that you wouldn't get an assortment again in the future. Thanks for sharing what you would get. Is there a reason that you would prefer more variety? I guess I don't understand the appeal of having 1-2 of a bunch of breeds vs. a bunch of 2-5 breeds.
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This is all good to know. Thanks so much!
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I found that yesterday and took it. It's a good tool for layers, but not so much if you want meat chickens. Unfortunately, my husband and I want opposite things (he wants all bantams and different colored eggs, while I want bigger breeds and all brown eggs).
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We don't have a pond, so we aren't planning on ducks any time soon, though my husband thinks we need "guard geese"
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I didn't know I could order mixed breeds without choosing which ones I wanted. This may be a good way to start out the first year and see what I like and what I don't.
Again, thanks so much and keep the good advice coming!