Going rogue for now

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Jakeand6chicks

Jakeand6chicks

Hatching
Mar 22, 2015
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My wife and I are preparing to order our first chicks: five beautiful Buckeye babes - one for each of our daughters. We're currently in the process of selling our .25-acre lot so that we can move onto a proper homestead, but we can't wait to have chickens. Chickens aren't exactly permitted where we are, but our neighbors are okay with it. I'm constructing a coop from some repurposed materials to get us by until we have more space because I don't want to sink a ton of money into something that might not meet our needs in six months.

I guess that my first question for the BYC community is, "Is there any advantage to having all one breed of chickens in a small flock, or would it be okay to buy five visibly different chicks so that the girls can each name their own girl?" We have twins, and we still have trouble distinguishing their baby photos!

Thanks for all of the great resources here!

-Jake
 
Hi and welcome. You can't get a much better breed then buckeyes. I have some and love them. They friendly, fit in well with a mixed flock, and are both cold hardy yet are able to stand our hot humid summers. They're excellent layers and their eggs are very large. Probably my favorites are the EE's and buckeyes.
You could make a case for either scenario, having a uniform flock or a mixed flock.
If you have a mixed flock you can get different colored eggs (I can tell who laid which egg). You might want to start with the buckeyes now and when you have room for more expand to other breeds. By starting with several breeds you can decide which breed you want more of.
Buckeyes are excellent all purpose birds. My marans and welsumers add dark and speckled eggs. My mixes lay pink tinted eggs and my Easter eggers various shades of blue and green.
I now have some white layers on order.
If each child wants his or her own chicken, it might be easier for them to tell different breeds apart, but you won't go wrong with the buckeyes.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Oh, Buckeyes are a gorgeous breed of bird! They are also a heritage breed and that makes them all the better!

My first flock was an all one breed flock. Black Australorps! Being that they were going to be all black, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference in each bird. However each bird DOES have a different face, comb, feather pattern, size, etc...Maybe not as chicks as much, but as they grow, you will see big differences. And I am sure, your kids, as observant as kids are, will also see the difference.

However as chicks, it can be a bit tough. You might mark each one on the toe nails with either a marker or some sort of dog nail polish or you can dot the heads of each bird with food coloring. Of course these head feathers will come off as the chicks molt. And they will molt about 7 times before they are mature. But this is the easiest way to do it.

Enjoy this new adventure you are on!! If you have any questions along the way, feel free to ask around the forums. Oh and definitely stop by our learning center too. Lots of good articles on all the aspects of keeping poultry...https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Welcome to our flock!
 
Welcome!
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I'm glad you joined our community.

There are disadvantages, and advantages, to having a flock of just one breed. A flock with just one breed can be just beautiful! But, a varied flock can give you a wider variety of eggs. It will also give you a chance to determime which breed is your favorite, so you can get more of those. It is easier to tell birds apart if you have different breeds. However, it is certainly not impossible to identify individual birds even within the same breed, especially as they get older. Each chicken has a different body shape, behavior, and comb.
 
One of the advantages of having all the same is that the Kids "favorite" is always the last to get attacked, sick, damaged or disappear (if you know what I mean....)
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We were glad we started with 8 barred rock while the children learned the harder lessons of chicken life. Now only the one favorite is left but he is almost 7 years old.

Good luck and Welcome.
 
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So glad you decided to join us.

IMO a mixed flock would be fun, as long as you try to match breed tendencies for a compatible group. Even 1 or 2 breeds will show different personalities. And in a small flock, you will be able to tell who is who. Why not look at compatible breeds appropriate to your area and the area you are looking at and let your daughters choose?

My only concern is that you need to think about how to relocate the flock. You could pose that question under managing your flock. Others have had to move with their chickens and see whether it is better to do this now, or wait til you relocate.

Wishing you good luck on your decisions.
 
Thanks for all of the great insight. I can tell already that this community is going to be a helpful and enjoyable one! After considering compatibility, cold-hardiness, heritage breed status, and delivery availability, I think that I'm going to stick with Buckeyes for now. I'm also thinking that when it comes time to get a Mr. in the flock, I'll be able to contribute to the propagation of a Threatened breed rather than creating a bunch of crosses. Thanks for all of your help. I'll post again once the girls arrive!
 

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