Good chickens to start with?

[abbyful]

I will be having "city chickens". I'm going to [try to] build a coop similar to this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=66725-wichita-cabin-coop

Is this a decent mix to get? Is there anything bad or non-beginner for any of these breeds that isn't on the standard "about this breed" sheets?
2 easter eggers
1 speckled sussex
1 silver cuckoo marans

Also, should I order an extra chick in case one dies?

Thanks so much!

 

[chicmom]

Beautiful coop, but I wouldn't get more than four large fowl hens. I like the breeds you've picked. I've actually had all of those breeds. I will share that the Marans are not my favorite, but it's really a personal choice. If you buy your Marans from a hatchery, chances are, you won't get a super dark brown egg. And they are not the best layers. I personally would recommend the Plymouth Barred Rock. They look very similar with the barring, but they are GREAT layers of a nice brown egg. The Speckled Sussex is a nice breed. Very pretty, but again, not the best layers.

Now, if the eggs ae just for your family, then these breeds will be just fine! And I know you'll enjoy them all. The fun of getting chicks, is picking out the breeds you want. So you really can't go wrong!

I would like to suggest you pick a catalog up. They're free. Meyer Hatchery in Polk Ohio has a nice catalog, and for each breed, they have a nice description, cold and heat hardiness, temperament, egg production, color and size of the eggs, and weight. It also shows which breeds are good for confinement, and which aren't.

I found it to be a great tool in helping me when I picked out my first chickens.

Good luck and enjoy!

Sharon

 

[jenkassai]

Quote:
And so begins the chicken math

I had to chuckle at your question about ordering an extra in case one dies because, well, I think that's what most of us end up doing. I thought I'd just have three or so, but got an extra just in case something happened to one, and now I have worked my way up to 9 hens and a bantam rooster, with plans to get three more chicks in the spring

Just three

We'll see!

Good luck, you sure are going to have fun

 

[redheadfarmer]

Quote:
We started with an easter egger, barred rock, production red and blue cochin (bantam). They offered a visual reality and bore confinement and cooler temperatures really well. The cochin has been our most consistent layer to date, although the production red hasn't started laying yet. They are also quiet and sound more like doves than chickens. We added a maran cross later and she is the loudest chicken I have ever encountered and her eggs were not anywhere near as dark as I had hoped. Good luck and have fun!

 

[aoxa]

Quote:
I have to agree, go with the barred plymouth rock! They are super friendly, great layers, and beautiful

 

[DelilahJones]

I personally love my Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons and Easter Eggers. All good egg layers and very sweet personalities. I could do without the Rhode Island Reds. Sure they lay great but they are b*%#@^s! I would look for breeds that will do well in your climate also. It pays to do your research.

 

[BusyBlonde]

x3 on the Plymouth Barred Rock. I've got 42 - 13 adults (10 hens, 3 roos), 16 5-week olds, and 13 5-day olds. They're great all-around birds. I've had bantams and RIR's in the past, but came back to the BR's. Great layers, nice personality, even good for meat should you consider that a factor.

 

[turtlebird]

oh you HAVE to have a buff orpington in the mix....

 

[cbohn80]

my ee lays the least and hasnt laid in 2 months. my best lays are rhode islands and rocks. my absolute best is my dekalb amberlink but they are hard to find. those 3 also have the best personalities of all my birds. 4th would be the black australorp, she's also the best looking in my opinion. good luck?

 

[karens18cats]

Depends on what you want from your girls - maximum egg production, egg variety or pets. I would recommend Buff Orpingtons - mine are laid-back, quiet and friendly, and produce regularly. My RIRs are egg-laying machines, but they are grouchy and flighty. EE (at least, for me) have always been really unreliable - late and iregular layers, have quit laying for months, especially in the winter. And winters here are not brutal and I do use lights and supplement their feed in the winter.