Greetings BYC!

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DrunkenPony

DrunkenPony

In the Brooder
7 Years
Jun 19, 2012
55
1
31
Milpitas, CA
Hello BYC!

My name is Samantha and although I'm not new to chickens, this will be my first time tending to chickens in an urban setting. I'm currently located in Milpitas, but grew up in Morgan Hill. My first experience was raising a group of 3 Australorp and 5 Rhode Island Red chicks. Seeing how people assume that rural homes are a great place to abandon any unwanted animals, my flock later expanded to a white crested polish pair; a buff, a golden, and a silver laced polish trio; and lastly a White Leghorn rooster that was a sweet heart to me and a terror to everyone else.

My fiance and I just finished construction on our new coop (will get pictures up once the paint gets slapped on) and will be shopping for new additions this weekend. He has no preference as long as he gets his fresh eggs in the morning and has made it clear that roosters are a no go (he can't stand our neighbors), but I'm torn between a few breeds since we have limited ourselves to 4-5 hens. My heart will always be with Australorps and Rhode Island Reds, but I've heard great things about Orpingtons and Brahmas. I just love buff and blue on a big bodied chicken! I'm curious to know what everyone's opinion on the BYC board is about those breeds and if anyone knows where I can find them.

We're going to try Gilroy Feed & Supply, Livermore Feed & Supply, and the Alameda County Fair this Sunday (anyone from BYC going?). My next question is what is whether I should start with chicks, pullets, or "seasoned" hens. We would like to have eggs as soon as possible, but also want to ensure that our chickens are well socialized. I've yet to find anyone local with the breeds I'm interested in besides the Australorps and Rhode Island Reds.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you and learn more about our feathered critters!
 
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Hi and :welcome

You should check out Where am I where are you! for people in your area, and there are also many breed-dedicated threads in the Breeds and genetics section you can browse through. I am personally a fan of orpingtons!
And we've always raised our chickens from then they were a week or two old, your hens will get used to you if you buy them point of lay, but our chickens have always been comfortable with flying onto our arms and knees while the neighbours', bought at a few months old, haven't. But I'd get some other opinions too first.

Good luck!
Don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have, and enjoy the site. :D
 
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!

Update: We brought home four peepers today; Buff Orpington, Rhode Island Red, Barred Plymouth Rock, and a Black Broiler. Their individual personalities are shining and they're so people friendly. I highly recommend Gilroy Feed & Supply! There available chicks were all kept in clean conditions, plenty of food and water available to all, and a majority were very comfortable with people. It was so difficult to choose between the hundreds of chicks available (including the little goslings that oh so tempted me) so I picked out the hearty looking ones and picked out of those based on whom ever decided to remain in my lap. The staff was friendly and extremely helpful. Prices were good (3.99/chick) and the guy who rang me up even took a dollar off each chick. However, he already has me contemplating how I can expand our new coop when he informed me that the owner regular has discount days and all chicks are priced at a dollar a piece! Regardless, I'm thoroughly enjoying the little ones we brought home and can't wait to watch them grow up. Hatch dates were unknown, so I'm assuming they're 1 week based on reference pictures from this site and Google. Any opinions about these girls are highly appreciated as I want to ensure I'm on the right track to raising happy and healthy chickens. Name suggestions are also welcomed.

The Buff Orpington (my dream chicken) is a doll and is the biggest chick out of them all. She's the lap chick and sort of like the big momma to the rest. They all huddle around here under the heat lamp and follow her when she strolls over for a sip of water and a bite to eat.




The Barred Plymouth Rock is a little spitfire. She has clearly already established herself as the boss and pushes the others to where ever she wants them. When we go to pick any of the others up, she runs as fast as her little legs will carry her and makes it very clear that she would like to be held first. Very entertaining!



The Rhode Island Red comes off as that annoying little sibling that is constantly taunting you with "I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you!" She's extremely curious about everything around her and is constantly testing it out with her beak. Whether it's my finger nails, my jacket zipped, or even her little sisters, she's constantly poking at everything. She already had us cracking up when she tripped over herself and landed into the waterer. She screamed her little head off and ran straight across to the other side of their tub!



The Black Broiler wasn't intentional, but I needed to pick a fourth and didn't want any Sex Links or Cornish crosses. I happened to pass by the Black Broiler pen and my eye caught this little oddball in a sea of black chicks. She appears to be blue (at least compared to all the other Black Broilers) and I couldn't resist. Any opinions if this little one is really a Black Broiler or did I stumble across something else. Either way, she is the sweetest out of them all. She takes to my every cue. If I dip my finger in the water, she takes a sip. If I peck their crumbles with my fingers, she follows suit. Even when I scratch at their pine shavings, she starts digging in it too. She loves my hand and anytime I lay it in their tub, she hops right into my palm and falls asleep. Even if she's not destined to be an ultimate egg layer, with her personality she will be a beloved pet.



 

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