Greetings! Newbie in South Florida

lilcubnchick

Hatching
5 Years
Dec 8, 2014
3
0
9
Hello all!! I am excited to have officially joined BYC after reading through pages and pages of information.

We live in a suburb of Miami, and are currently prepping our first chicken coop for our very own mini-flock. My grandparents had chickens when I was growing up, and I remember how exciting it was for me to go out and look for eggs every morning for breakfast. Now that I'm all "grown up" my husband and I decided we wanted those experiences with our own kiddies (a couple of toddlers who love animals & our golden retriever)... But we need all the help we can get!!

We have about 1/4 acre with close neighbors so will not be able to have a rooster, and like the idea of dual purpose hens who are good egg layers... But nice personalities is a must since our toddlers will be around them. Any recommendations on breeds, especially in the south Florida climate? We were thinking of a mixed flock, I like the idea of being able to recognize them easily (for the kids and for me!)

We have had a very hard time finding a reputable hatchery or farm in the area also, and since we need such a small order, a few online sites I have seen will cost us almost $100 for 4 chicks. Any recommendations on small order sites? Or anyone with local information?

I have looked at everything from coop plans to vaccination information on BYC and can't thank you all enough for sharing all you have learned through your own experiences.

Looking forward to learning so much more.
Blessings!
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Good luck with your projects!

Buff orpingtons, black australorps, sussex, barred rocks, sex-links, silkies and marans are the best breeds for your area. They are all cold and heat hardy. They are great layers (except the silkies) and they are all very docile.

Meyer hatchery and MyPetChicken are all great hatchery sources. You may also want to look here in BYC
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/67/buy-sell-trade

Glad you joined!
 
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. I would suggest Black Australorps. I've raised them for years and they are extremely hardy in both heat and cold. I've raised them where summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (123 F once), and where winter temperatures dropped to 30 F below zero, and in both climate extremes they came through like troopers. They are also very calm and gentle. My children, and my granddaughter (pictured in my avatar) made lap pets of them. And they are the best layers of the standard, brown wgg laying breeds. A Black Australorp holds the brown egg laying record with 364 eggs in 365 days, and while none of mine have never reached that level of production (and likely never will), I've still had a few of them lay over 300 eggs in a year. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Whatever breed you decide to get, good luck with your flock.
 
WELCOME TO THE FLOCK AND TO BYC!!

As far as breeds that are dual purpose chickens. I like heritage (which grow slow but produce firm, flavorful meat) Delaware, New Hampshire, Plymouth Rock and Wyandotte.
But I have red sexlinks ,black stars and goldens right now. They're all big in their personalities and are real friendly too.
 
Welcome to BYC, glad you joined the flock
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Welcome to BYC
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Glad you joined us!
 
Welcome to BYC and greetings from north FL! Nice to have you join us.
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Let us know what you end up with and most of all, remember to have fun with them.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Good luck with what ever breed you choose and welcome to our flock!
 

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