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Lmatt said:
After talking to my mom and reading more on here I’m thinking about changing my order. Here is the initial list.
5 Barred Rock Cockerels that we plan to keep the best 2 of and butcher the others. Then 2 pullets of all the following Americauna, Austra White, Barred Rock, Black Australorp, Brown Leghorn, Buff Orpington, Light Brahma, New Hampshire Red, Rhode Island Red, and Silver Laced Wyandotte
I got to wondering if the Rock’s could possibly be brother and sister and wondering if I should be ordering males and females at the same time from the same hatchery in case I ended up wanting to raise chicks out of them. After reading more on here I found where it was advised to not raise your roosters with your first and only batch of hens. Because they will outgrow the others and without guidance of older hens or roosters can become a nightmare. My mom also warned that she had some Buff hens and they became so broody that they would break the other hens eggs. So now I’m wondering if I should drop all the Barred Rock cockerels and Orpington pullets and replace them. My initial thinking around the Orpingtons was to possibly let them brood a variety of eggs if I ever wanted a self sustaining flock. I was only wanting a rooster to hopefully keep the hens from fighting and watch over them when let out to free range. I wasn’t planning on trying to raise chicks unless I somehow lost a bunch of chickens or something. But now I’m thinking about dropping the Buff Orpingtons and the male Rocks. I still need a minimum order size of 25. So I could get some extra Americana’s, Black or White Australorps, and Brown Leghorns and/or add some Black and/or Golden Sex Links and some White Leghorns. I could really use some guidance if I’m making a mistake. I’ve read the Black Australorps can be bullies and go after eggs of another breed. But my mom adored the ones she had. They are coming from a hatchery. So who knows what I will get I guess. That is some of my reasoning for getting such a variety.
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I think you are making the right choice dropping the intentional cockerels from the order. By ordering 25 chicks, there is a fair chance you are going to have an "oops" cockerel in the order. You might get lucky though!
As for dropping the Orps because of broodiness... any chicken can go broody. In my first batch of pullets, once they became hens, my RIR, BA and PBR all became broody. The BA went broody three times. The RIR twice. The PBR once but she wouldn't back down so I let her set 4 eggs and she hatched three.
In my second batch of pullets, four of the little stinkers went broody as pullets late last autumn. So you may very well get broodies no matter the breed although Orps and Silkies are rather notorious for it.
Where are you ordering your chicks from? Meyer Hatchery has a 3 chick minimum starting April 1. You get the best deal on shipping with a 15 chick minimum order. You may want to consider going there if possible and getting less birds to start. It will give you a better idea of what breeds appeal to you.
Then next year you can go shopping for a broody raised, multi generational rooster who is looking for a new home. They are available all the time. In all breeds or mixes of. That way you can get one that has learned some manners and has proven himself to be non-human aggressive.
 
Lmatt said:
I was initially looking at ordering from Myer then I found Dunlap Hatchery in Caldwell, ID. They ship priority, but I think I would still get the chicks faster then if I paid the extra $45 and shipped them express from Meyer. Speed of shipping is really my only reason for picking them.
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My first batch of 11 arrived on day three. There were no casualties.
 
DobieLover said:
I think you are making the right choice dropping the intentional cockerels from the order. By ordering 25 chicks, there is a fair chance you are going to have an "oops" cockerel in the order. You might get lucky though!
As for dropping the Orps because of broodiness... any chicken can go broody. In my first batch of pullets, once they became hens, my RIR, BA and PBR all became broody. The BA went broody three times. The RIR twice. The PBR once but she wouldn't back down so I let her set 4 eggs and she hatched three.
In my second batch of pullets, four of the little stinkers went broody as pullets late last autumn. So you may very well get broodies no matter the breed although Orps and Silkies are rather notorious for it.
Where are you ordering your chicks from? Meyer Hatchery has a 3 chick minimum starting April 1. You get the best deal on shipping with a 15 chick minimum order. You may want to consider going there if possible and getting less birds to start. It will give you a better idea of what breeds appeal to you.
Then next year you can go shopping for a broody raised, multi generational rooster who is looking for a new home. They are available all the time. In all breeds or mixes of. That way you can get one that has learned some manners and has proven himself to be non-human aggressive.
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I agree with DobieLover about not intentionally ordering cockerels because you will likely get a couple with an order of 25 "pullets". Your selection of breeds is excellent and they should get along well while noting the Leghorns can be a little more standoffish. I definitely would not drop the Orpingtons but I am biased (see my BYC Avatar). They have always been my favorites. Your posts remind me of when I ordered my first flock through the mail and how excited I was. I ordered the Heavy Breed Mixed Pullets special from Murray McMurray along with 5 cockerels. I ended up receiving around 35 total chicks with about 10 being males. I distinctly remember the late March 1975 day that the mail carrier delivered them all healthy and trying to jump out of the box when I opened the lid. Everyone of those chicks survived to adulthood and made a gorgeous flock. Thanks for stirring up a fond memory for me.
 
Looks like if I want chicks in April and don’t want to settle for just having 1 or 2 breeds my best bet is Dunlap. So here is my new “all female” list(if they are available). In order as listed on there site. BTW, my phone only likes if I go to Facebook and click the link from there.
Americauna x3
Austra White x2
Barred Rock x2
Black Australorp x3
Brown Leghorn x2
Golden Sex Link x3
NH Red x2
RI Red x2
Sagitta x2
White Leghorn x2
White Rock x2
Since it is to be expected to get some males. Should I drop a breed or 2 and get more of each type to be sure I end up with hens?
 
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Your list of pullets looks fine to me. As for the potential in getting cockerels, the hatcheries have come a long way with sexing baby chicks since I first ordered in 1975. Down through the years when I have ordered pullets, I haven't gotten surprised too many times with males. I will note that any extra chicks that are provided by the hatcheries tend to be cockerels. These extras are generally sent when ordering less than 25 and in the colder months of the year.
 
I wanted to keep the ship date on the 29th. So I had to substitute a couple breeds and change quantities. At the start of this journey I was going to get all Black Australorps. So I’m a little bummed that I could only get 2 😞. My wife assured me I could always add to the flock in the future 😂. So here is my final list(hopefully).
American Bresse x2
Black Australorp x2
Brown Leghorn x3
White Leghorn x3
Barred Rock x3
Rhode Island Red x4
Austra White x4
Americauna x4
I think I’m more excited than my kids. If I haven’t given myself away already 😂
 
Lmatt said:
I wanted to keep the ship date on the 29th. So I had to substitute a couple breeds and change quantities. At the start of this journey I was going to get all Black Australorps. So I’m a little bummed that I could only get 2 😞. My wife assured me I could always add to the flock in the future 😂. So here is my final list(hopefully).
American Bresse x2
Black Australorp x2
Brown Leghorn x3
White Leghorn x3
Barred Rock x3
Rhode Island Red x4
Austra White x4
Americauna x4
I think I’m more excited than my kids. If I haven’t given myself away already 😂
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That collection will make a beautiful flock. You will have a great time watching them.
 

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