Hello from Maine! Excited to learn!

Hello from Maine!


(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
I am new to chickens. I joined this forum to learn about them before I get any!

(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
I don't have any.

(3) What breeds do you have?
I need help deciding what breed to get in the spring time for my first chickens!

(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
I did a google search.

(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Horseback riding, teaching cute tricks to my dogs, hiking, spending time with my hubby.

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I'm 25 and my main hobbies are listed above. I've had horses most of my life so I'm accustomed to hard work! Currently I only have one horse, and have had her for the past 9 years. I've been married for 4.5 years to a pretty cool guy. We have a 5 year old pitbull or pit mix, Dozer, and a 2 year old great dane, Zoey. We spend a lot of time with our dogs, taking them hiking and swimming, and teaching new tricks and commands.

I'm excited to learn about keeping chickens. I'd like to get some laying birds in the spring, and thought now would be a good time to start learning so I'm somewhat prepared when the time comes to get them.

I was hoping to get suggestions on what breed or breeds to get. I think I'd like to start with some hens that are already old enough to lay, if possible (I realize people don't always want to give them up!). What I'm looking for-- it's just the two of us so we don't need a TON of eggs, although I know my parents and in-laws would be happy to receive some if we have too many. We ourselves currently use about 12-18 eggs per week (store bought). We live in Maine so need birds that can live with a cold climate for 6 months of the year. I don't need them to be so friendly they want to be in your lap all the time (although I wouldn't turn them down!) but definitely don't want a breed that is known to be aggressive toward humans. I'm not really interested in raising chicks, just in getting eggs.

Based off of the above, does anyone have any suggestions as to what breeds to look into? I started with the site's list of chicken breeds but really didn't know where to start so just clicked on some breeds that I'd heard of before. It looks like Orpingtons may be a good choice for me?

Thanks all, and if you have any questions for me I'll happily answer!

 

Okay, so predator section, coop section, Henderson's chart, small combs, Americanas, Dominiques, state thread... looks like I have some homework to do! Thank you all for replying