Hello! From MO!

[Welshies]

Im doing layers too, hence why I wanted "pretty" ones. Maybe "ugly" is better for culling.lol jkjk the actual culling makes me squeamish. Tho I dressed roadkill turkey once...$115 bird...lol my DD hit with her car. But I'm trying to desensitize myself to the culling part

I think you should have 2 seperate coops. One for layers, and one for meat birds. You'll need to decide if you want to buy new chicks every spring, or brood your own eggs every spring to refresh your meat flock and replace non-laying hens every year.

 

[Welshies]

Unless you plan to do all 1 breed, and use them for both eggs and meat. Is that yoyr plan?

 

[Kymberli Mundwiller]

Predators are def a big concern of mine, and we planned to get a chicken mesh electric fence that we'd move around. Maybe that's not technically"free range" but I don't want them in a house all the time, unless there's enough space (I'm planning for the house to have 10+ SF per bird, free range or barn raised) and the *only* way to keep them safe.
There is rumor there is a bobcat, cougar, and a bear sighting about 5 miles away...

 

[Kymberli Mundwiller]

I wanted to do one breed to make it easier and slightly cheaper. But I'm not against using 2 different breeds if that's what's best

 

[Welshies]

Predators are def a big concern of mine, and we planned to get a chicken mesh electric fence that we'd move around. Maybe that's not technically"free range" but I don't want them in a house all the time, unless there's enough space (I'm planning for the house to have 10+ SF per bird, free range or barn raised) and the *only* way to keep them safe.
There is rumor there is a bobcat, cougar, and a bear sighting about 5 miles away...

You could build a run area. It doesn't have to be free range or nothing.

 

[Welshies]

I wanted to do one breed to make it easier and slightly cheaper. But I'm not against using 2 different breeds if that's what's best

You can use the same. Look at "dual-purpose" breeds.
That link will be a big help.

 

[Kymberli Mundwiller]

My 5 yr plan was to have 18 layers and a rooster in one coop or with the bunnies in a 24'x29' bldg in our "main yard". And 100 meat birds in the "middle yard" in it's own coop with a goose. Each yard 200'x80' or 1/3 acre. The back for a yard will be for goats and the donkey of 1+1/3 yds to forage

But for starting out, just going to do 5 bunnies and 30 chickens

 

[bluebird]

Thanks for joining us! Our site has a ton of valuable information for you to benefit from. If you have any questions just send me a message and I’ll try to help. Please post pictures of your chickens when you get some! I hope to see you posting around the forums more!
-Blue

 

[bluebird]

 

[Welshies]

My 5 yr plan was to have 18 layers and a rooster in one coop or with the bunnies in a 24'x29' bldg in our "main yard". And 100 meat birds in the "middle yard" in it's own coop with a goose. Each yard 200'x80' or 1/3 acre. The back for a yard will be for goats and the donkey of 1+1/3 yds to forage

But for starting out, just going to do 5 bunnies and 30 chickens

If you were planning to have 2 runs, do 2 different breeds anyways... makes more sense.