Hello from Southwest Virginia!

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firstimecluckin

firstimecluckin

Hatching
7 Years
Oct 8, 2012
1
0
7
Southwest Virginia
Just getting started with chickens - have done a LOT of research, but will obviously still have questions from time to time. Have participated in a harvest this summer which yielded excellent flavorful meat, so next spring will try out meat and egg-layers. Any suggestions on breeds would be appreciated, but was thinking (egg-wise) to try a mix of Rhode Island / New Hampshire Reds, Australorps, and Barred Rocks. Any reason not to mix?

Thanks and look forward to talking with you all!
 
Greetings from Kansas, firstimecluckin, and
welcome-byc.gif
! Great to have you here. I am not the person to ask about mixing breeds. I think breeds are bred obviously to maximize certain traits and mixing will alter those traits. So, not knowing what you are trying to achieve by mixing, I can't really advise. Some people swear that mutts make better and healthier chickens - I personally think they are very interesting to look at. It doesn't seem to me like it would alter egg production all that much as those are some nice laying breeds you mentioned, but again, I am not the expert in such matters. Others will chime in with more educated advice than mine, thank goodness. In the meantime - good luck to you and welcome aboard!!
 
firstimecluckin said:
Just getting started with chickens - have done a LOT of research, but will obviously still have questions from time to time.
Click to expand...

Yours is a sound approach, and serves as a good example for us all ... the links at the bottom of my post (that open in a new window) should be bookmarked by anybody that has poultry.

Sorta new here myself, and wanted to give back a bit of the warm welcome I received. SoOo ...
"Welcome to BYC!"

Also ... just got twenty-six chicks as a collection of rainbow layers, all female, from McMurray. They've got other selections for meat, productivity 'n such. I kinda regret not having them vaccinated for Merek's, which only adds fifteen or so cents per bird there. Window-shopping their current specials might help you come up w/ some preferences to add to your flock.
 
Hello and welcome to BYC
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Mixing breeds can have interesting results, but some breeds are excellent layers already. Have a look in the Breeds and the Reviews sections here to see what our member's say about their hens.
 
Welcome from another SW Virginia resident! Having a mixed flock works well in most cases - if you want to try breeding, you may want to have a means to separate the breeds to keep them pure. Or you may choose to develop your own mix. In the meantime, keep researching and asking questions!
 

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