Help choosing a flock to manage..

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tsgarvey

tsgarvey

Chirping
Nov 6, 2023
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South Central PA - zone 6b
Hello all.. hope everyone had a nice holiday!

We are new to chickens and need help on how to decide which breed(s) of chicken to get. Just recently finished our coop/run that has enough space for 6 comfortably. At this time we are only interested in egg production and do not want a rooster. I was planning on skipping the chick raising process and look for young hens.. but would this be a mistake? Is it better if we raise them from chicks so they become accustomed/friendly to us or more easily trained to the surroundings? Are some breeds easier than others to handle? Are there any that are more proficient layers in the winter? Our thought is to get 2 each of 3 different breeds. Does this make sense?

The most popular choices I see out there are Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, Australorp. Is this the direction we should go as newbies?

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated! Thanks....
 

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tsgarvey said:
Hello all.. hope everyone had a nice holiday!

We are new to chickens and need help on how to decide which breed(s) of chicken to get. Just recently finished our coop/run that has enough space for 6 comfortably. At this time we are only interested in egg production and do not want a rooster at this time. I was planning on skipping the chick raising process and look for young hens.. but would this be a mistake? Is it better if we raise them from chicks so they become accustomed/friendly to us or more easily trained to the surroundings? Are some breeds easier than others to handle? Are there any that are more proficient layers in the winter? Our thought is to get 2 each of 3 different breeds. Does this make sense?

The most popular choices I see out there are Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, Australorp. Is this the direction we should as newbies?

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated! Thanks....
Click to expand...
Generally speaking keeping a single breed has fewer potential problems.
Generally speaking a bird raised by it's mother is likely to be a better chioce.

A lot depends on how you intend to keep your birds. If they are to be ranging birds then some breeds tend to fare better than others.
 

Shadrach said:
Generally speaking keeping a single breed has fewer potential problems.
Generally speaking a bird raised by it's mother is likely to be a better chioce.

A lot depends on how you intend to keep your birds. If they are to be ranging birds then some breeds tend to fare better than others.
Click to expand...
For now we will keep them in the run. We have room to let them range.. however, we don't have a way to keep them contained to our yard. Can they be trained to stay inside the perimeter of our yard?? We have a 9 month old pup that has the potential to possibly keep an eye on them and be a herder.. maybe? lol
 
There are some things to consider. What's your climate like? Some breeds can handle heat better than others. Will you be free ranging them. Again, some breeds do better than others. It seems like you'd prefer friendly breeds, so safe to assume you will not be switching birds every few years? Keep in mind that production drops after two or so years. In my experience, no breed is better than another at laying in the winter, all production breeds experience the same thing. Is there any particular reason you're hoping for a mix of breeds? Personally, I always see better results (when it comes to flock peace and unity) when I have a single breed
 
fluffycrow said:
There are some things to consider. What's your climate like? Some breeds can handle heat better than others. Will you be free ranging them. Again, some breeds do better than others. It seems like you'd prefer friendly breeds, so safe to assume you will not be switching birds every few years? Keep in mind that production drops after two or so years. In my experience, no breed is better than another at laying in the winter, all production breeds experience the same thing. Is there any particular reason you're hoping for a mix of breeds? Personally, I always see better results (when it comes to flock peace and unity) when I have a single breed
Click to expand...
No particular reason.. it's why I'm here asking 🙂 i don't prefer any breed as I know very little other than what I've read. Don't folks typically prefer friendly chickens?
 
tsgarvey said:
For now we will keep them in the run. We have room to let them range.. however, we don't have a way to keep them contained to our yard. Can they be trained to stay inside the perimeter of our yard?? We have a 9 month old pup that has the potential to possibly keep an eye on them and be a herder.. maybe? lol
Click to expand...

In this case, I'd be apprehensive about letting them range. What breed is the pup?
 

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