Help me decide: chicks or pullets?

[LuciferRoo]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I was hoping to hear from some folks who prefer starting from pullets. Most people seem to prefer chicks, but maybe this forum is a little biased because of course people who love chickens would rather start with chicks. I've owned and fostered a few dogs but have never raised one from puppy-hood and don't have a desire to. I feel the same way about chickens. The chick care overwhelms me a bit and I think I would rather start with pullets if they are still at a "trainable" age.

I will chip in and say that I have gone the chick route four times and will be getting pullets next time.
Biggest reason is that I do not want any more roosters.
The poultry gods keep sending me roosters when I start with chicks. Even when I ordered dozen sexed chicks, I received seven males and six females.
I also do not see there is such thing as bonding with chickens. They all have their personalities and are either friendly or not.

 

[1Slayer]

Hi
Welcome to the addiction..
As you can tell, once you bring in chickens into your life.. it's usually a game changer - I "happened" to purchase a home that had 21 chickens that came along with the property. I had no experience, and was quite overwhelmed. Luckily I was able to re- home most of them, including the 4 roosters. I did keep 8-9 hens and quickly fell in love with them. Over the years, I have not only incubated & hatched chicks-- which was such an amazing experience, but purchased chicks as well.
I would get chicks, they really aren't as labor intensive as you think, and they grow quickly. Your son, & yourself will fall in love and in turn your chickens will be calm and enjoy your company.
That being said-- the breed has a big difference. I found that my brahmas were so sweet , and gentle, even now at 3 yrs old. My barred rocks, will also jump on my lap and allow me to hold and handle them. You might want to try silkies as the are also sweet, and calm. I have bantam cochens that will just turn 1 year this March. They are absolutely the sweetest out of all my chickens -- even my roo, will jump up on my lap, and because of the small size that might be a great choice if your space is limited.
Whatever you choose, best of luck on your new adventure...keep us posted on what you decide

 

[lv9777]

I have had both chicks and pullets and I think that breed and personality matter more than the age you get them. I have had a chick raised from hatch that still thinks I am going to kill it someday and is just skittish and a pullet who is very tame. If you want docile, easy going ,kid friendly, birds, IMO Cochins are the best. My Barred Rock is also very friendly and lays daily.

 

[gimmie birdies]

The egg above is a new pullet egg. Th hen hatched in aug.

 

[Scooter1A]

Help me decide if I should be getting chicks or pullets. I have a 4yo who is very eager about getting chickens. He is very gentle and loves little animals. We've been watching a lot of videos on caring for chicks. We are new to this hobby and only planning on 4-6 hens. I am starting to get overwhelmed by the care involved, but still excited to embark on this journey. I was initially leaning towards chicks more so they would bond easier with us, especially my son. How easy is it to get the same bond if starting with pullets? What other factors should I consider when making this decision?

save money, get chicks. you can order from Farm and Fleet now for March which is late but easier. Just no eggs until late July if you are lucky.

 

[abpatchy]

I am raising chickens for show. So every spring I have chicks. They are cute but require warmth, chick feed... some do love to come up to me and jump on me, love to be petted. But not all of them do! But once they move into the coop after a couple of weeks they stop wanting to be petted within a day or two.
It depends so much on the personality of the chicks and chickens. Don't go into getting chickens or chicks expecting to be pets. If they are, then great! Just don't be disappointed when it's not in their personality.