How on earth will I decide on chicks???

[mekritterkrazy]

Really though!
You could always go to a local chicken show (they have them on a few times a year in most places). I had to drive less than 5 minutes for my rooster and my first silkie. The other two were from the owner of the rooster, but I had to drive to his house (30 minutes maybe). Worth it

Silkies are very common. You could most likely find something better than hatchery close to home even without going to a chicken swap. Post a want ad on craig's list or Kijiji.
The hardest chicken I looked forever for was the EEs - IT took me hours of searching. We only have one hatchery that sells them in Canada, and it is on the other side of the country. The shipping was $150 for any # of chicks. That was the minimum price. I found them 3 hours away. I drove. It was worth it in my opinion!!

Are there chicken shows here in NB or NS?

 

[aoxa]

Are there chicken shows here in NB or NS?

 

They have them in NB yes. Right in Petitcodiac. The next one is in June sometime. They have a big sale at that time, and in September they have a show/sale.

If you were looking for any breeders, just ask. I know a lot of them.

 

[kristenm1975]

Hello from another WA state chicken lover.

I smiled when I saw that you'd broken down your list of chicken choices according to egg color. I do the same thing. I ADORE an egg basket filled with a rainbow of colors from my hens. Nothing compares to that.

I noticed you removed the Salmon Faverolle from your list of choices, but in case you were still waffling on that one, I wanted to add that although that breed was top on my list, I discovered that they are a magnet for abuse apparently. In a flock with other breeds, the chicks get pecked at mercilessly. I've had situations like that occur with Polish too and just knew that as much as I loved the idea of having a Salmon Fav, unless I could keep her in a brooder with other similar breeds, it wasn't worth it to deal with the heartbreak of seeing a sweet little chick get injured repeatedly by its brooder-mates.

Good luck on your search for a rainbow in your egg basket. Here's what I ended up with for mine:

White eggs:
White Leghorn
Ancona
Sicilian Buttercup
Buff or Partridge Silkies (not sure what they are yet)

Brown eggs:
Rhode Island Red
Barred Giant Cochin (cream to light brown)
Golden Comet

Dark Brown:
Partridge Penedesenca
Welsummer

Green/Blue:
Ameraucana