How on earth will I decide on chicks???

[chicken pickin]

Oh ive also heard the Salmon Faverolles make good roosters

 

[Joe.G]

I say go for a Mixture, I have some of the birds you are asking about and I like them all, you can see what I have in my Sig. I am not into teh silkies but I guess if you want to have a neat/diffirent looking bird there a good choice. I got the cochin for that.

 

[Cosmopolis Chick]

hi, I'm not sure if you mean Washington State or Washington DC. If you mean state that's where I am and I can give you the phone number and email of the lady I got my Marans from. She has a large flock, hens, roosters, pullets, and fertile eggs.

I got fertile eggs and put them under my broody Silkie. I'm very happy with the hens that grew up and the eggs are gorgeous, really stand out in a carton full of mixed eggs!
It was a 2 + hour drive for me but well worth it.

 

[PaintedCavalry]

We just placed our order for May 8th through Meyer Hatchery. The shipping prices were much cheaper than MPC and they seemed to have good reviews so we're giving them a shot!

I wanted a variety so I got (all pullets):
2 Buff Sex Links - Brown
1 Blue Andalusian - White
1 Speckled Sussex - Brown
1 Partridge Rock - Brown
1 Barred Rock - Brown

All are supposed to be large good or better egg layers.

Then a local gentleman sells some Easter Eggers, so I'm purchasing them local since they sell out so quickly online!

 

[suzeqf]

My favorites, I get my chicks from Buchiets because I like to pick them out

Cochins super sweet and lays whitish egg(I have one banty and 3 young full size)
Turken super sweet and lays huge brown egg( I have one of every color)
Red Star docil and super layers lays brown eggs
EE's sweet and lay a rainbow of colored eggs

just for fun and color
Silkies
Polish
Jap Banty
D'uccles

 

[CSWolffe]

OP, if you are getting that many chickens, don't worry about a roo, one of your girls will likely turn out to be a boy. Hatcheries are only about 90% accurate on sexing, so one in ten will end up a boy.
As for breeding more EEs, anything with the blue egg gene that does not conform to a breed standard is an EE, so any roo you put over an EE who lays green or blue eggs will produce EEs. Keep in mind that if you put a brown laying breed over a green layer, their offspring will lay green(probably olive) and brown. There are two kinds of egg color genes, blue and brown. White layers have no genes. Blue layers have only blue genes. Brown layers can have a whole spectrum of brown genes, allowing light brown to dark brown eggs. Blue genes AND brown genes make green. So I would suggest only incubating eggs from your blue layers to ensure more variety in the next generation.
If you want to deliberately choose a roo, I would suggest an EE, just like you were thinking, or a dark layer like a Marans or Wellsumer. Don't worry about your roo being a mutt, you won't be breeding any purebreeds anyway, and EEs often have Hybrid Vigor, and are a lot more healthy. Wellsumers, btw, are the rooster on the Kellogs box. And because they lay dark brown eggs, you can put them over brown layers and get darker brown, and when you put them over green layers, you get OLIVE eggs, which are rather popular right now. Plus, Wellies are a heritage breed, and you can make a good bit of extra money selling Wellsumer and Olive egger pullets(if you also get a Wellsumer hen).
As for your other choices, they are all great birds, you should be happy with any of them.
Good choice deciding to build bigger than you initially wanted, you can never go wrong building 'too big'.

 

[EricaD]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone!!!

Cosmopolis Chick, I'm in WA state, out on the Peninsula (Gig Harbor area) and would happily drive anywhere in the state for great local breeders. I'd greatly appreciate a pm with the info - I really have my heart set on some Marans. Does anyone know of any WA state Silkie breeders? Or any online silkie breeders who will ship chicks to me?

So based on the wonderful advice I received, here's my revised list!

White/Cream Eggs:
Mille Fleur D'Uccle
3 Assorted Silkies (from a breeder, not a hatchery)

Brown Eggs:
Barred Plymouth Rock
Black Copper Marans

Blue/Green Eggs:
2 EE's

Rooster:
Still open to suggestions! I was thinking an EE roo because I think they're pretty and may produce some interesting colored egg laying chicks, since I do intend to hatch some chicks from time to time. I thought an EE roo would give me some EE chicks (and perhaps a chance at EE Silkies?) and, like someone mentioned above, possibly some Olive Egger chicks someday.

If I get a different kind of Roo, will I ever have any EE chicks from my EE hens? I have to read up on this - I know nothing, lol.

I'd want the roo and my hens to produce some desirable and easy to sell/rehome babies for me

 

[aoxa]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone!!!

Cosmopolis Chick, I'm in WA state, out on the Peninsula (Gig Harbor area) and would happily drive anywhere in the stats for great local breeders.  I'd greatly appreciate a pm with the info - I really have my heart set on some Marans.  Does anyone know of any WA state Silkie breeders?  Or any online silkie breeders who will ship chicks to me?

So based on the wonderful advice I received, here's my revised list!

White/Cream Eggs:
Mille Fleur D'Uccle
3 Assorted Silkies (from a breeder, not a hatchery)

Brown Eggs:
Barred Plymouth Rock
Black Copper Marans

Blue/Green Eggs:
2 EE's

Rooster:
Still open to suggestions!  I was thinking an EE roo because I think they're pretty and may produce some interesting colored egg laying chicks, since I do intend to hatch some chicks from time to time.  I thought an EE roo would give me some EE chicks (and perhaps a chance at EE Silkies?) and, like someone mentioned above, possibly some Olive Egger chicks someday.

If I get a different kind of Roo, will I ever have any EE chicks from my EE hens?  I have to read up on this - I know nothing, lol.  

I'd want the roo and my hens to produce some desirable and easy to sell/rehome babies for me   

An EE hen bred to a BR rooster will produce olive egg laying chicks and brown egg laying chicks. Not sure the % of it though.

IF you breed a silkie to an EE you won't get silkied babies. You need two copies of the silkie gene to get the fluff. If you bred the mix BACK to a silkie you can though.

 

[EricaD]

aoxa, would an EE roo bred to a brown laying hen also produce some olive eggers?

 

[aoxa]

aoxa, would an EE roo bred to a brown laying hen also produce some olive eggers?

Same idea, yes.