I need help picking chicken breeds for my new flock. Any advice?*PICS*

[TubbyChicken]

Quote:
I'm warning you now...Chickens are addictive! You don't even have them yet and I already see some signs. LOL

I LOVE Polish...they are by far my favorite birds, and I've had them in a mix with various other breeds without any picking problems...actually one of my Polish hens was on her way to taking over as dominant hen when my RSL (or golden comet) was getting older and less feisty. If you find silkies they won't likely be sexed and I hear they are notoriously hard to sex until 6 months or so...That has kept me from owning one but I'm on the look out for a hen (so I know she's not going to morph into a roo overnight)...I want her so I can...hatch eggs (they're amazing broodies)...yes, I want to hatch eggs...I live with neighbors on both sides of my fence...I am in the "city limits" and I fantasize about hatching eggs. So, you have been warned. (I started out wanting 4-5 birds...I have 7 right now and I'm on my way to pick up about 7 little chicks today!) It's dangerous!

 

[stormylady]

I don't even have the hens yet and I'm already fantasizing about getting 900 different breeds... .


Yep I know that feeling LOL 6 weeks ago I didn't have any. LOL Today IM the proud mama of 6 light brahma boys, 5 Ameraucana girls, 2 BOs girls, 2 Australorpe girls, 2 golden sexlinks girls,2 california white leghorn girls, 6weeks old.
Next brooder, 2 barred cochin girls, 1 red cochin girl, 1 partridge cochin girl, 2 delaware girls,2 black sexlink girls, 1 barred rock girl. all 3 weeks old.
Just hatched out 16 possibly more (still in the hatching process) Bobwhite quail.
incubator, 1 dozen Speckled Sussex due to hatch next thursday.
Talk about Nutts, Im the definition of full out nutts. But in my defense the quail weren't really planned the eggs came with the incubator. LOL
Im living proof, and btw, I thought people were joking when they said chickens were additive, They ARE addictive! So But love em all! Sandy

when you walk into the store to get your chicks, my advice is to put on blinders, and don't look around. LOL

Oh yeah in april i got 15 more coming and thats it! I swear!

 

[TubbyChicken]

Oh...and as far as your breeds, I love my EE's they're funny birds, but unless yours are purebred, be prepared for a boring egg...Some lay plain brown, cream tinted, etc...Of course, you could still end up with a beautiful greenish-blue.

My BO is a horrible representative of the breed...she's wild and flighty so I won't base anything that I've heard about them off of my actual experience. She's beautiful.

I don't have any experience with BRs but I'm picking one up this weekend. I hear they are friendly birds and lay very well.

I loved my Golden Comet (Red Sex Link)...she laid very well and reliably, despite her old age, she was extremely friendly, followed me around like a dog, loved to be petted and I still miss her. I will definitely own some more!

 

[HorseFeathers]

Get one of each of EE, BR, and BO. We have/have had in the past all three breeds and love them.

 

[sugarbush]

My Barred Rocks are noisy when they lay an egg.... Something to consider

 

[Ridgerunner]

With your criteria, I'd think about the Speckled Sussex and Orpington as the top two choices. I'd probably add the Australorp as the third. Think of the colors of these three together. An EE would be my personal fourth choice because of the egg color. Any of the Rocks and the Delaware would work. As you want only hens, the sex links might be your best choice if you are starting with chicks. I'm thinking larger birds as the smaller birds can fly better. Nothing against the smaller breeds.

 

[cybercat]

Forget RIR they are way too noisy from all the reading I have done. Those I have seen in person backed that up good. You are taking a big chance with the HOA. Have you found out what the fine is if you get reported. Trust me you will too for many neibors can be real nosy when they belong to HOA. I would go with bantams in a covered coop and run which is planted around it to hide it and keep noise down. Good Luck I know what a PITA the HOA can be like in FL used to live there.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I have never understood why people think silkies will be picked on. Yes, they are sweet birds, but mine have never been picked on by the larger birds. I would have to say that the silkies are most likely, at least in my flocks, of being head of the pecking order, not near the bottom.

All hens are noisy when they lay an egg. Some less so than others, but that is an individual issue, not a breed characteristic.


Since you live in an HOA, I am going to give you some rather different advise than you have been getting here. I am assuming that the HOA disallows them or you wouldn' have said that they would be secret.

1) Plan on your birds being primarily inside birds; this could be the house, the garage, the basement, whatever.

2) Have a backup plan just in case you are told you must get rid of them. Know what your city/county ordinances are as well as your HOA CC&Rs, Bylaws and Rules. Know not only what they currently say, but also know the procedures for making changes to each, whether variances are available and how to apply for one.

3) Get to know your neighbors.

4) Consider running for the board.

5) Back to the chicken breed choices: select unique looking birds: silkies, frizzles, polish, sultans, modern games, true araucanas etc., and select bantams. If you have chickens that look "just like chickens," you are more likely to be viewed as having "livestock." If your birds are different, they will more likely be viewed as pets. (Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with chickens that look like regular chickens; I adore my barred rock & black something or other, that isn't the issue here.)

 

[guesswhatchickenbutt]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone.

If I get caught by the HOA, they give you a warning first and then they come down hard. So if we get caught I'll have to re-home them or begin the fight with the HOA. I have wanted to have chickens for years and since we plan on living here forever, it's just something I have to try at some point in my life. If I get caught I will find them a good home or begin the fight.... I know some people might disagree with this... but I really really want some hens...

We had noisy ducks for 3 years without getting caught.

dunno - I guess I just really want to try it.

Sonoran Silkies - the reason I thought silkies got picked on is because I've been reading as much as I can about chicken breeds on BYC and I keep reading that polish and silkies get picked on. So since I'm a newbie to chicken-world I can only go on what I've read.

I do have a back-up plan. I don't know if it'll work... but it's been in my head. If we get caught with our "typical" hens, I'll sadly re-home them and then buy some funky-looking un-chicken-like-chickens. I'll invent a name for these birds and since I'm a web designer I'll create a webpage for this imaginary species of bird... then I'll tell the HOA that I re-homed the chickens and instead got these unique West Peruvian Ground Liocichlum... or something like that... which are clearly NOT chickens and for proof I'll send them to the website I'll create to show that they're very rare birds and NOT chickens. I've been in the web design biz for 12 years and can create a site for anything... I can make it look legit! ... hey... maybe others with covert chickens would want to send their HOAs to this page too - LOLOLOL.

DO YOU SEE HOW INSANE I AM? I'm actually considering going to such great lengths to have freaking birds. Part of me thinks I should get the funky-looking chickens to begin with, but we really want some eggs and I've read over and over again that some of the more unique breeds don't lay very well. We'd like a minimum of 12 a week for as long as we can and would like 3 birds....

 

[Fruit Juice]

I say all three buff orps