is it right for me?

[peep this]

im going to get about three chickens in in moderately full suburbs we have a dog andrew (golden retriever) and a bee hive im looking for bantams small they have to be friendly because the two kids across the street would like to see and hold them i was thinking for getting a(n) Ameraucana or Araucana i hear there small and manageable i would like to get them as freshly hatched chicks im going to the farmers exchange in my area today to see what other people in my area are ...so what do you think???

 

[ibpboo]

I have a pair of silkies, they are very friendly, but they go broody a lot, which means they are always sitting in the nest, hoping eggs will hatch. My eggs do not hatch because I have no rooster. But, if they are sitting in the nest, they are very easy to catch!

Best of luck in your chicken search today! I hope you come home with some!

 

[teach1rusl]

Since EEs are a mix, I don't know that they're always small. My EE hen is the smallest of my five standards, but she's still probably at least 5 lbs., whereas bantams can be less than 2 lbs, depending on the breed. I hope someone who raises bantams chimes in to give you some friendly breeds. Silkies are always a good bet, and I've heard that cochins are generally friendly too...not sure about the oegb's or other breeds. But if you socialize whatever you get a lot and are gentle, they'll have a great shot of growing up very friendly/tame. Keep in mind, with many breeds, telling the sex as babies is next to impossible, so there's a chance you could end up with cockerels...

 

[cobrien]

I think with bantams you won't be relatively sure of their gender until they are several months old. If one, two or even three of them turn out to be roosters I suspect you will be disappointed...roosters are loud, don't lay eggs, likely illegal where you live, and tend to fight with each other - not good city pets. I am a city chicken keeper and get attached to my chickens; when I ended up with a surprise rooster it was a very stressful experience finding him a new home. If you don't want a rooster to end up in the stew pot you will likely have a hard time finding a home for him as there are so many unwanted roosters in the world.

I would be cautious about getting "sexed" chicks from anyone but a very trusted source. It is very difficult to tell the sex of chicks; hatcheries seem to have the experts on their staff to do this; well meaning farmers are likely less accurate. As far as I know, hatcheries won't sell sexed chicks that are bantams, silkies, Polish, and some other breeds

So, my advice is if you really want chicks that turn out to be hens, consider a different breed. There are many that tend to be friendly. You probably also want breeds that tolerate confinement well. Perhaps you want good egg layers, too? These were my criteria and I chose Black Australorps, Buff Orpingtons and Cochins. But there are many other good choices. But these breeds are big. They would need 4 ft2 of space inside the coop and 10 ft2 of space outside.

If you want bantams, then I would say either get older pullets when you can be sure of their sex, or get 2x as many chicks as you want and be prepared to re-home (or eat) about half of them who become roosters.

For more on breeds, google "henderson chart", or look at www.feathersite.com or www.mypetchicken.com. I think Henderson chart is most informative but the others have interesting things to add and/or pics.

When time gets close to get your chicks, you might want to check back at BYC for great advice on introducing your dog to the chicks.

Good luck!

 

[Chicken0Boy]

Silkies are great to get i've heard!

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

if you are thinking about bantams you will have to wait to get them sexed so you are sure of getting pullets. the only breed that i know of that you can tell gender at around 2-3 weeks are the faverolles. they are sweet chickens with slight foot feathering, beards and muffs. and if you are in an area that gets cold winters they will survive with hardly any problems. they will occasionally go broody and be good moms when they do. the only time i've seen a fav be slightly aggressive (squawking, growling and nipping sometimes) is when she is brooding over a nest of eggs or protecting her chicks. i just went through this the past 2 months with one and she is finally letting me pick up and play with the chicks!

probably because they are hopping up to me looking for attention and treats!

cochins are a good bantam breed too around kids. they can tend to go broody a lot like silkies. i've seen OEGB and they are tiny compared to most breeds, even smaller than d'uccles! and d'uccles are a nice breed around kids too!

 

[Chicken0Boy]

The only place I know of to get sexed bantams is mpc. You can ordser a minimum of 3!

 

[peep this]

thank you so much im not sure what im going to get as breeds but my mum no's someone who can kinda know the sex of chickens pretty well.......i think but ill look into all of your suggestions with vigor

 

[thepremo1]

you have a bee hive(box)?

 

[elmo]

I got my bantams from a local breeder, who offered to take back any of the chicks that turned out to be roosters. Mine are Serama hybrids, Serama crossed with D'Uccle and Old English Game bantams. They're very small, smaller than full blooded D'Uccles or Old English Game Bantams.

All of our birds are exceptionally sweet. My daughter simply holds out her arm and two of them fly up to perch on it. All of them crowd in her lap when she sits down in a chair out in our back yard. They're very tame.

And they're great layers, too. The eggs are very small, but it works out ok since we only are a family of three. Our flock of bantams doesn't produce more eggs than we want to eat.