New At chickens

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from Michigan

The henderson chart (link in above post) is really great browsing for those interested in chickens for a lot of different reasons.

I really like my Delawares, and also keep Easter Eggers (both for egg color and because they are laying machines). This year I have some welsummers and they look like they are going to lay well, and the eggs are beautiful.

 

[SteveBaz]

Buff Orpingtons are great layers and gentle kind of bird. Plymouth Rocks are very good birds Black Star fantastic birds

To the BYC

 

[TN_BIRD]

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My Buff is such a sweetheart.

Maybe it's me, but if I were getting 6 chickens I think I'd get at least 3 different types.

I just read up on the Brahma. Sounds like a sweet and mild mannered bird.

 

[FLchook]

Here is a great site to look at pictures of chicks and grown breeds of chickens.

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html#Chickens

 

[hcppam]

Byc 101 will help you also, good luck.

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Hello and welcome to BYC!

As for choosing your chickens, there are some basic questions that need to be answered first, in no particular order.

1) Are you wanting chickens for eggs, meat , a pet, or all 3?
Different breeds are better suited for each of those things, so that is place to start to narrow it down just a bit.

2) How big of a coop and run will you build?
All chickens need a certain amount of square footage, however, some breeds are better suited to confinement than others. Again,
just another way to narrow down the list.

3) How cold does it get where you live?
Some breeds are more suited to the cold where you have to worry about freezing temperatures and frostbite on the combs, wattles.

4) What breeds grab your attention?
Once you know what you like, you can find something that fits into the criteria above.

Most chickens are pretty easy to take care of if you meet the conditions for food, shelter, space, and temperature that they need to survive.