New in Virginia, picky about breeds?

LaCageAuxFoul

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6 Years
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Chesapeake, VA
Hi everyone! I'm a relatively new member, but long-time lurker here....and due to city ordinances just recently (November) finally allowing up to 6 backyard HENS) I am just starting to get my small flock together. Got the coop set about 2 weeks ago...

Wow, I've learned so much about all the different breeds...so many to choose from... or is there?
My husband decided we should have some dark brown egg layers, and some colored egg layers, and besides that the rest was up for debate. LOL


I first fell in love with the BLR Wyandottes, and I haven't been able to find them anywhere online or locally, especially not females... a few online places have them straight run, but aghhhhh.
Then we thought a Maran for dark laying eggs, but we are not big fans of feathered legs...so we decided on the Welsummer (won't be as dark a brown I'm sure, but it will have to do) plus I think it's a very pretty bird! They seemed easy enough to find, although by the time we decided that, none of the hatch dates work for us... (I may have just found some locally though, fingers crossed)


Then for the colored green/blue layer, we thought Ameraucana or EE, and they are sold out for a while too... I also liked the Cream Legbars for a while before I even knew they layed a BLUE egg... so now I was pretty set on that... but I think I might as well forget them too, because people seem to only sell them in pairs or trios, and we are not allowed to have any roosters.
Am I being too picky? At first I was like... well, I am only allowed 6!!! and they are going to be like family pets (I have 3 kids, almost 2, 4, and 6)... I want what I want, I guess...
What are anyone's thoughts, or ideas.... should I settle?


Oh, and timing has played a big role in my search too.... now we are under the wire, if we don't get chicks by the first week of April, I will have to wait until JULY>>>>>

Sorry this was so long... I have been going crazy, and I guess I just needed to vent to someone out there that loves chickens too, that MIGHT understand.... :)
 
Hello to a fellow Virginian! Check out www.mypetchicken.com. That is where I get my sexed chicks! They have a good selection and ship very quickly. I would get 3 chicks this year, and 3 next year, to stagger egg production and so that you don't get chick fever next year and get more chickens than you're allowed!
 
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Thanks, that was one of the sites that I had been looking at... Was thinking that since chick brooding seems time consuming and a bit messy, I would try to only do that once (in THIS house)... my three little ones are a handful enough... Chicks are cute, but I bet I will be glad when they are outside in their own home, laying eggs for us, eating bugs for us (OH my hubby currently has a BSF larvae project that the girls would LOVE to partake in as treats, too!) entertaining us and the kids expecially... I can't wait!!!! :)
 
Greetings from Kansas, LaCageAuxFoul, and
welcome-byc.gif
! Great to have you in our community! You sound a lot like me - always interested in something different. I also wanted some Black Copper Marans but either didn't like the idea of buying straight run chicks and ending up with a surplus of roosters, or buying a minimum which is more than I wanted. So, I picked up a used incubator and ordering some hatching eggs! Might be something to consider. Good luck to you and have fun!
 
Greetings from Kansas, LaCageAuxFoul, and
welcome-byc.gif
! Great to have you in our community! You sound a lot like me - always interested in something different. I also wanted some Black Copper Marans but either didn't like the idea of buying straight run chicks and ending up with a surplus of roosters, or buying a minimum which is more than I wanted. So, I picked up a used incubator and ordering some hatching eggs! Might be something to consider. Good luck to you and have fun!
Thanks, I think it's too late for incubating now, given my time-frame though.....
Love your Thomas Jefferson quote!!!!! (I'm gonna have to steal that)
:) :)
 
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Good luck with the decisions and acquisitions - welcome to BYC.
 
Thank you all so much for the welcome and support! Looks like we will be driving 45 minutes to get chicks today! Not too bad.... I should end up with 2 Ameraucanas, 2 Welsummers, and 2 Golden Laced Wyandottes... all pullets... I'm still half hoping that I can find the BLRW's and/or cream leg bars I the next 3 weeks...there's not much of a chance but if I did, there are plenty of people near me that would probably take any extra chicks I end up with... :-)
Now....to find that checklist that I saw somewhere on here of what to have ready for chick brooding... hmmmm...
 

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