New Pet Flock size

Oh Wow.
Any recommendations?

I have some chicken coop questions.
I don’t know if I should keep starting a new thread for my questions or not.
Mail order usually works well as far as getting chicks safely and getting a lot of choices. It usually involves a minimum number of chicks or else a huge small order fee. That is because the hatcheries put gel packs for warmth and special packaging so they don't have too much space for the chicks (they would slide around too much). The standard minimum order to get reasonable shipping costs is 25. Sometimes, in favorable weather, it is fewer.

Getting young chicks that you can be sure are pullets will greatly limit your breed choices. Very greatly limit them, unfortunately; I ended up compromising on that. On the other hand, the sexlink breeds are among the most likely to be available locally.

Recommendations (from researching over many years; not experience) is to get sexlinks. You can still get a variety of colors: like an Amber Link, a Black Link, and a ISA Brown, for example. They all do well in your climate, are as likely to be compatible with each other as any breed. They are a bit to the less-gentle side, though, as most of them have a lot of Rhode Island Red and/or Rock in them. Not less-gentle like the game breeds but more than most others.

A more gentle choice, if you can get around not being sure if they are pullets as day-olds, might be Orpington (including some derivatives like Australorps), Sussexes, and Creme Legbars.

Are you interested in lively? Which can be different than gentle.
 
Mail order usually works well as far as getting chicks safely and getting a lot of choices. It usually involves a minimum number of chicks or else a huge small order fee. That is because the hatcheries put gel packs for warmth and special packaging so they don't have too much space for the chicks (they would slide around too much). The standard minimum order to get reasonable shipping costs is 25. Sometimes, in favorable weather, it is fewer.

Ideal doesn't have quite as wide a choice of breeds as Cackle, Murray McMurray, Welp, and some others but they have a more modest minimum order requirement.
 

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