New to BYC and chickens.

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motherhen71185

motherhen71185

Songster
7 Years
Aug 21, 2012
485
11
103
Southern York County, PA
Hi Everyone!
I am planning on starting my flock this coming spring. I have been researching enough to make my head spin! :) My question is, how, & where should i get my chicks? I have never incubated. Looks fun, especially for the kids to watch. I just want healthy chicks that are friendly, pretty to look at with all different color eggs. I don't want much do I! ;) I would love to get chicks from local breeders as i would like true ameraucanas, but I want other breeds too. I am in PA if it helps. (the hatcheries online all seem to be sold out by the time i try order)


We live on a nice farm and I will be free ranging them in the pasture with our sheep. I am starting to build our coop now and will have a nice run as well.

I am not sure wether to hatch eggs (what do i do with all the extra roo's, and it seems most places only sell larger quantites of hatching eggs. i just want 1-2 of each breed. so how do i handle that?) Or to just get chicks from a hatchery, or local breeders. should i just order some and start them and then add afew here and there as i find the breeds i want? do i need to keep them seperated by age till they are all adults?
Sorry for all the questions!
and thanks!
 
Welcome from Illinois!!
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Depending on type of chicken you choose, you are goning to need between 2 & 4 square feet of coop space - that's where I am starting. You should be able to find some great options for purchasing on this site. . .good luck
 
Hello and welcome to BYC
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Check out your state thread in Where am I Where are You for people near you who may be able to help you find the chickens you choose. The Review section is great for info on the different breeds as is the Breeds section. Lots of reading to do! Enjoy!
 
Greetings from Kansas, motherhen, and
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! Great to have you here. I guess it's a matter of personal preference about hatching or buying baby chicks. I always opt to purchase so I can research breeds and just order what I want. That way I am guaranteed the variety and gender I would like. I think a lot of the big hatcheries (can't speak for the smaller ones) have less choice in terms of breed by this time of year. The greatest choice seems to be late winter (Feb. all the way into mid summer). I have always had good luck with Murray McMurray Hatchery. My advice is research exactly what you want - peruse the Breeds thread for advice. Best of luck whatever you decide to do!
 
If you are waiting till next spring to purchase your baby chicks you have a lot of time to do more research on the breeds you want. There are so many choices when deciding on where to buy and what breed of chickens you want. There are 100's of hatcheries to choose from. Look on Craig's List, Facebook, etc. You might find a local breeder in your area. You can even search the Buy~Sale~Trade section under the Forum tab right here on BYC! Your possibilities will be endless. Have fun in your decisions and best of luck to you!

 
First of all,
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It's great that you are taking your time and planning ahead. I have been planning my next batch of chicks for a year now! If you want to take them time to hatch eggs, go for it. Just remember that it does take extra time and effort. Warning: I had a friend who had nine out of ten eggs hatch as roosters! I know it sounds crazy, but it is possible. For a small flock, I would recommend mypetchicken.com. I bought my first batch there and they turned out great! They will also sex all the birds (including bantams) for you, if you choose. Some tame and friendly breeds I would recommend for a colorful egg basket include Easter Eggers, Welsummers, Silkies, Marans, Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, and Australorps. Those are some common breeds that you could find at most hatcheries. Good luck!
 

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