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Pperry

Pperry

Chirping
8 Years
Joined
Jan 18, 2015
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Hello,
I have been enjoying this site for months and decided it was time to jump in! We live in Meridianville AL and will be building a coop this spring for our first chickens. So excited!

Looking forward to all the great advice from the experts.

Pamela
 
Welcome back to BYC. Glad you decided to our flock. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Do you have any breed preference?
 
Welcome to BYC!
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We're glad to have you.

Be sure to check out the Coops page for information on building the coop:Coop Designs

Feel free to ask any questions you may have!
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Michael,

I'm thinking about Buff Orpington and Araucana. From what I've read they sound good for a beginner. Other suggestions?

Thanks!
 
Pperry said:
Michael,

I'm thinking about Buff Orpington and Araucana. From what I've read they sound good for a beginner. Other suggestions?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Buff Orpingtons are a wonderful breed. I've raised them for years, and they are hardy, calm and gentle (my children, and now my granddaughter, made lap pets of them), and good layers of large, brown eggs. You are unlikely to find true Araucanas, which are rare, relatively expensive, and have tailless rumps. The "Araucanas" and "Ameraucanas" sold by hatcheries are actually Easter Egger hybrids bred to lay eggs in a variety of colors. There is a good article at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/ameraucana-easter-egger-or-araucana.html explaining the difference between Araucanas, Ameraucanas, and Easter Eggers. Our Easter Eggers are my granddaughter's (pictured in my avatar) favorite chickens. She loves their colored eggs. I would also recommend Black Australorps which are extremely hardy, have the same calm and gentle temperament as Orpingtons (not surprising since they were originally bred from Orpingtons with the goal of improving egg production), and the best layers of the standard, brown egg laying breeds. If you don't mind hybrids, I would also recommend Black Sex Links (Black Stars) which are hardy and friendly, egg laying machines. I've raised them for years (along with dozens of other breeds), and they have been my best layers, consistently churning out more than 300 eggs per hen per year. Whatever breeds or hybrids you end up getting, good luck with your flock.
 
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We're glad you joined us!

Though I've never personally raised any, I've had experience with both Orpingtons and Easter Eggers (most Ameraucanas/Araucanas). They tend to be docile birds that are good egg layers. The colorful Easter Egger eggs are a benefit, too.

One other breed that I might recommend is the Wyandotte. My Wyandottes have been beautiful, gentle, hardy birds that continue to lay eggs even when they get rather old for chickens.
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Buff orpingtons are my favorite breed!! They are currently the top rated chicken breed for families with kids! They do well in confinement but really enjoy free ranging. They are very cold hardy and don’t do well in really hot weather. Orpingtons are docile, calm, friendly and make excellent pets for families with children. They lay large brown eggs and are often broody.
 

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