NEW TO CHICKENS HELP NEEDED WITH LOTS OF BIG DECISIONS!!

[lazy gardener]

Thank you all so much! SO, since the minimum right now is 15 chicks, would it be good if i would get one silkie, one ameraucana, and the others other breeds you guys suggest? Can chicken live with quail or would I have to make a seperate coop? Can different breed of chicken live together? It seems to be that my pet chicken would be the best place to get them.. Alrighty, now I just need some other friendly breeds, a little bit of how they are to humans, how they stand the cold, and how they get along with other chicken breeds or quail if possible. Thanks!

I have not raised quail, but the few people I've had contact with do not keep them together. Compare several of the large hatcheries before committing to any single one. You might look at Murray McMurray, Ideal, Cackle. Look very carefully at their shipping policies, their refund policies, and their gender guarantee policies. Also do a price comparison. don't just look at the price per chick, add in the shipping costs for the same breeds ordered from each hatchery before choosing one.

 

[Lynnski]

Thank you all so much! SO, since the minimum right now is 15 chicks, would it be good if i would get one silkie, one ameraucana, and the others other breeds you guys suggest? Can chicken live with quail or would I have to make a seperate coop? Can different breed of chicken live together? It seems to be that my pet chicken would be the best place to get them.. Alrighty, now I just need some other friendly breeds, a little bit of how they are to humans, how they stand the cold, and how they get along with other chicken breeds or quail if possible. Thanks!

Hi Coturnix, Just want to add my 2-cents as a new chicken owner and having the What-Breed question fresh in my mind. Last May we found a local feed store that offered chick orders with a minimum of 4 so we got 5 (one was a roo and was rehomed). Being in New England, our goal was to have cold hearty, laying birds.

We have:
NH Red ~ laid at 18 weeks and continues to lay almost every day
Barred Rock ~ laid at 21 weeks and averages 5-6 eggs a week
Easter Egger ~ laid at 21.5 weeks; avg 4-6/wk - Is my sweetest, friendliest, most curious girl.
Light Brahma ~ 25.5 weeks; avg 3-5/wk - She is the most skittish and biggest girl.



Sometimes i think i would have chosen different if i knew the NH Red and Barred Rock combs were prone to frostbite if the coop is moist or not well ventilated. I have come to realize having them ensures i keep a healthy coop. You will read a lot of info here about coop ventilation since you live in NY.

Sorry, i dont know anything about Quail.

Good luck with your decisions... rest assured that with the amount of thought you have already put into it, you will be great! keep us posted as you go along!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Also do not feel obligated to get 15 birds even if that's what the mail order hatchery requires. You can split the order with someone else. Of course if you want to jump right into a flock go ahead, but going from "maybe 2" to 15 is quite a jump, even with chicken math!

 

[yellowherb]

Thank you all so much! SO, since the minimum right now is 15 chicks, would it be good if i would get one silkie, one ameraucana, and the others other breeds you guys suggest? Can chicken live with quail or would I have to make a seperate coop? Can different breed of chicken live together? It seems to be that my pet chicken would be the best place to get them.. Alrighty, now I just need some other friendly breeds, a little bit of how they are to humans, how they stand the cold, and how they get along with other chicken breeds or quail if possible. Thanks!

You can mix chickens, but be cautious of the nit pickey breeds like some Rhode island reds (or whites), white leghorns and generally a production type chicken for eggs or meat. They tend to be the ones who do the most picking at other chickens. Unless you want the chickens for eggs, then just stick with good egg layers. If you are for pets, look into the crested chickens, their combs are hidden under feathers and they can handle cool temps pretty good. I live in FL and my issue is with heat. Summer finds my sultans wading in cool water to lower their temps lol.

As for quail, docile chickens can be kept with them but it's NOT recommended. The reason being that quail are more susceptible to diseases that chickens carry and are immune to. Quail do not have the natural poultry immunities and are not vaccinated. Just housing them near each other is enough to transfer some airborne illnesses or diseases that travel on feather dust. When you do get chicks, try to get them unvaccinated. Vaccines are best used for large flocks or production facilities that house a huge number of chickens tightly.

A side note about silkies. I mentioned I live in FL? I had 3, 4 month old silkies freeze in high 50 degree temps. I don't think they have down feathers under
their fluff..strange.

As to breeds. I have sultans, a buff brahma and a astrolorp. The brahma and astrolorp are picky with the sultans and chicks. I've had Mille Fleur D'uccles in the past and they are sweet tempered but a bit shy(gorgeous birds). Bantam cochins are sweet tempered but also a bit shy at times unless you spend a lot of time with the chickens. Polish can be sweet and are not known to pick at other chickens. Old English game bantams can be nice. Any chicken will be sweet to you if you are holding a giant bag of dried mealworms though

Your quail on the other hand can be vicious. If you do choose to house them together, make sure the quail are very young or the chickens very large before putting them together.

 

[Coturnix Quail]

Thanks everyone! I have a few other questions, what time of year should I order them at. Is 3 or 4 an okay number? From Jan. to March 27 I have to order a min. of 15 chicks... Also, would I be able to keep a silkie, and an eatster egger together? Seems the min. for Bantams is 5.. If I get mixed breeds, would they decrease the number depending on what breed? More questions to come. Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Each hatchery is run by different people and have different rules and policies. My suggestion is to call the individual hatcheries you are interested in and talk to them. Cackle will do one thing, McMurray is different. Ideal is kind of off on their own with no minimums but a minimum dollar order. Ideal often ships packing peanuts with smaller orders. We can’t answer a general question about all hatcheries because they are all different.

 

[theback40]

on My Pet Chicken, they have a 'calculator' where you put in your zip code n it tells you the minimum for your zip code, for standard size, bantam, and a mix of the two. mine said min. 3 standard, 5 bantam, and 4 if i mixed them.
but it does vary, depending on the zip code.

 

[Coturnix Quail]

Thanks but one problem.. SILKIES ARE SOLD OUT!!!

 

[lazy gardener]

Thanks but one problem.. SILKIES ARE SOLD OUT!!!

Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that if you want a specific breed, you have to pre pay and order it just as soon as the hatchery starts taking orders for the new year. You can then lock in your breed and your ship date. Are they sold out for the year or just for your ship date???

 

[Coturnix Quail]

For the year!!!