Newbie - can I have these 3 breeds together?

[cameronkeel]

I am starting my first coop, actually the coop is about finished, but now I am looking at filling it. My coop is fairly big at 8' X 9' and I have a super large run approx 50' X 50' plus some yard to range in the evening and weekends.

So, I have been looking at ALL the different breeds, and other than going cross eyed, I think I want Jersey Giants (10 girls and 1 boy), golden polish (5 girls...maybe straight run) and Partridge Cochins (5 hens....again maybe straight run). Any advice?


Thanks a lot. Love the site

CK

 

[ray24]

Im not an expert, but i think a jersey giant roo may be a bit to big for a polish hen.

 

[applegal]

Im not an expert, but i think a jersey giant roo may be a bit to big for a polish hen.

Ouch!!

 

[miss heny]

ya, Giants are the biggest *weight wise* chicken in the US (that i know of) i will feel pity for the poor polish hen :/ and then becauseo f the crest it can cause pecking.

 

[cameronkeel]

Was wondering about that. Is there a good brown egg layer that I can substitute the Giants for?

CK

 

[applegal]

If you are open to hybrids, my Isa Brown is very dependable and has a very friendly personality. I adore my australorp and buff orps. Sweet and calm girls and they go broody.

 

[donrae]

I don't have any tophatted birds but it seems they're easy targets for other birds to pick on. Sounds like you have plenty of space, so just keep an eye on them and put things in your run to break line of sight so a harried bird can hide for a while.

All the dual purpose birds are pretty interchangable as far as mixing in a flock, so just pick the best eye candy and go for it!

 

[4hchickmama]

Tophat birds can be a bit..."ditzy" and can get picked on because of it. Jersey Giants tend to be mild mannered, but the roo is probably going to be too heavy for the polish hens. I think the breeds you mentioned would be fine together, though my cochin hen is a bit of a terror in my flock with the other birds. Her best friend is a polish hen though...lol...everyone else she is kind of mean to. Do you need your roo to be the Jersey Giant? Perhaps a polish roo? There are a lot of breeds that lay a med-large brown egg that you could substitute in in you wanted. If you get straight run, I'd try to keep your hen/roo ratio at no less than 6:1.