I am also new to rasing chickens.I read all could find on the different breeds and chose buff orps
as they are very friendly,even the roosters are nice birds. They also are excellent layers as well as meat birds. I bought 4 buffs and 3 barred rocks and was very happy with both breeds. Another plus is they don't make alot of noise
.About a month ago I went out and bought 5 delawares and I really like them also for the same reasons.
I started out slow and now I have12 birds and I am very pleased with them.I am lucky enough to have a breeder not far from me so I didn't have to order 25 or more chicks all at once as I want to make sure of what I am doing for I can always add a few more later.I hope this spring to be able to find some silkies and maybe get 4 or 5 .
Good luck and read up on your breeds before you buy..I can say that the three breeds that I picked are very good birds .I haven't had any problems at all with them and they are easy to handle.Also read all you can on feeding your birds ,I thought just buying chicken feed would be enough, but they do need more than just laying crumbles from what I have read.I also feed black oil sunflower seeds ,wild bird food, alafa pellets, and scraps from the house to mine.I am not saying I am doing everything right but just trying to make sure my birds are as healthy as they can be and I am still learning.
Your Kids are going to LOVE the birds
.. Let us know when you get them and what knid you picked.
Karen