Newbie from Indianapolis, IN!!

cassada2604

In the Brooder
8 Years
May 27, 2011
14
0
22
Indianapolis
I am a stay at home momma to a 3 year old son and 2 year old daughter. My husband and I have been married for 7 years. We have 2 dogs and 1 cat. We recently started a large garden and thought...why not have our own fresh eggs? Which brings me here. We purchased a used outdoor cedar dog house for a whopping $30.00 to transform into our chicken coop. We will raise it and build a run off of that. I am very interested in the Buff Orpingtons, Australorps, and Barred Plymouth Rocks. Since it is my first time owning chickens I thought I would start out with only 3. I have been told I need more. Can someone explain why and how many I should start out with? Does this combination of breeds work well together? Anywho, I am very excited to communicate with all you pros and go through the learning experience with the newbies!

Amanda
 
I don't know about the laws where you live, but here in New York you have to buy a minimum of 6 according to state law. I guess they want to make sure that people are serious about owning chickens and know what they are getting into. You could probably get fewer if you purchased them from an individual on Craigslist or something though. Good luck- we are new to chickens as well and loving it so far!
 
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Hi there! Welcome from western Kentucky! I'm not sure, but you may want to re-think the cedar -- it has oils that can be toxic to chickens (which is why pine shavings or aspen shavings are recommended for bedding instead of cedar). I have all 3 of the breeds you mentioned, (plus several others) and they all get along quite well. The three breeds you are considering lay nice, large brown eggs. If you get them as chicks, you won't be seeing any eggs from them until around 22-24 weeks (approx. 6 mos. or so). If you buy point of lay pullets or adult hens, you'll get eggs more quickly, but you won't get to enjoy watching them grow up from youngsters to adults, either. It just depends on what you prefer. Good luck with your venture, and be sure to stop by BYC often! There's always something for everyone, lots of friendly folks, lots of valuable info, good natured ribbing and jokes to keep it lively -- what's not to love?
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Pull up a comfy chair and let's get acquainted!
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fellow Hoosier!!!
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from the SouthEast side of Indianapolis
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Why are people saying that you need more? because they want some fresh eggs of course to!
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plus you'll get 3..then you'll decide you need a few more then a couple years later you'll have over 20 chickens like me
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If you have any questions or are interested in any of the breeds I have just pm me
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I'll get you started right up!
 

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