Newbie looking for breed advice

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indianachicken

indianachicken

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Hello all!! I am brand spanking new to chicken ownership...
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I hope I am posting this in the right place...

My husband is going to start building us a coop and run but in the meantime, I am going to get 4-6 female chicks and start raising them indoors... My question is which breeds, I am so overwhelmed! The local shop where I was planning to buy chicks has black astralorps, golden comets, and amberlinks... I was thinking of getting 2 of each... Would they be good with kids? Good egg layers? I don't want any chickens for meat, we just want eggs and to have them as pets... Also, we live in Indiana so I'm hoping these breeds would be good in warmer and colder temps... Are there other breeds that would be good in addition to or instead of any of these that would be good for someone new? I live in the country but do have neighbors so hoping they aren't too noisy...

Any advice would be awesome! I have been lurking all over the boards on here and there is so much terrific info!

Thanks in advance,

Erin
 
Those breeds at your local shop are all good for productivity. Australorps are docile and friendly, comets and amberlinks are laying machines. You could easily get half a dozen eggs a day when this flock is in prime time during the spring and summer months, and most likely get 4-5 a day in the winter. Also, these breeds are all cold hearty and should do well in cold temps in the winter. Hens in general aren't too loud, but you can get a noisy bird every now and then. My chickens are reasonable, and my neighbors enjoy their cackles every now and then. Generally, though, only a rooster will be both loud and annoying enough for neighbors to get upset.

Other breeds to consider are Buff Orpington and Easter Eggers. They are also common birds, and very docile. They may be available at other feed stores in your area.

For the coop, you just want to plan to make the run larger than the interior. Outside space is more important, as the birds will use it more. Also, 2-3 nesting boxes will do. If you have any questions, post them, or consult the coop section of the forum for ideas and advice.
 
Hi there and welcome!! I agree with cstronks that the australorp is a very good layer, they are friendly and cold hardy. They are also frequently broody. (Wants to sit on and hatch eggs) The golden comet and amberlinks will keep those egg cartons full; however they are more skittish, flighty and independent. Other breeds I recommend that are good with kids and still lay are buff Orpingtons (my personal favorites) Easter Eggers/Ameracana, Sussex, Silkies, Marans, Faverolles, Dominique, Brahma, Cochins (another fave) and Barred Plymouth Rocks. Excellent layers (who may be more skittish) include Leghorn, Wyandotte, Campine, Rhode Island Red, Sex-Link and Ancona.

Also, provide more space in the coop than you are planning on (chickens are addictive!) and provide one nest for every two hens. (This will insure no nest box wars!) Good luck raising chickens and welcome to the flock!
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~Sarah
 
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Welcome to BYC!

X3 My Black Australorps are really docile, kid friendly, great layers and are very cold hardy. My girls are so friendly and follow me around like drooling puppies looking for goodies or a soft lap to sit on. Huge attention seekers.

Here are a couple of good breeds pages you might take a look at for some fun info on the different breeds...

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf

Good luck with this new adventure you are on. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Welcome to our flock!
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good advice above, also check out the BYC Breeds section for member reviews on a lot of breeds, https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds X4 the Red Sex Links (Golden Comet, Red Stars, ISA Browns etc) for brown eggs are probably the most popular layers around. Other brown egg laying breeds that don't lay quite as well but will lay for a longer time, Australorps, Orpingtons (lots of people really like these, great pets though broody), Plymouth Rocks, Sussex, Delaware and Wyandottesall are usually pretty easy to get along with and the EE or Easter Egger mentioned avobe, often sold as Ameraucana by hatcheries, are a fun breed because they usually lay green/blue eggs, and they tend to be very nice birds, and then there are the Welsummer and Marans for dark brown eggs. You might also like to check out your state thread for what breeds your neighbors have and are happy with weather wise etc www.backyardchickens.com/t/730582/indiana-bycers-here/9670
 
We ended up with 2 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Black Astralorps, and 2 Rhode Island Reds... Will post a picture if I can figure out how... ;) I think I am in love! I want to get more but don't want to get out of hand... I've heard conflicting things about when to move them out of the box and into the coop... What do you guys think? I thought it was a month but someone just told me they will be huge in 2 weeks... Do they grow that fast?!?
 
When you can move them into the coop depends on the weather/temperature and if you can give them the temperature they need in the coop. Most people move chicks out to the coop when they are about six weeks old, because then they are mostly feathered and will not need extra heat. Chicks need to be at about 95* the first week, and you drop the temp about 5* every week.... if you can put a heat lamp etc in the coop you can move them out there early. Sounds like you wound up with a really nice flock! And you want more already, sounds like Chicken Math is already taking hold!
 
indianachicken said:
We ended up with 2 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Black Astralorps, and 2 Rhode Island Reds... Will post a picture if I can figure out how... ;) I think I am in love! I want to get more but don't want to get out of hand... I've heard conflicting things about when to move them out of the box and into the coop... What do you guys think? I thought it was a month but someone just told me they will be huge in 2 weeks... Do they grow that fast?!?
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Glad to hear about your new peeps!
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Yes chickens are addictive!! And yes they grow very fast!
 

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