Newbie who needs advice, South Carolina

[budpearlhud]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and new to chickens (although I have been planning them for a VERY long time!) I actually do not even have the chickens yet (this is where I need advice!) We are moving next month to a 2 acre partially wooded suburban home (I have checked, no specific restrictions on chickens, but no "nuisances" and I kind of figure roosters = nuisance :-( ). In a couple years we plan to move to a larger plot of land where roosters are allowed (building on 11 acres). For now I am trying to decide what and how to get the right chickens for my family. I have a kind but energetic 3.5 year old son who loves animals. We want to have them for laying (nutritious high omega 3 eggs) and pets (My husband says I will be running a retirement home for hens as they age.) I am not sure how many or what kind of chickens to get. I originally had settled on Welsummer and Houdan when I thought we were moving to a larger place right away since they seem to be great free rangers and have friendly docile personalities, but now I am not sure. I don't know how important it will be to have them be able to get most of their nutrients from the yard since we will only have 2 acres (and part of it will be dog yard) probably not enough to sustain them. My questions are: How many standard chickens should I get? Or should I get a "variety 12 pack" of bantams for laying because they are so cute and if they were small I could manage 12 of them? Is there a better breed for my current situation? Does anyone know of breeders I could buy from within about 4 or 5 hours of the Greenville, SC area (if I am getting only a few chickens, I know they can not be shipped buy mail)? Thanks for any advice! I am excited to be here on the Forum and look forward to reading more posts from everyone!
Rachel

 

[Lesa]

Welcome! If you are looking for good egg production, you should plan on feeding them layer pellets. The chickens get some nutrition grazing and scratching, but doubtful they could get enough, in the situation you describe....A two acre lot with a good sized coop could be fine for 12 or more birds. Many folks on this site have less land, and more chickens. Since you anticipate a move, probably better to start small. If young chicks are handled, I think you will find them all fairly tame and friendly. Treats are the trick! Good luck in your chicken search!

 

[wekiva bird]

and

from south carolina/fla.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

from Colorado!!

With an energetic child I'd go for standard chickens for the same reason you'd avoid a toy dog -smaller animals are easier for a child to accidentally hurt.

You should try mypetchicken.com's breed selector tool. They have a lot of breeds on there; there is also a breed list on here somewhere...

Good luck choosing!

 

[StrictBaptist]

hello i am also from SC... welcome I am new here to and also planning my coop and what chickens to get

 

[JustAChickenLittle&More]

Hey Rachel; Welcome to BYC

There are several different breeds of friendly chickens, even mixed breeds. Cochins, Silkies are great for kids. Cochins lay bigger eggs.

But there are so many others as well. If you are looking for great egg production, the white leghorns are the best, but they are not that friendly, they are kinda flighty. Then is also depends on whether you want white eggs or brown eggs, or different colors (blue, green, etc). I would look at the breed descriptions on this board. It shows the breed, temprament, color of eggs etc., Good luck with your new chickens. You DO know it is an addiction and you WILL be buying more.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

and

from Ohio. Good advice given.

 

[fl_deb]

Hey welcome to your new hobby!


At the risk of sounding rude, I thought one of you mentioned roosters and noise problems in the same sentence. That answer there is easy: Don't get one. Don't need one for the hens to lay their eggs. Wait till you get the big spread to add roo.

I would recommend deciding your goals for your flock first, i.e. Are you wanting a Doz. eggs a day or is a doz. per week okay? All eggs the same color or is an easter basket full of color straight from the coop more desirable? Will you need to keep them penned up to keep them safe from your dogs or other predators for most of the days? How big is your coop? Run? During the winter months, will your birds be required to stay cooped up for extended times (weeks at a time)?

Answering these type questions will allow you to make better choices.

Chicken tv beats primetime most days, so enjoy your new adventure, and remember there is always someone around to answer questions.

 

[phoneman]

Quote:
welcome to byc i see you are from around greeenville. look on the form for where am i .where are you. then look for s.c. alot of people live all round you in the upper part of the state with all breeds of chickens

 

[budpearlhud]

Thanks everyone for your welcomes and advice! My husband would definitely tell you that is already IS an obsession and I have not gotten my first chicken yet! We drove our realtor crazy insisting on a house close to town with no restrictions against chickens. These subdivisions need to get with the times and start allowing hens! I shall stick with full size chickens at this point and look for local chicks. I would love to get a variety.

Thanks again!
Rachel