Parent's owned BYC - Starting my own flock!

[Henly Mom]

Hi! My name is Sarah, and my husband and I are starting our adventure with chickens!
I am 26 years old, and my husband is 25. We live in Frederica, Delaware, in a ranch style house, in a little neighborhood off the highway. He has never had chickens before, however, I have grown up with various breeds (bantam/standard) as pets.

Now that we have our own home and a 9 month old daughter, Chloe, we thought it would be fun to start raising a couple chickens in the back yard (for eggs/pets/show). He is very hands on, and has been combing the 'coops' forum for inspiration, while I have been reading up on new chicken information, and getting all the details before we commit to buying any chicks.

I am not sure what breed(s) we should get, and would love any advice/opinions/expertise on the matter! Since we are looking for egg layers and those with a good disposition (for our daughter), it would also be nice to get some exotics to have to show in the state fair, it makes it hard to decide what we want.

We are currently looking at building a coop similar to the "Triple C" - I loved the blog and accompanying pictures! As far as breeds go, I am considering getting Rocks, particularly the 'barred' or other black/white variety (I just love the way they look!) The Top-Hat breeds would be fun, as well as having Silkies - there are just too many awesome looking birds out there to choose from - but temperament is a concern for us, so if anyone could help us narrow our search down, it would be greatly appreciated!

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[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Nice pictures! As for nice breeds, Plymouth Barred Rocks are a nice breed that lays nice brown eggs and a lot of them. Tophats and Silkies make fun pets and are great for the shows, although not prolific layers. I am really fond of the Orpington breeds...especially the Buff Orpingtons and the Black Australorps. Both of these breeds are very docile and gentle around the kids. They aren't a hyper breed like many others can be, they are heat and cold tolerant and are very good layers. My Aussies are 4 1/2 years old and are still laying quite well. Orpingtons love to sit on your lap and are affectionate. At the same time, they are very pretty with all their extremely soft feathering.

But what ever breed you choose, they are all fun to keep. Have you stopped by our learning center yet? Lots of helpful tips and hints on all the aspects of keeping chickens....https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Good luck on this new journey you are on and welcome to our flock!

 

[GitaBooks]

Welcome to BYC!

Your daughter is very cute.

As for breeds, cochins and brahmas (standard or bantams) are good pets and pretty good at laying also. They are prone to going broody, however. They come in a ton of colors. Silkies are good pets, but not very good layers. Plymouth Rocks are friendly and come in bantam and standard.
Australorps are friendly and excellent layers, as well as hardy.
Sussex, Wyandottes, orpingtons, Marans (tons of colors), and dorkings are all good layers, pretty, and easy to handle.

Best of luck!

 

[N F C]

Welcome to BYC!

Cute pictures, thanks for sharing. There's a very good article in the Learning Center on selecting the right breed to suit your needs. Here's a link for you:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...cken-guide-to-picking-backyard-chicken-breeds

Some of the mail order hatcheries have chick selectors too:
http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/which-breed-is-right-for-me.aspx
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chick_selector.html

Have fun and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[drumstick diva]

I vote for buff orps. Silkies are great favorites with kids but, on the fragile side, so better for older children.