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We are about 3 months away from being ready to get some chicks and I have questions. Being a first-time chicken owner I'm unsure if I should get the Marek's vaccination for the chicks? I know one of the previous owners had chickens I don't know of any illnesses. My other question is what is everyone's favorite dual-purpose chicken? I have been reading about all the breeds and if they're better for laying, dual, or meat and wow! lol I need some help. I do have 2 small kiddos so friendly is a must other than that I'm open to any suggestions
 
For friendly and meaty I liked the light sussex and Jersey Giants. Not the best layers, but do ok once they start (around 25 or 26 weeks if I remember correctly) and the cockerels make a decent carcass by around 18 weeks.
Good quality buckeyes were also very good for us, the cockerels weren't really friendly but didn't give us grief either, not as hefty as the Sussex but still a good carcass.
Breeder quality rocks (we have had barred, white and silver penciled) are probably the best balance of eggs and meat we have had though...pullets start laying at 22-24 weeks and the cockerels are ready to butcher at about 18 weeks. Hens are good layers and often have laid through most of their first winter and we have had broodies with the SPR and WR both after their first year, they make good moms and raise the next generations for us.
There are others out there with good reputations as dual purpose birds, what I can tell you is that if you want birds which meet the breed descriptions you should find a reputable breeder and talk to them... each breeder's established strain will have strengths and weaknesses, but their stock will all be similar and they can answer your questions about traits you desire or want to avoid.
You get pot luck when buying through a hatchery since they may source their stock from many different farms or not pay close attention to things like calmness or heftiness vs pretty feathers or other popular traits when setting up their breeding, broodiness is also less likely through average hatcheries since egg production is more emphasized there, eggs are their business...broodiness decreases egg production...so is often viewed as an undesirable trait.

So consider your long term goals, how important certain traits are for your goals and go from there. A variety of breeds (2 or 3) will give you a fair base to start from. Yard candy is nice but isn't always going to get you the prettiest eggs basket or best meat supply, so be careful not to get too distracted by feathers. By all means, get a couple of eye candy hens, but be careful not to mess up your overall flock direction by getting too many.
 
tlynn289 said:
We are about 3 months away from being ready to get some chicks and I have questions. Being a first-time chicken owner I'm unsure if I should get the Marek's vaccination for the chicks? I know one of the previous owners had chickens I don't know of any illnesses. My other question is what is everyone's favorite dual-purpose chicken? I have been reading about all the breeds and if they're better for laying, dual, or meat and wow! lol I need some help. I do have 2 small kiddos so friendly is a must other than that I'm open to any suggestions
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@AnneInTheBurbs could pipe in here but I think bielfelders are good duel purpose and lay well. I haven't had any of my own to with in but they seem to be a good breed. I also like standard LF cochins. They're very big and very friendly but they tend to be very broody too but lay well when not broody.
 
tlynn289 said:
We are about 3 months away from being ready to get some chicks and I have questions. Being a first-time chicken owner I'm unsure if I should get the Marek's vaccination for the chicks? I know one of the previous owners had chickens I don't know of any illnesses. My other question is what is everyone's favorite dual-purpose chicken? I have been reading about all the breeds and if they're better for laying, dual, or meat and wow! lol I need some help. I do have 2 small kiddos so friendly is a must other than that I'm open to any suggestions
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I don't raise chickens for meat. I've had a few dual-purpose roosters we had to butcher because they were mean, and we did not like the meat very much. I only have chickens as pets and for the eggs.

With that said, I suggest speckled sussex, barred rocks, and buff orpingtons for friendlier birds. We have a few particular ones that are like dogs and love to be around us. I also suggest if you buy from a hatchery, spend a LOT of time with the chickens to develop a bond which will give you pet-like birds. Or (I prefer) buy chickens from a local person that raises them. Chicks are hard to care for and we have lost a few, so I like buying older birds, plus you can tell if they are kind or not, since they are grown.

Oh as far as Marek's... I'm not sure - if you want to be safe, go ahead. I have a few that are vaccinated and some not. Where are you located? There's a lot of us spread around in PA so I'm sure someone near you can help out!

One more thing... build your coop 2x or 3x larger than you think you will need... many of us have found chickens to be addicting, and ended up with WAY more than we planned
 
POSSUMS!

Are they any threat to chickens? We found a huge one... I mean huge enough to eat a tiny dog for breakfast! He was trying to get under our chicken coop. Cute face and all but we definitely didn't like that. Hubby wanted to shoot it but I just hit/pushed him with a broom and he ran off. Will watch to see if he comes back but I hope not!
 
FluffyButt789 said:
POSSUMS!

Are they any threat to chickens? We found a huge one... I mean huge enough to eat a tiny dog for breakfast! He was trying to get under our chicken coop. Cute face and all but we definitely didn't like that. Hubby wanted to shoot it but I just hit/pushed him with a broom and he ran off. Will watch to see if he comes back but I hope not!
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Yes, they can kill and eat chickens, especially if there are no eggs to eat instead. They are exceedingly common and rather dense. Once one starts coming around they are not likely to learn from your efforts to dissuade them. The best thing is to kill them. Remember, they play dead, so after it is "dead", bash it's head in with a hammer to be sure. I've seen them suddenly come back "from the dead" when hit like that. They never return a second time though. My childhood dog was smart and learned that lesson once. After that, all dead possums she brought home were thoroughly dead. She never dismembered groundhogs, only possums, 'cause she was super smart.
 
tlynn289 said:
We are about 3 months away from being ready to get some chicks and I have questions. Being a first-time chicken owner I'm unsure if I should get the Marek's vaccination for the chicks? I know one of the previous owners had chickens I don't know of any illnesses. My other question is what is everyone's favorite dual-purpose chicken? I have been reading about all the breeds and if they're better for laying, dual, or meat and wow! lol I need some help. I do have 2 small kiddos so friendly is a must other than that I'm open to any suggestions
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I highly recommend Cream Legbars. They are very nearly the perfect breed, IMO. They lay well, blue eggs, the females are exceedingly docile and (most people think) very cute. Their only downsides is they are not "street smart" for free ranging on their own (docile breeds never are, skittishness is necessary to be a good free ranger, it's a dangerous world) and also, they can be hard to find and somewhat expensive.
But if you ever get down in my area, I can hook you up with some female chicks . . .
 

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