Please help me pick new chicks to add to my existing backyard flock

[mikec35]

I guess you can call it a flock, I have 3 black bantams, 2 hens and a rooster. They are relatively docile and have a 6'x20' coop. I let them out during the evenings and they make the trek about 100ft to my house for me to feed them oatmeal or bread..I would like to add 3 more - would love somthing that is pretty friendly, lays decent size eggs and not a wanderer. I like holding them and hand feeding them. I think it would be great to get some chicks that add beauty to the flock and will follow the others to my house daily. Any suggestions what to get and possibly where to get them? Since it's only 3 that I want I am not sure of the best way or place to purchase. Not to be overly picky but my neighbors are fairly close and if I got another rooster I would like for it to be fairly quiet like my current bantam is. When he crows it is not that loud, acutually sounds a little funny. Thanks for any and all advice! Mike

 

[SteveBaz]

I have 3 or 4 a few great breeds for you to look at Buff Orpington. Fantastic and friendly and all around good layer and a very hand-able type. Mine is the survivor of a raccoon attack so she is very close to me and follows me around every where and is my personal baby girl. The Road Island Red (RIR) Another good egg layer very friendly and easy to manage. Then I also have Plymouth Rock and they are extremely gentle easy to handle a good producer and loves people also. The Red or Black Star one of my gentlest girls that loves to be in my arms and loves taking treats from my hand a good producer. Best of luck you will get a ton of opinions but these are my favorite.

 

[mikec35]

Thanks for the reply.... do you think there is any problem introducing another rooster? I plan on slowly getting them used to each other.

 

[trailrider]

When we purchased our house in SW New Mexico, we inherited 8 chickens. Before we had a chance to make improvements on the chicken run, a neighbors 3 puppies broke in and wiped out 6 of them. A year later we still have the 2 remaining chickens. They seem healthy, I do not know what breed they are, they are rust in color. One tends to peck on the other once in a while and so some of her feathers are missing on her neck. I would like to get 2 more baby chicks this spring to add to the coop. I have been told that the adult chickens may peck the babies to death. Is this true? How old should the chicks be before I put them in with the 2 adults. Their inside coop is 10 x 10, their outside pen is about twice as large.

 

[CSWolffe]

Most of the popular breeds you find at farm stores are great for backyard flocks. Sex links like Gold Comets and Black Stars are friendly birds and are good layers. Wyandottes of all colors tend to be quiet, sweet birds. RIRs are good layers, are on the small side, and tend to be friendly. Orpingtons and Barred Rocks are also good layers and are reasonably friendly. Easter Eggers(often mislabled as Auracanas or Ameraucanas) are extremely popular for their green and blue eggs, and are also known for being quite friendly. Australorps are great layers with friendly dispositions too.
White layers like Leghorns tend to be flighty, so stick with brown layers.
You may want to get a selection for variety. It's easier to pick out individual birds that way, and you may get a more colorful basket. Our Australorp, Wyandotte, and RIR all lay light brown eggs. Sadly, we had to give away our Gold Comet(she was overly aggressive, a trait the breed is not known for but any individual hen may have), who laid the darkest eggs. Now our basket is sadly monochromatic. To add a bit of color this spring we are getting some Easter Eggers for green or blue and some Wellsumers for dark brown speckled eggs.

 

[Lbrad7]

You don't want to mix baby chicks with mature chickens..they will kill them for sure. You will need to build you some kind of brooder and keep them inside it until they feather out, then move them to a finishing pen. (just a separate pen from your other birds) Once they get to be 4 or 5 mo old you can introduced them to the pen with your other birds. Since you only have two mature birds, I dont think you will have much of a problem at all. They will pick on the younger birds for a day or two but once the pecking order is settled, all will be fine.

Good luck!

When we purchased our house in SW New Mexico, we inherited 8 chickens. Before we had a chance to make improvements on the chicken run, a neighbors 3 puppies broke in and wiped out 6 of them. A year later we still have the 2 remaining chickens. They seem healthy, I do not know what breed they are, they are rust in color. One tends to peck on the other once in a while and so some of her feathers are missing on her neck. I would like to get 2 more baby chicks this spring to add to the coop. I have been told that the adult chickens may peck the babies to death. Is this true? How old should the chicks be before I put them in with the 2 adults. Their inside coop is 10 x 10, their outside pen is about twice as large.

 

[Lbrad7]

All of the birds that SteveBaz mentioned are great choices..I would just add Speckled Sussex to the list. They are beautiful birds, very quite and very friendly. Stay away from the smaller mediterrianian breeds...(Leghorns, Anconas, Buttercups..etc) although great birds, they can be loud and flighty.

Good luck!

I have 3 or 4 a few great breeds for you to look at Buff Orpington. Fantastic and friendly and all around good layer and a very hand-able type. Mine is the survivor of a raccoon attack so she is very close to me and follows me around every where and is my personal baby girl. The Road Island Red (RIR) Another good egg layer very friendly and easy to manage. Then I also have Plymouth Rock and they are extremely gentle easy to handle a good producer and loves people also. The Red or Black Star one of my gentlest girls that loves to be in my arms and loves taking treats from my hand a good producer. Best of luck you will get a ton of opinions but these are my favorite.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I love orpingtons, easter eggers, Cochins and silkies. I've also got a couple of white leghorn chicks who have stolen my heart. My absolute favorites are my Cochins though. They're like puppies with feathers!

 

[mikec35]

Lots of choices! I've seen a couple of sites where you can order as few as 3 chicks, has anyone had success ordering just a few?