Ready to be a chicken keeper in Ringgold, GA

JenbLMT

Hatching
5 Years
Mar 1, 2014
4
0
7
I recently bought a house with coops and a pen big enough for about 6 birds. I've done all my research, checked the enclosure for deficiencies and I'm ready to start building my flock. I would like a mixed flock of sturdy layers with different colored eggs. I want to get them old enough to be laying, but maybe would like 1 or 2 younger chicks for the kids to raise. Any suggestions on breeds good for this area would be appreciated as well as suggestions on where to buy.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC!
The best place to find local birds is usually to post on your state thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/121387/yo-georgians this time of year most feed stores like TSC also carry chicks. Also try the BYC Buy-Sell-Trade forum.
Here are a couple of charts that compare different breeds http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html and http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf and don't forget to check out the BYC Breeds section for member reviews for a lot of breeds when you've narrowed down your choices.
For pets,especially for children, Silkies and Cochins are probably the two most popular breeds, they are not very good egg layers but are very friendly... Silkies do have special needs, and often have to be kept separate from other breeds, so take that into account if you decide to get some. So far as more layer breeds go, for egg numbers alone, the Red Sex Links (Golden Comet, Red Stars, ISA Browns etc) for brown eggs are probably the most popular layers around. If you want 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 Wyandottes are some other popular breeds that are usually pretty easy to get along with, they all lay different shades of brown eggs. The Easter Egger, 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 to see what people in your area have that they are happy with.
One note, when you get birds of different ages you do have to be careful combining them and wait until the younger ones about the same size and do it gradually, here is a nice Learning Center article on adding to a flock https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock
 
More experienced members will have better information but in my "flock" I have the following breeds:
Marans-dark brown egg, Ameraucana-blue egg, Black sex linked and Orpington-light brown egg, “Olive Egger” – dark green egg.

All of these breeds, for me, are calm, quiet birds that get along well together and are good layers and though they slow down in winter or when they moult I get eggs year round.
I have to second checking out that sagehenfarm link as a guide to picking the right hens for you.
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html
 
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Welcome to BYC!

Looks like you have been given some great advice and links to follow! I am an Orpington person myself. The Black Australorps and the Buff Orpingtons are so docile, friendly, great layers and very hardy over all. My Orps are huge lap babies and beg to sit on my lap all the time. Can't sit anywhere with out a chicken on my lap!

But follow the links to the breeds pages. They will give you all kinds of fun facts about each breeds attributes.

Enjoy this new adventure you are on and welcome to our flock!
 

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