Here is how I size things up. I started with hens, already in lay and getting right into the fun of it and grew from there.
Benefits of Hens:
- Old enough to lay
- Knowledge of health and history
- Less likely to have medical emergencies than chicks
- Have distinct personalities already and you can select for which you prefer
- Idea of laying ability
- Select for a colorful flock
- Insurance against having a cock sneak in
- In established flocks the pecking order is set
- Less complicated care and allows the beginner keeper all the joys of chickens right away without wait or potential heartbreak
Cons of Hens:
- Older than pullets and so if you care only for production, their productive lives are already partially spent
- Aging is tricky and you have to trust the person you are buying from is telling the truth
- Because of the move, they will stop laying for a bit while they settle
- Breaking up or taking only part of an established flock can cause some upset in the social dynamics
- No ability to hand rear and develop people friendliness, so be very choosy of which birds you purchase
- More expensive. $10-50 each depending on the breed. More if it is a Show Quality (SQ) Bird.
- Can bring illness into existing flocks or spread illness by change of location
Benefits of Pullets:
- Close to laying, so the move doesn't upset their cycle as much as a hen
- Cheaper than hens, generally...
- Chance of having an accidental cock/cockerel is low
- You can choose based on looks, color, and size as they are pretty much "done" with "drastic" changes in looks
- Health is pretty stable at this point, young, should have good vigor
- Allows a little bonding time
- Longest productive life with you
- Easier to age because they haven't laid yet
Cons of Pullets:
-Some personalities are set by then
- It is possible for a cockerel to slip in
- Pullets can have health concerns when they start to lay
- Pullets are very in-demand and can be hard to find during certain times of the year
- Unknown productivity, sometimes you just get saddled with some "lemons".
- Some breeds take longer than others to mature, so if you're choosing a "slower" breed then they will be eating for free for a while
- Can bring illness into existing flocks or spread illness by change of location
Benefits of Chicks:
- Cheap, depending on what you want. from as little as $.50 to $10 for SQ rare chicks
- They are adorable (come on, that's always a plus)
- They allow you to "train" your chicks to be use to routine handling
- Some hatcheries can sex them, which is great if you want all pullets
- Very hard to bring in illness from a hatchery or well managed breeder chick
- Give you loads of experience, along with some hard lessons
Cons of Chicks:
- Fragile and die easily
- While risk is lower, can still carry illness and will easily die in comparison to a healthy pullet/hen
- Most offer a 90% sexing guarantee, which means you might here a Cock-a-doodle-do one day
- Require a lot of care
- Require additional housing needs and electric needs.
- Can come with an array of health concerns like curled toes, pasty butt, cross beak, etc.
- Some breeds from hatcheries are sold under "false" names. For example, some hatcheries are selling "RIR Pullets", when they are really PR pullets with no RIR traits. "Americanas" fall under this as well, even some people being sold Buckeyes when they are really a darker ISA or PR.
- If you want to show, its a mixed bag. You might have a winner, they might all be fluffy fails. By the time you get a winner, it may have been worth investing in an adult bird
- Unknown point of lay or quality of laying, most do fine but for mutts this is a little more debatable
- Noisy in large numbers
- Can still bring in illness, regardless of origin
Benefits of Hatching Eggs:
- "Virtually" illness free (with communicable illness*)
- Can get some great strains of chicks not available locally
- You can manage and raise them how you like
- All the pro's of chicks with a touch extra work
- Cheap
Cons of Hatching Eggs:
- "Virtually" illness free with communicable illness is starred off because contamination of the egg can still occur.
- Can still be born with defects
- The parent flock could be poorly fed or not getting enough vitamins/minerals which results in you having some very sick chicks or no chicks at all
- Fragile!
- Require broody hen or incubator
- Require attention and turning if not using a hen
- You will get a ton of cockerels, just assume that and have a plan for it. If you don't, thank the heavens, but expect at least half to be male.
- Can require more know-how if emergencies pop up such as shrink-wrapping,
- 2 dozen failed egg hatches can equal or exceed the price of started pullets. 50% hatch rate is a "good" rate on eggs shipped.
- Fertility is never 100% at all times, so you must plan for the unfertile egg here and there.
Benefits of the Older Hen:
- Lets not forget about these heroes! They know the ropes and are savy in free range situations
- A friendly older hen can give you hours of enjoyment
- Good if you don't need dozens of eggs
- Many older hens can be used as broodies and make great mothers
- They are good "teachers" to younger pullets
- They can display longevity genes. For example, I have an 8 year old healthy hen giving 3-4 eggs a week. That is a good hen to breed for production!
- Have had a lifetime of handling and tend to know the drill when it comes to being picked up.
Cons of the Older Hen:
- Most likely not going to be giving you many eggs
- They will not be with you as long
- Because of aging color, many can not be shown
- Older hens can pretty much only be used for stewing if you are dressing them
- Can be more easily killed by infectious diseases
- They eat, but don't produce much if anything, aside enjoyment
- Can be more easily stressed by moves
Personally, I prefer to skip to the pleasure of pullets or hens. Chicks are great (has some in the room right now) but they require a lot of care that I rather leave to a broody mother. If you prefer the "fruits of your labour" route, chicks might be enjoyable. If you like to get your toes wet and have some fun instantly, Pullets or hens are for you.
Might I also suggest looking into at least the following 5 layers, meat and dual purpose:
Layers:
1- ISA Brown
2- Any of the PR's
3- Leghorns
4- PB [ production blacks]
5- RIR
Meat:
- Jumbo Cornish X
- Cornish X
- Cornish Game
- RIR or RIW
- Dorking
Dual Purpose:
-RIR or RIW
-Buckeyes
- NHR
- Orpington
- Jersey Giant (slow to grow)
Remember, not matter what you settle on, MAKE ROOM FOR MORE! Cause these chickens are potato chips...
