Starting a new Flock - Breed selection

[dheltzel]

Silkies are fabulous pets, I raised hundreds when I was a kid and highly recommend them, but not as reliable egg producers. They are bantams and the larger hens will compete better, at least getting more of the food, etc. even if they don't actually pick on the silkies.

If you are not set on getting large eggs, consider getting a flock of all bantams, then the silkies will be on an even footing. Or, get a few silkies and keep them in a separate pen. In any case, getting only silkie hens is going to be tricky unless you find someone selling them old enough to sex, and really, half the fun is raising them from chicks and making sure they are very tame. If you raise chicks, what will you do with the extra roosters? Even giving them away is hard, unless there is an Asian community near you, but I assume you'd rather your pets not end up as dinner. Just giving you some things to think about . . .

Actually, making a separate pen for a few silkies is ideal. You might find that having a rooster in there is really pretty nice. Silkies roos can be either the most gentle, placid roosters around people, or they can be downright mean to everyone except their hens. I have no idea why some are nice and some are psychos. In the pen I built for my nieces silkies, I have it divided for 2 groups, a roo on each side, and one roo is so aggressive he will charge out of the coop and free fall to the ground to try to peck you, the other one is sweet as can be and has never tried to peck anyone. The mean roo is simple to catch, just open the door, wave you hand about 2 feet out and he will come to you. He's so discombolulated by the fall, it's easy to grab him and hold him in a way that he can't bite. You can do it over and over, he never seems to catch on that there is not more coop outside the door. As someone mentioned, they aren't the brightest bulbs in the coop.

 

[TinkMagic]

Wonderful information! Thank you all so much! I will work on DD and see if she will be content with an Easter Egger instead of 3 silkies.

 

[TinkMagic]

Re: Silkies

Funny! He is pretty dumb!

Hubby has been working on the coop and I don't think I can talk him into another one just yet. I may could make one of those itty bitty one's myself... maybe???

There is a fella near us that is selling some (2 & 3 month olds), but they have not had the shots, so I am a little worried about getting them. Another fella has a free Silkie Roo.... say's he is sweet... but still a little nervous about getting them from someone I don't really know.

 

[dheltzel]

If you want another suggestion, consider a cochin pullet. The large fowl (not bantam) versions are available as sexed chicks, just like the other breeds. They come in many colors, and cochin hens are really as sweet as silkies, just not as "odd" looking. They are not as good a layer as the other breeds you are considering as layers, but better than silkies (and larger eggs).

We had a white cochin with our silkies named "Big Betty". She was not a bantam, but lived peacefully with the silkies for years. The lady we bought the silkies from gave her to us because she was old and needed a home. She finally died of old age a few weeks back, but she did have a nice retirement home with the silkies. She was even more a pet than the silkies, I think because she was old and didn't get around that good. Anyway, she left a very favorable impression on me as a pet.

 

[cstronks]

My birds currently don't have shots. I bought them from a local chicken owner as pullets and they are doing well. Shots can help if you plan on adding to your flock in the future, as it can prevent the transmission of disease. If you buy all of your chickens from a hatchery or the same breeder, then you shouldn't have to worry about issues, however adding chickens together from various locations can cause problems.

Good luck on the easter egger over silkie! Silkies look very cool, but they are difficult to manage, and don't produce. Good luck!!

 

[ChickensRDinos]

A Cochin, especially a frizzled cochin (which is a reverse feather gene) might be an easier sell and a good compromise, If you decide to look into cochins they are often available frizzled and look really silly and poofy. I have found them to have a lot of personality but they are pretty smart and stand up for themselves a little better than silkies. Cochins are also prone to broodiness but lay eggs pretty decently when not broody.

This is a frizzled cochin hen as a chick and an adult, She is a bantam but the LF would look the same just larger. The bantams lay really cute small eggs.

With seven birds you could have a nice mixed flock with some production birds some EE and one or two cochins. I have 6 birds and each is a different breed. I really like the egg variety and that all the birds look really different fro one another.

 

[TinkMagic]

What a cutie! Thanks for the wonderful idea!

 

[TinkMagic]

OK, so DH is changing the game plan. He is wanting New Hampshire Reds. So we are thinking 2-3 each of the following.

New Hampshire Reds
Buff Orphingtons
Black Australorp
& maybe
Easter Eggers

Anyone have advise? I think the most important thing is that they are friendly and somewhat quiet. Naturally we want eggs, but don't necessarily need production type layers.

I was also wondering about the shots. What do ya'll think about them, are they needed or not for a small backyard flock that will not be going to shows etc.???

 

[donrae]

Since you've mentioned noise a few times, I'm just throwing this out there.....

Laying hens can be NOISY. In the am when most of my girls are laying, my coop sounds like the halleluiah chorus got drunk and all started singing off key

. Granted, I have a lot of birds, but each hen sure likes to let the entire blessed world know she just laid an egg, by golly, and everyone should be as proud as she is!

If you can, spend some time with someone who has some laying hens and experience the noise level. If you can't do that in person, go to you-tube and look for videos of the egg song. There's really no way to make a hen be quiet, so noise is part and parcel of keeping chickens even without a rooster.

 

[TinkMagic]

Since you've mentioned noise a few times, I'm just throwing this out there.....

Laying hens can be NOISY. In the am when most of my girls are laying, my coop sounds like the halleluiah chorus got drunk and all started singing off key

. Granted, I have a lot of birds, but each hen sure likes to let the entire blessed world know she just laid an egg, by golly, and everyone should be as proud as she is!

If you can, spend some time with someone who has some laying hens and experience the noise level. If you can't do that in person, go to you-tube and look for videos of the egg song. There's really no way to make a hen be quiet, so noise is part and parcel of keeping chickens even without a rooster.

yeah, I guess I am making a big deal out of the noise, I know they make noise when they lay eggs, I just don't want them to be noisy all the time. I have heard some roosters crow all day (very loudly) and don't really want the hens to be loud all day. I am sure most of my neighbors will be fine, but one is not very animal friendly, so I didn't want them to be too loud. Thanks fo the warning. what are your thoughts about the shots if they are coming from a hatchery. I won't be taking them around other chickens. Somone on here said their chickens don't have the shots, but didn't know if they were from the hatchery or a nice friend or neighbor. Just learning the ropes here and want to do the right thing for caring for the little babies.