The Right Breeds For The Kling Klan?

[KlingKlan]

I am not sure if this is the right place for this thread and I have read a lot of helpful info on this subject, but I'm just not sure what breeds would be best for our situation. While BYC as been invaluable for all my research, I am beginning to feel overwhelmed... HELP

!!!

We live in a suburban neighborhood, in a town surrounded by farms in Lancaster County, PA. We are allowed to have chickens, however the borough is concerned about noise and smell. All of the neighbors closest to us seem to be ok with the idea and some have ventured over to see the coop and run in progress. We are almost done with the coop now, just have to finish the run and get the chickens. We have approximately 117 sq ft for the run and the coop is approximately 4 1/2 ft long x 3 ft deep and 3 1/2 ft high (not including the nesting boxes) with the same dimensions underneath the coop in the run.

We are wanting to get 5 good egg layers that are also cold hardy since this past winter was down right ridiculous lol. We won't get a rooster due to the "noise" and the fact that we don't need fertilized eggs. We want a mixed, colorful flock and they need to be docile and as friendly as possible since our youngest son is 10 (11 in July) and will see them as pets. At first we were thinking bantam, but I'm not sure about their egg production/size.


Hubby putting "rolled roofing" on yesterday, and a view of the front of the coop.



A view-ish of the inside from the unfinished "nest box" side of the coop. We have since closed in the main coop and added the 2 roosts in front of the south facing window you an see in the pic.

Anyway, seeing as we are so very close to finished with the hen house, I need to narrow down the breeds to choose. So, I turn to my BYC brethren for advice and input. We need cold hardy, good layers who are docile, friendly and colorful or at least pretty to look at lol!

Thank you in advance ... all hail BYC

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Bantams are not nearly as cold hardy. They will freeze their behinds off compared to big fluffy large fowl IMO.

If it were me, I would get (assuming you want all different kinds):

Black Australorp
Black Sex Link
Red Sex Link
Buff Orpington
Easter Egger

This will give you 2 heavy duty good layers (the sex links), 2 good layers (Easter Egger and Black Australorp- you may consider the Black sex link in this category as well), and one so-so layer (the Buff Orpington). Buff Orps lay very well their first year.

This is just from my experience.

I have read that Barred Rocks are excellent as well- but my experience has only been with the bantam ones. So you might consider getting one of those instead of one of the others I mentioned (like the Buff Orp).

McMurray Hatchery has a chick selector tool that is fun to mess with on their website.

I only have Black Australorps and Easter Eggers now for large fowl. They are my favorite large fowl. Easter Eggers can be flighty/aloof or friendly-if you are getting them from a feed store they will be called Ameraucanas (but they are really Easter Eggers unless you get them as true- usually more expensive- Ameraucanas).

All those breeds should be fine with a tight dry coop with ventilation up high - not breezy- and not blowing right on them on the roost. No cross breezes in coop hopefully in winter. The breeds with single combs are more susceptible to frostbite of course. You might look at Wyandottes but I don't like Wyandottes since I had a mean rooster once and that traumatized me.

Your chickens should lay well the first couple of years and then slack off a bit. So have a plan in place- will you replace them? Will you keep them into retirement? The Sex Links are reputed to "burn out" in 3 years, but I have never kept them this long so cannot say. But the Red Sex Links are incredible layers.

Try to get all your chickens at once. With a small group like that in a small coop, adding additional hens means the new one(s) will be pecked until the pecking order is established, and it won't be as peaceful as having them all grow up together.

 

[donrae]

As long as you avoid the Mediterranean breeds with their big ol floppy combs, you should be okay weather wise. They're mostly white egg layers and most folks want brown or blue/green eggs anyway. They also have a reputation for being flightier and not as friendly overall.

Pretty much any of your dual purpose breeds are going to fit your family's needs. Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, sex links, any bird named after a New England state, Orpingtons, Sussex are the ones that come to mine right off. And not a "breed", per se, but imo you've got to have an Easter egger or two, cause who doesn't like green eggs?

Your coop is going to be a little tight on space for 5 hens, honestly. Your run is large enough, but bad weather, etc can keep them confined for longer and a smaller space can lead to behavioral issues. I'm also not sure how much ventilation you've got in that coop, but you'll probably need more unless all those windows open. Birds give off lots of moisture, and having more birds in a smaller space increases how much moisture there is in the air. Cold moisture is what leads to frostbite, not just the cold itself. As long as they're dry and out of the wind, chickens do well even in sub-freezing temps.

If you go with bantams, you'll be better off space wise. I don't see bantams being any less cold resistant than large fowl, depending on the breed. I'm only experienced with bantam cochins, and the birds I have lay much better than I'd been led to believe they would. On the other hand, I did get them simply to go broody and raise chicks for me, and they oblige regularly. Broodiness is probably not something you desire, as it cuts down egg laying time and you have no room to expand your flock.

 

[KlingKlan]

Bantams are not nearly as cold hardy. They will freeze their behinds off compared to big fluffy large fowl IMO.

If it were me, I would get (assuming you want all different kinds):

Black Australorp
Black Sex Link
Red Sex Link
Buff Orpington
Easter Egger

This will give you 2 heavy duty good layers (the sex links), 2 good layers (Easter Egger and Black Australorp- you may consider the Black sex link in this category as well), and one so-so layer (the Buff Orpington). Buff Orps lay very well their first year.

This is just from my experience.

I have read that Barred Rocks are excellent as well- but my experience has only been with the bantam ones. So you might consider getting one of those instead of one of the others I mentioned (like the Buff Orp).

McMurray Hatchery has a chick selector tool that is fun to mess with on their website.

I only have Black Australorps and Easter Eggers now for large fowl. They are my favorite large fowl. Easter Eggers can be flighty/aloof or friendly-if you are getting them from a feed store they will be called Ameraucanas (but they are really Easter Eggers unless you get them as true- usually more expensive- Ameraucanas).

All those breeds should be fine with a tight dry coop with ventilation up high - not breezy- and not blowing right on them on the roost. No cross breezes in coop hopefully in winter. The breeds with single combs are more susceptible to frostbite of course. You might look at Wyandottes but I don't like Wyandottes since I had a mean rooster once and that traumatized me.

Your chickens should lay well the first couple of years and then slack off a bit. So have a plan in place- will you replace them? Will you keep them into retirement? The Sex Links are reputed to "burn out" in 3 years, but I have never kept them this long so cannot say. But the Red Sex Links are incredible layers.

Try to get all your chickens at once. With a small group like that in a small coop, adding additional hens means the new one(s) will be pecked until the pecking order is established, and it won't be as peaceful as having them all grow up together.

I LOVE the look of the Black Austrolorp and DH says he wants at least one "all black one" lol, so that's a given, if I can find any around these parts for a decent price, that is! Also I think the Barred or Plymouth Rocks are gorgeous birds, they're like a walking optical illusion hehe. And of course an Easter Egger, I've wanted at least one of those since I found out the colors of their eggs

!! The other day we were at a Farmer's/Flea Market and hubby fell in love with this girl, which I was thinking may be a something Laced Wyandotte (is it pronounced "dot" or "doat"?):


It's hard to see her because she's shoved in that cage with like 15 other hens and behind wire

.

I appreciate your input, I have been mulling over ALL the breeds you mentioned, which is great confirmation that I am on the right track, so thank you!

As long as you avoid the Mediterranean breeds with their big ol floppy combs, you should be okay weather wise. They're mostly white egg layers and most folks want brown or blue/green eggs anyway. They also have a reputation for being flightier and not as friendly overall.

Pretty much any of your dual purpose breeds are going to fit your family's needs. Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, sex links, any bird named after a New England state, Orpingtons, Sussex are the ones that come to mine right off. And not a "breed", per se, but imo you've got to have an Easter egger or two, cause who doesn't like green eggs?

Your coop is going to be a little tight on space for 5 hens, honestly. Your run is large enough, but bad weather, etc can keep them confined for longer and a smaller space can lead to behavioral issues. I'm also not sure how much ventilation you've got in that coop, but you'll probably need more unless all those windows open. Birds give off lots of moisture, and having more birds in a smaller space increases how much moisture there is in the air. Cold moisture is what leads to frostbite, not just the cold itself. As long as they're dry and out of the wind, chickens do well even in sub-freezing temps.

If you go with bantams, you'll be better off space wise. I don't see bantams being any less cold resistant than large fowl, depending on the breed. I'm only experienced with bantam cochins, and the birds I have lay much better than I'd been led to believe they would. On the other hand, I did get them simply to go broody and raise chicks for me, and they oblige regularly. Broodiness is probably not something you desire, as it cuts down egg laying time and you have no room to expand your flock.

I am grateful for your advice!! We are now going to expand the coop's sq footage by raising the nesting boxes and moving the food and water (both will be DIY and made of pvc piping to conserve space) to the side and underneath. This will increase the coop's "liveable" space by 12 sq ft. I also wanted to let you know that 3 sides of the top of the coop are open and screened in for ventilation, along with the 19"x13" window in the front. The people door also has a removeable screen door (an old expandable window screen) so that door can stay open on the hottest summer days and nights.

Also, thanks to your input, we are going ahead and building a seperate brooder coop/box on the opposite side of the run... just in case we get a broody girl or two in our flock

. I tried to explain to DH that we might need one and that we had enough wood to build it. He was worried it would take up space in the run, but I showed him pictures of some of the ones on here and told him we could elevate it. My idea is to build it in the far corner, about 3ft off the ground and make it accessible from a roost "ladder".

 

[donrae]

Sounds like you're doing great!

I'm not much of a bantam person, but the color of the pretty little bird you pictured is mille fluer and I think the breed is d'uccle. That's about the best color for pure eye candy, imo

I like going to hatchery websites and looking at the different breeds, that's how I learned a lot about different breeds. You have to take the weights they state with a grain of salt, their birds are usually smaller, but they're a good overview of breeds.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Wyandotte is pronounced "Why- An- Dot" with the emphasis on the "dot."

That is a pic of a Mille Fleur d'Uccle. I used to have them. They are not very cold hardy IMO. The hens only weigh a pound and a half or so. They are absolutely precious little angels though, with excellent dispositions (the roosters are a little ornery sometimes though- mine got aggressive). I always give my bantams a heat lamp as we are at the top of a hill with nasty wet winters, wind, and very damp foggy air in the winter- a setup for frostbite.

You are welcome!!

Just so you know, buying adult hens or started birds is tricky because it can be very difficult to obtain healthy chickens unless you buy from a respected breeder or hatchery. So if you buy at sales, auctions, markets, Craigslist, etc., it is very easy to end up buying chickens with respiratory diseases, mites/lice, worms, and all the other problems/diseases as well. So for the best chance at healthy chickens, I recommend buying chicks or hatching eggs. That is all I do anymore, myself. Even the hatching eggs and chicks should come from a reputable source, as some diseases pass through the egg to the chick.

Of course mites/lice/worms are treatable, but some diseases render the chickens asymptomatic carriers. So they may even pass your quarantine or observation and go on to infect other chickens or become ill again themselves.

Sounds like you are getting everything together nicely!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I thought I'd mention Chentechlers, a breed thats highly underrated, in my opinion. They're a Canadian breed, and very capable of handling the cold weather. They come in bantam and standard sizes and an array of colors. They're a dual purpose breed, so can be used for eggs and meat. Mine laid well and were great foragers. One of my small flock of 8 went broody one time in the 7 or 8 years I kept that breed, thats it. They were also very docile. My daughter would carry our big 'ol rooster around regularly and hand feed the whole flock.

I kept partridge, here's one of my hens laying an egg when she was 7 or so years old. They were few and far between, but she earned her keep as far as I'm concerned. I've been considering them again

 

[Michael OShay]

Black Australorps would be perfect for your situation. Very cold hardy and very friendly, docile, and quiet birds that lay large numbers of large, brown eggs. Black Stars (Black Sex Link) probably work for you as well. They are also cold hardy and docile and even a little better layers than the Australorps, although they tend to be somewhat noisier birds. Hope this helps.

 

[Chookies123]

These are the breeds I would get

Australorp
Light Sussex
Buff Orpington
Ameraucana
ISA Brown?

 

[KlingKlan]

These are the breeds I would get

Australorp
Light Sussex
Buff Orpington
Ameraucana
ISA Brown?

I definitely want Back Australorp (maybe 2) and EE's (again, maybe 2). Not so sure on the BO, but I can at least identify those at a glance lmao! I'll take a look at the LS and ISA, not very familiar with those breeds yet... Thanks!