Thinking on some Chickens

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I think we will talk to the hatchery then decide. The wife said she wants brown large eggs, so that limits me to 7 breeds that can thrive in this heat that I see. We will probably try to find something easy for our first run.
 
Welcome to BYC! I think it's funny that you already know about Chicken TV, lol. They are funny birds and so interesting. Have fun deciding the breed you want, there are a gazillion (not really but still a lot) different ones out there.
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. A good place to start for someone with no experience is our Learning Center at https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center. There is lots of useful information there. As far as which breeds to get, it depends on what you want in a chicken. For sheer egg production, I would recommend Black Sex Links (Black Stars). They are hardy, friendly, egg laying machines. White Leghorns are also egg laying machines, but they are high strung and flighty. Mine screamed bloody murder whenever I handled them so I wouldn't recommend them for a beginner or anyone with children. If you prefer a standard breed (sex links are hybrids and don't breed true), I would recommend Black Australorps. I've raised them for years and they are extremely hardy. I raised them in Texas, in both northern Kansas where temperatures dropped to 30 F below zero one winter, and in CA where summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (123 F once), and in both climate extremes, they came through like troopers. They are also very calm and gentle. My children, and now my granddaughter, made lap pets out of ours. And Black Australorps are the best layers of the standard brown egg laying breeds. A Black Australorp holds the brown egg laying record with 364 eggs in 365 days, and while none of mine have ever reached that kind of production (and likely never will), I've had a few of them lay over 300 eggs in a year. You can further research the various breeds with the quick reference charts at http://albc-usa.etapwss.com/images/uploads/docs/pickachicken.pdf, http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/breed-list.aspx, and http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html. Also, Murray McMurray has an excellent "chick selector" tool at https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chick_selector.html to help you determine which breed is best for you. Just be sure and click on "show more characteristics." Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in building your coop and getting your chickens.
 
Thanks for the help everyone. Have read all the posted stuff and used McMurrys chart to narrow the choice. Egg production is probably the bottom of the list I want out of my chickens. I plan on putting them to work eating ticks, fertilizing and aerating my lawn. We eat 1 dozen eggs a month tops, but I'm sure my neighbors and grandmother would enjoy free eggs. This would mainly be pets and hobby kind of thing. It's just the wife and I so kids rant an issue. I'm sure my dogs will be fine since they will be involved in the raising of em and are super well behaved. And since the cat is still a kitten, it's a good time for him to learn as well.
 
I've ordered from Mcmurray 3 times. If you order 4wk olds/ juveniles they can ship as few as ONE bird. I've done that twice. From them I have 2 barred rocks, 1 americauna, 1 black australorp and 1 buff orpington. They come fully vaccinated! So no need for medicated feed or concern of Mareks. All my girls are beautiful.
 
wchepooh said:
I've ordered from Mcmurray 3 times. If you order 4wk olds/ juveniles they can ship as few as ONE bird. I've done that twice. From them I have 2 barred rocks, 1 americauna, 1 black australorp and 1 buff orpington. They come fully vaccinated! So no need for medicated feed or concern of Mareks. All my girls are beautiful.
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We got our chicks from Murray McMurray in April and they have been healthy, wonderful birds. MM's service and order fulfillment was great. Even the Post Office did a good job. I told our carrier twice about the delivery date and gave her my phone number so they could notify us as soon as the chicks came in and we picked the chicks up from the PO around 8am. I wouldn't hesitate to order from MM again.

Of course, opinions on the various hatcheries are like opinions of any other company, they can be very different depending on how things work out.
 
Thanks for the replays. After doing lots if research and looking at tons if pictures, we have decided on Swedish Flower Hens. Have found a local breeder and will be waiting in her next chicks to hatch.
 
Bukrub66 said:
Thanks for the replays. After doing lots if research and looking at tons if pictures, we have decided on Swedish Flower Hens. Have found a local breeder and will be waiting in her next chicks to hatch.
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That's great! They are very pretty and should do well for you in Texas.
Glad you were able to find what you want without using a hatchery at all. I loved dealing with Ideal, but after my experience with Mc Murray (15 out of 18 DOA), I swore off hatcheries for good..
 
NorthFLChick said:
We got our chicks from Murray McMurray in April and they have been healthy, wonderful birds. MM's service and order fulfillment was great. Even the Post Office did a good job. I told our carrier twice about the delivery date and gave her my phone number so they could notify us as soon as the chicks came in and we picked the chicks up from the PO around 8am. I wouldn't hesitate to order from MM again.

Of course, opinions on the various hatcheries are like opinions of any other company, they can be very different depending on how things work out.
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Not trying to start an argument, but Mc Murray is the only, ONLY, hatchery I have ever heard of that will ship chicks on a weekend. My chicks from them set in an empty, rural mail sorting facility on a Sunday and starved/froze to death. It will be a long time before I get the sight of those poor dead chicks out of my mind.
 

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