Very mixed flock. Good or bad?

[Sherrirod]

I am completely new to chicken-ing. I wanted to have a diverse flock that would be interesting/pretty to look at since I have a yard, not a field to raise them in. I have 4 Barred Rock (including 1 roo), 2 Gold laced Wyandotte, 2 Buff Ameracauna, 1 black Marans, and 2 ISA Browns. 21-22 weeks old. (They were all TSC had when we decided to try having chickens) I just added (1 each) a Light Brahma, Buff Orpington, Lavender Orpington, Sapphire Gem, Pearl Leghorn, white Leghorn, and a black Jersey Giant, who are roughly 7 weeks old. I also have 15 mixed chicks around 5 weeks old. (I will only keep a couple of these if they make a big impression on me, otherwise they are meant to be meat chickens along with 2 of the BR hens from above.)

I guess the first question is, am I an idiot?? Is this a bad way to go about it? They all seem to get along. As I've bounced around reading different threads, it seems that people who have been doing this a while tend to keep fewer breeds. Is there a reason for that other than a breeding program? Am I going to run into problems down the road because of diversity?

For 2 weeks now, I've been getting 9 eggs per day out of 10 hens which is a lot more than I expected which leads me to my next question. Is it ok for these breeds to lay every day? The last one to start laying was the smaller Wyandotte. I think she just laid her first egg yesterday. First time I went 10 for 10!! Is it because they are so young? Most are still small eggs with the Wyandotte's being peewee. Will they slow down once the eggs get to normal size and everything becomes regular? Does it mean I'd better not give the coop light over the winter? Could it be a good thing and I just happened to get lucky...with every single chicken?? What are the odds of that??

The last question is actually more of a concern. One of the Isa's keeps laying giant eggs. Most are double yolkers which was fun in the beginning, but now I'm getting worried. Her largest eggs weigh 2.8-2.9 ounces. Today's egg was 2.92. I looked it up and evidently it's a duck egg. The scale goes from X-large, to jumbo, to duck. She plops the largest ones out on the poop board under the roost. When she actually has a normal egg she uses the box. She's my favorite chick because she's the only one who lets me pet her for free. (The rest make me pay for the privilege in treats.) I really don't want her wearing her guts out, but I can't for the life of me think of anything I can do to help her.

Sorry, I do have one more question. My rooster doesn't really eat the treats much. He picks them up, then just holds it in his beak and waits for one of the hens to take it away from him. I assume it is his way of tidbitting, since they are in an enclosed run he can't go find food and call them over. (I always spread food out so everyone gets some.) Anyway, this rule applies except when I bring out crushed eggshells for the hens. Those he will knock hens out of the way to try to eat them all. I have to stand there the entire time shoeing him away. I put the eggshells in the cup that contains their free will oyster shells. Is it possible he actually needs the calcium?? If so, why doesn't he eat the oyster shells?

Thanks in advance for any advice given. I've been muddling through and haven't lost any so far, but the idea of having access to a group of people who actually know what they're doing is exciting. I've never been a joiner. I think this is the first group I've voluntarily joined since high school choir some 45 years ago. Hopefully this goes better than that...turns out I'm tone-deaf.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Welcome to the coop! The number of chicken breeds is really a matter of personal preference. I don't see any breeds you listed that would stick out like a sore thumb and get picked on. If your chicken keeping goals include having a variety of pretty yard birds to look at, this is a great way to go about that

A lot of people with only a few breeds are trying to focus on one or two breeds for breeding. A lot of them probably only have a few breeds available locally and don't want to mail live birds so they go with what they've got. Some people started out with a widely mixed flock and found that they really really liked a few of the breeds they had and decided to focus on them. And some people still want to have one of every breed!

 

[FrostRanger]

Absolutely nothing wrong with having a diverse flock as you have seen with your own flock. I would just attempt to keep more than one of any given breed (of course it doesn't always work out like that. I have one buff orpington. I did order a second buff with her but she sadly passed from failure to thrive. Despite being the only buff Juniper fits in just fine). The reason for this is similar looking birds will stick together sometimes and having more than one of the same breed will prevent anyone from being left out. If you have a singleton now and there's no issue, don't worry about it. it's more just something to keep in mind when getting chicks, especially bantams. ISA browns are production layers so they lay lots of big eggs. Yes, as a result they are more prone to reproductive problems but there really isn't much you can do about that beyond keeping a closer eye on her as you very well cannot tell a chicken whether to lay or not (there is an implant you can get to stop a hen from laying, but it's expensive and has to be administered every few months and I wouldn't advise it unless there's an active issue you're trying to treat). Production breeds are dealt a rough hand genetically unfortunately. Chickens lay their best their first 2 years but they'll slow down after that. so, totally normal. As for your rooster, I assume he just really likes eggshells. If it's really a problem I'd just stick with oyster shell or separate him beforehand

 

[aart]

They all seem to get along.

Are all integrated now, living in the same coop and run?

Am I going to run into problems down the road because of diversity?

Not because of the number of breeds,
only maybe because of space once the winter rolls around.
Hopefully you have a good sized coop and run.

 

[Sherrirod]

They're together in the run. I'm working on the coop. I put the 7 older ones in it last night and it seemed to go ok. I am curious where they try to sleep tonight. By the end of next week I hope to have them all in the big coop.

 

[Sherrirod]

The main coop isn't near big enough to keep them all through winter, although there is plenty of roosting space. We plant to process at least a dozen of them as they become big enough.

 

[Sherrirod]

Absolutely nothing wrong with having a diverse flock as you have seen with your own flock. I would just attempt to keep more than one of any given breed (of course it doesn't always work out like that.

The one Marans had a hard time with being an outsider. I regretted not getting the second one. (They only had 2) I got her because she had been bullied and had no feathers on her back. The girl working there wasn't sure she'd make it. I was afraid to get the other one in case it was the bully.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

I am completely new to chicken-ing. I wanted to have a diverse flock that would be interesting/pretty to look at since I have a yard, not a field to raise them in. I have 4 Barred Rock (including 1 roo), 2 Gold laced Wyandotte, 2 Buff Ameracauna, 1 black Marans, and 2 ISA Browns. 21-22 weeks old. (They were all TSC had when we decided to try having chickens) I just added (1 each) a Light Brahma, Buff Orpington, Lavender Orpington, Sapphire Gem, Pearl Leghorn, white Leghorn, and a black Jersey Giant, who are roughly 7 weeks old. I also have 15 mixed chicks around 5 weeks old. (I will only keep a couple of these if they make a big impression on me, otherwise they are meant to be meat chickens along with 2 of the BR hens from above.)

I guess the first question is, am I an idiot?? Is this a bad way to go about it? They all seem to get along. As I've bounced around reading different threads, it seems that people who have been doing this a while tend to keep fewer breeds. Is there a reason for that other than a breeding program? Am I going to run into problems down the road because of diversity?

For 2 weeks now, I've been getting 9 eggs per day out of 10 hens which is a lot more than I expected which leads me to my next question. Is it ok for these breeds to lay every day? The last one to start laying was the smaller Wyandotte. I think she just laid her first egg yesterday. First time I went 10 for 10!! Is it because they are so young? Most are still small eggs with the Wyandotte's being peewee. Will they slow down once the eggs get to normal size and everything becomes regular? Does it mean I'd better not give the coop light over the winter? Could it be a good thing and I just happened to get lucky...with every single chicken?? What are the odds of that??

The last question is actually more of a concern. One of the Isa's keeps laying giant eggs. Most are double yolkers which was fun in the beginning, but now I'm getting worried. Her largest eggs weigh 2.8-2.9 ounces. Today's egg was 2.92. I looked it up and evidently it's a duck egg. The scale goes from X-large, to jumbo, to duck. She plops the largest ones out on the poop board under the roost. When she actually has a normal egg she uses the box. She's my favorite chick because she's the only one who lets me pet her for free. (The rest make me pay for the privilege in treats.) I really don't want her wearing her guts out, but I can't for the life of me think of anything I can do to help her.

Sorry, I do have one more question. My rooster doesn't really eat the treats much. He picks them up, then just holds it in his beak and waits for one of the hens to take it away from him. I assume it is his way of tidbitting, since they are in an enclosed run he can't go find food and call them over. (I always spread food out so everyone gets some.) Anyway, this rule applies except when I bring out crushed eggshells for the hens. Those he will knock hens out of the way to try to eat them all. I have to stand there the entire time shoeing him away. I put the eggshells in the cup that contains their free will oyster shells. Is it possible he actually needs the calcium?? If so, why doesn't he eat the oyster shells?

Thanks in advance for any advice given. I've been muddling through and haven't lost any so far, but the idea of having access to a group of people who actually know what they're doing is exciting. I've never been a joiner. I think this is the first group I've voluntarily joined since high school choir some 45 years ago. Hopefully this goes better than that...turns out I'm tone-deaf.

I have a mixed flock and it works out great! I love seeing all the colors and how different they all look! I do usually have at least two of each breed although a few don’t have a buddy.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Am I going to run into problems down the road because of diversity?

I have a completely mixed flock with the only overlaps being Marans (I have a FBCM, cuckoo and blue). I don't see any issue with it.

Is it ok for these breeds to lay every day? The last one to start laying was the smaller Wyandotte. I think she just laid her first egg yesterday. First time I went 10 for 10!! Is it because they are so young? Most are still small eggs with the Wyandotte's being peewee. Will they slow down once the eggs get to normal size and everything becomes regular? Does it mean I'd better not give the coop light over the winter? Could it be a good thing and I just happened to get lucky...with every single chicken?? What are the odds of that??

You can't control their frequency of laying for the most part (though outside factors do make an impact, like high heat, stress, daylight hours - but you would not want to deliberately stress them just to slow laying). Some birds are predispositioned to lay a lot, some aren't. If you don't want too many eggs it's better to select breeds that tend to have lower production.

Whether you want to provide supplemental lighting over the winter is up to you. They may not need it at all the first year to maintain laying. Do keep in mind that they will still need to molt and rest at some point, having a light on doesn't make that go away, it just changes the timing of it.

Egg size generally increases over time.

The last question is actually more of a concern. One of the Isa's keeps laying giant eggs. Most are double yolkers which was fun in the beginning, but now I'm getting worried. I really don't want her wearing her guts out, but I can't for the life of me think of anything I can do to help her.

She's bred for production so she'll lay a lot of eggs fast and then peter out while still relatively young. I specifically don't buy production birds for that reason.

he will knock hens out of the way to try to eat them all. I have to stand there the entire time shoeing him away. I put the eggshells in the cup that contains their free will oyster shells. Is it possible he actually needs the calcium?? If so, why doesn't he eat the oyster shells?

If he only wants eggshell, then I'd only put out oyster shell so he doesn't eat it.

 

[Loving my girls]

The one Marans had a hard time with being an outsider. I regretted not getting the second one. (They only had 2) I got her because she had been bullied and had no feathers on her back. The girl working there wasn't sure she'd make it. I was afraid to get the other one in case it was the bully.

Softee I’ve done this too, I took a farm hen with cross eyes, pigeon toes and crossed beak coz I felt sorry for her. Turned out to be absolutely adorable , I called her Susan.
Sweet dreams my beautiful girl