Wanting to start small

[tedcb]

Questions, questions, questions...... I live in a very urban area. What is the best choice of chicken for a beginner. The breed would preferably be heat tolerant (a must in Houston), easily tamed, good with confinement (small yard), and quite. I have an area picked out to build a coop, and my yard is surrounded by a 5.5' privacy fence. I'd probably be more intersted in ornamental bantams or similar if they don't require too much knowledge. The hardier the better. Any tips would be appreciated.

 

[Mayzu]

I own chickens and live in an urban area too. My tips are:

Get a red hen

Get straw to put on the floor (pea straw is good cause they eat the peas...)

Make sure she has a shelter and a high place to jump onto (they like to sleep on a higher place)

Get the hen as a chick! It's really fun because she will be sure you are her mother and will scream for you and follow you around! (once, the first night the new chick we got slept at our house, she was so stressed not to be with her 'parents' that she escaped from her cage and ran around the house chirping and looking for us. When she found my brother she pounced into his bed and slept with him for the rest of the night!!!)

Be careful not to step on her!

Get a HIGH wall cage, they get better at jumping as they grow!!!

Spend heaps of time with the new chick!!!

Hope I helped!!!

 

[RhodeRunner]

There are lots of birds out that that would make a good flock for you. But, considering that you want ornamental fowl that makes me think you aren't after the standard Rhode Island Red.

Truthfully you could probably pull of raising lots of different breeds. I started out with Junglefowl when I was younger, which is supposably a breed that people don't suggest starting with. I didn't have any problems. But, with the ornamental bantams of the lighter veriety Old English Game, and Japanise I can see issues with containing them.

Here are some suggestions. I am trying to go off of neat, but purposeful birds, with not to much plumage. Mostly all birds come in Bantam form as well.

The Wyandotte- http://www.mypetchicken.com/Wyandotte-B6.aspx
Ameraucana- http://www.mypetchicken.com/Ameraucana-B5.aspx
Barnevelder- http://www.mypetchicken.com/Barnevelder-B21.aspx bantam form rarely seen
Delaware- http://www.mypetchicken.com/Delaware-B43.aspx bantam form rerely seen
Plymouth Rock- http://www.mypetchicken.com/Plymouth_Rock-B85.aspx

A great informational chart on breeds.
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
If you want to look at pictures check out feathersite.com

And considering what above poster said...Please don't get only one chicken, they are flock animals, at least 2-3 would be nice.

Good luck starting your new flock!

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can study the breeds from the links Rhoderunner gave you. They can be addictive and, if you are like me, you'll change your mind often.

You sound as if you are more interested in chickens as pets and conversation pieces rather than for meat or eggs. I'd still suggest full sized fowl for you.

The larger the chicken the harder it is for it to fly. A bantam could clear yout fence no problem. A grown full sized fowl could if it were really motivated, but you'll have a lot better luck keeping the larger birds in your fenced area. The young ones can fly pretty well but they fly less well as they get heavier.

You mentioned easily tamed. It depends on the personality of the individual birds, but you're more likely to be successful with the larger birds.

You mentioned quiet. That means you don't want a rooster. As far as I know, My Pet Chicken is the only source for sexed bantams if you get chicks. And I think you want chicks since they are easier to tame.

In your situation, I would think you are not going to hatch chicks, so you do not want a breed that goes broody a lot. Again, this points to larger fowl, although there are some breeds to avoid. The Orpington and Cochin come to mind. That's unfortunate because I think either would suit you well except for broodiness.

I agree with Rhoderunner. Chickens are social animals. You really should get at least three. You should check your local regulations if you haven't already. You may have restrictions on how many you can have, distance from property lines the coop has to be built, or maybe even if you can have chickens.

All hatcheries have a minimum number they will ship, usually 15 or 25. That's so they stay warm enough during shipping. You'd have to check each hatchery for their requirements. Once you select the breed or breeds you want, you could advertise on this site to see if anyone wants to share an order with you or you could look for someone in the Houston area that might sell you some chicks if you will come to pick them up. If you buy them from someone local, you might want to get some old enough that you can tell the sex.

I'd suggest you go through the Henderson Chart and pick out breeds to consider, then cross-reference them on Feathersite. As long as you provide shade, good ventilation in the coop, and plenty of water, practically all breeds will do OK in the heat.

You may want more than one breed or at least different colors of the same breed. We all have our own definition of ornamental. One breed I'd suggest you consider is the naked neck. It's not for everyone. Some people consider them very ugly, but some like them. They are certainly a conversation piece. Brahma also come to mind as a possible good fit but watch the coloring. Some are flashier than others. The Speckled Sussex is another to consider. But there are several that will suit you.

I would not totally rule out the sex links either. These are crossbreeds where the sex can be determined easily at hatch, usually by color. They will not show up on the Henderson Chart since they are crossbreeds. They lay a lot of eggs and may not be as flashy as you want, but I think they are worth considering for your circumstances.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts. I did a lot of research before I got my birds.

Gail Damerow's 'Storey's Guide to Chickens' is an excellent resource, as well as this web site which is an excellent source of information.

These sites are especially helpful in selecting breeds.
http://www.mypetchicken.com/breedQuestions.aspx
Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html

Also here are some other good sites, info and more good links.
http://www.mypetchicken.com/aboutChickens.aspx
https://www.backyardchickens.com/lcenter.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

Good luck and have fun.

 

[foweler]

Be warned that you might not get quiet chickens. Mine will often bGAWK just after first light until I scramble out and let them out of the coop and will make a quite a bit of noise before and after laying.Its not too bad and I love it but some people are way picky about noise.

I love my birds but I live in fear of one of the two neighbors I don't really know finally having enough. The other three close neighbors are OK. Guess I should get to know the others.

Good luck and I hope it works for you. Chickens are great!

 

[tedcb]

Thanks to everyone for help. I was starting to build a coop and add extra fencing to fully enclose a section of the yard, and killed my back. Herniated disk is going to keep me on my back for a while, and delay my chicken project. thanks again for all the advice. I guess now I have extra time to browse through the pages of chicken profiles. Oh well.

 

[Sitka]

I would suggest possibly a Silkie or a Cochin bantam.
As others have said, research is key.
Good luck and have fun.

 

[catfish/okie]

My friends domineques. are the quitest chickens ive ever seen.