Hi there, I am going to be getting about 5-6 chooks by the end of this year, beginning of summer 2014. I have basically decided what breeds I will be getting, but I'm not sure about the last breed. The breeds I have already chosen are two Rhode Island Reds (RIR) and two Barnevelders (Barnies). I chose these because they are first of all good looking chickens, good layers and apparently pretty friendly. I'm happy with this choice but I'm trying to find the last breed. I was thinking either Australorp or Orpington. Can anyone help me out, name a few pros and cons about the two breeds, name any other breeds that might mix better with RIR or Barnies. Or just some advice, since I will be a beginner. Thankyou
Greetings from Kansas, Elzy, and ! Pleased to have you aboard! You will get as many opinions as there are breeds as to which breed to choose to fill out your flock! I'm partial to Speckled Sussex, Delawares, and Red Stars and Black Stars. I think the main difference between Australorps and Buff Orps is coloration. They are both great birds but it seems my Buff Orps tend to go broody more than I'd like. As a beginner you might take a tour of the Learning Center - it is full of great information - here's the link. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/ And here's a link to a chart that compares several breeds: http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html My final bit of advice involves your coop. The recommended size is 4 sq. ft. per bird but go bigger in case you ever add birds...and you'll want to. Finally, use hardware cloth, NOT chicken wire. Chicken wire won't keep out a hungry predator. Enjoy your chicken adventure!!!!
thank you. Any more facts or interesting things about Orpington's? I think that's the breed I've decided on I really love the buff Orpington, they're so gorgeous
you may want to go to "where am I, where are you," to locate and post on your state thread. This way you will find out what breeds do best in your area, plus people who may have them available. It's likely someone from your area will be on BYC and maybe you can get some first hand experience.
