What breeds for starter flock

[bird_chick]

Hello everyone. I am still in the process of building my coop and then will be leaving for vacation over Labor Day Weekend. I plan on starting to gather my first ever flock of chickens after returning home. I am researching breeds and know that I need cold hardy and prefer docile ones as this is my first time working with chickens. I am planning to get a mixed flock of around 4-6 hens and had originally planned on getting some of the more readily available breeds from a hatchery (Wyandottes, Orps, Ameracauna/EE, etc) that is roughly 2-3 hours away. However, the more I look, I am intrigued by more rare birds, such as Hedemora, Buckeye, Bielefelder, Isbar, speckled Sussex, etc. As a first timer with the learning curve and expected flops even with researching coop design and such, would it be better to start with chickens that would be a little more "wallet friendly" or should I just get the flock I want now?
TYIA!

 

[Kdlevesque]

We have buff Orpingtons and they are sweet, cold hardy and get along well with others. My kids love them. They are big too so easy to handle. I would really like to add some some and we are looking at barred rock and Easter Egger.

 

[PirateGirl]

These are all great docile, cold hardy, laying breeds. They were all on my possible flock list (I had the same criteria). I will say that I have a bielefelder and she is absolutely my favorite chicken ever, best personality & lays the largest egg the most consistently.

 

[cmom]

Here is a good website with good info on the different breeds.
https://www.omlet.us/breeds/chickens
This is from The Livestock Conservancy.
https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/conservation-priority-list Good luck and have fun...

 

[igorsMistress]

Australorps are wonderful birds, would do fine in cooler climates and are great layers. Very docile and sweet, not particularly mean to one another in my experience.

Good for you putting up your coop before you get chicks! I planned to get my chicks, just not the day I brought them home

 

[Sam307]

I started my flock here in wyoming in April built the coop and run and all. Right now I have 2 Rhode island reds 2 Black australorps 2 White Rocks that were thought to be white leghorns. If I were to do it again I'd get the RIRs for sure, and I like the WRs quite a bit too. The BAs are okay, I think they are crossed with something because they are my least friendly. I'd defiantly like to try the speakled Sussex or EE when I have room in my coop. I also hear bared rocks are great. Hopefully that helps!

 

[Flickster5]

I think my answer to your last question-get what you want now or later-rather depends on your overall setup and intentions. Are these to be pets or livestock you'll be culling? Do you have ready options for re-homing down the road if necessary? If they're livestock or easy to rehome, there's no harm in starting with something wallet friendly, learn the ins and outs better, experiment, etc. because you can always get rid of them and get the breeds you want down the line.

If they're to be pets and allowed to live their natural lifespan, that's a commitment of years so I'd get what I wanted now.

If you have a good amount of land, resources, and time, then even if they're pets, when chicken math kicks in (4-6 means you'll have at least 12 eventually, barring interference from a government entity lol) you can add the breeds that you're eyeing now.

As far as the specific breeds you mentioned go... I have wyandottes, which are docile but not particularly friendly once grown, a speckled sussex, who is hands down my favorite hen of something like 10 adult breeds I have on hand for overall friendliness, curiosity, and work ethic, a buff Orpington, docile but not very bright or a lap chicken by any means, and EES. The Easter eggers are all over the place. One is more skittish than my Ancona, Leghorn hybrid, or golden campine. One is very chill and relaxed, not a lap chicken but will lay near me and take a dust bath. One follows me everywhere but runs if I try to pick her up. One eyes me suspiciously at all times but doesn't outright avoid me. I imagine it depends a lot on the individual bird and breeder.

As an aside, I started last spring wanting 5-10 hens, various breeds because I didn't know what I wanted. Some common, some rare. Now I have 16 laying hens and another 8-15 (some haven't been sexed yet) pullets, composed of 20 breeds if we count different patterns as different breeds (silver pencilled rock and barred rock, white/splash/black copper/blue copper marans, etc). I have the space and time I can do that, and I found both breeds I won't get again (RIR), breeds I'd consider for breeding purposes but not pets (barred rock), breeds I love for everything except eggs (sussex...not a bad layer but nothing outstanding on quantity or quality of her eggs)...you get the idea. Plus, when I started I wanted them for pets and entertainment, with eggs as a happy aside. That changed when the eggs started rolling in! this year I've added the breeds I chose for color and size variety.

The end point of all this rambling is basically, there's a ton of variables that go into deciding on breeds and even knowing the basics of what you want, things can change and chickens can be such individuals your best bet is just to think about "what ifs" and plan for them where possible. If you absolutely know you will only have 4-6, and have any doubt regarding rehoming/culling, I'd talk to people with the breeds you want but are pricier, make sure they're appropriate for your situation, and if possible get them from those people so you know the breeder has been breeding for docility, for example.

 

[CountryFlock]

None of those breeds are critical or threatened. At least anyone can find a seller online for any of those breeds.

 

[Roo5]

Orpingtons and Easter eggers are great birds.I highly suggests those especially for starters.Maybe get three of each.Brahams are also great birds.

 

[Roo5]

Wyandotte’s aren’t a docile nor bird friendly breed.I did everything i could to turn my silver laced into a calm bird and nothing worked, and I had this bird as a chick and put in extra time to friendly this bird.She also ended up being a bit aggressive with the other birds, this is typical however for Wyandotte’s.

Hello everyone. I am still in the process of building my coop and then will be leaving for vacation over Labor Day Weekend. I plan on starting to gather my first ever flock of chickens after returning home. I am researching breeds and know that I need cold hardy and prefer docile ones as this is my first time working with chickens. I am planning to get a mixed flock of around 4-6 hens and had originally planned on getting some of the more readily available breeds from a hatchery (Wyandottes, Orps, Ameracauna/EE, etc) that is roughly 2-3 hours away. However, the more I look, I am intrigued by more rare birds, such as Hedemora, Buckeye, Bielefelder, Isbar, speckled Sussex, etc. As a first timer with the learning curve and expected flops even with researching coop design and such, would it be better to start with chickens that would be a little more "wallet friendly" or should I just get the flock I want now?
TYIA!