what chicken breed is good with buff orpingtons?

[Jessevp14]

I have five 9 week old BO and was wanting to add to the flock. I was thinking about getting easter eggers but I'm not sure how they'd do together. I was thinking since the BO were bigger, they would grow up respecting them. thanks in advance!

 

[Mrs. K]

Be real careful adding more birds. What seems to be more than enough space at this stage of the game, can rapidly become not near enough space in just a few months as the birds get full size. This is called chicken math, and nearly all of us have been bit. However too many birds cause some really horrible chicken behaviors. Being raised together will not have a positive effect that will outweigh overcrowding.

Integrating chickens can be tricky too, depending on your set up and size of the coop/run.

However, as to your question, I have had BO and EE together and they did fine. It depends considerably more on your set up and space, than it does on different breeds, as to how they will get along.

Measure your coop and run. Or take pictures and we can help better.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

My Buff Orpingtons and my Speckled Sussex are Besties! I have a bunch and they are always together in the yard, looking for trouble lol.

 

[Jessevp14]

Be real careful adding more birds. What seems to be more than enough space at this stage of the game, can rapidly become not near enough space in just a few months as the birds get full size. This is called chicken math, and nearly all of us have been bit. However too many birds cause some really horrible chicken behaviors. Being raised together will not have a positive effect that will outweigh overcrowding.

Integrating chickens can be tricky too, depending on your set up and size of the coop/run.

However, as to your question, I have had BO and EE together and they did fine. It depends considerably more on your set up and space, than it does on different breeds, as to how they will get along.

Measure your coop and run. Or take pictures and we can help better.

the chicks will have all of this room and they have a 7x7 coop. it's just smaller for now because my mom's worried that a hawk will get them.

 

[Mrs. K]

oh you have plenty of space! Good for you! So many people start with 5 chicks in a pre-fab coop.... and then want more, and that is a recipe for a disaster.

I would suggest, that you add 5-6 more EE. Or even a mix of EE and brown leg horns... that way you will have green, blue, white, and brown eggs - such a colorful basket. Really any of the dual purpose breeds will be fine.

I am currently playing a similar game. I put my chicks "to bed" in a small dog crate with a wooly hen. Latch it, and place the whole thing in the coop. In the morning, I carry the crate out to the run, and set it up so that it opens into a safety zone. A fenced off area where the littles cannot get out, or the biggies in. The first 3 or 4 days the safety zone is just a small pen outside with shelter, shade, and sunshine, food and water. I feed the biggies right next to this. About day five, a day I can be there often, to check on things, I lift the fence up a couple of inches. This allows the chicks the ability to go under and out into the big pen, but keeps the biggies out for the most part. This allows a escape from pecking from the biggies. Within a week to 10 days - when I see the littles out amongst the biggies with no strife, I take down the safety zone.

After a day or two of opening the safety zone, I just open the crate inside the coop, and let them make their own way out of the coop. Generally, they can find their way back into the coop, after one or two nights of a little help from me.

Such a fun hobby, hope you enjoy it for years.

Mrs K

 

[Mrs. K]

PS. I would add some clutter to your run. Just some pallets, (you can get them for free) a saw horse, a roost out in the run, a box on it's side or a tote and maybe a small piece of plywood. Something to jump up on or get underneath in the shade. This makes for happier hens, makes better use of the the vertical space. Just some hideouts, to let birds get out of sight of other birds.

Also, it is generally better to have two or three feed spots for a flock of hens, and set them up so that if a bird is eating at one station, she can't see who is eating at another station. Really helps keep the lower pecking order birds to get enough to eat.

Mrs K

 

[SheaLove]

I have an easter egger, speckled sussex, light brahma, and two silkies with my buff orpington. The silkies worked because I had them first, so they had an age advantage over my standard breeds. I have to say that i was super surprised with how much I have fallen in love with my speckled sussex. She is super sweet to humans and the other girls.

 

[RojoMarz]

We have a mixed flock of BO, RIR and Light Brahma.

 

[aart]

I was thinking since the BO were bigger, they would grow up respecting them.

Doesn't really work that way....breed nor size makes much difference.
Existing birds reign, new birds are 'inferior'.
Integration can be tricky.

Here's some tips about.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/