What Chicken Breeds Would Be Best?

[Michael OShay]

The coop is where they sleep at night and lay eggs. The run is where they spend most of their day just being chickens. The bigger the chicken breed, the bigger the coop and run need to be. The more chickens you have, the more room you need. A run will be needed if you don't want them destroying your landscaping. Nothing in your yard will be safe from them otherwise. They especially like to scratch around in flower beds and can render beautiful lawns into dust and dirt in a matter of weeks.

X2 on junebuggena; also whether or not your let them roam free in the yard will depend on the predator situation where you live. In a coop/run (if it is built properly) your flock will be protected from predators, whereas free ranging in a yard, they are much more vulnerable to predators. There is a good article at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/07/11-tips-for-predator-proofing-chickens.html on predator proofing your chickens. Also, unless the fence around your yard is 8 ft. or more, you will need to clip the flight feathers on one wing of each chicken to keep them from flying over the fence.

 

[atb9454]

X2 on junebuggena; also whether or not your let them roam free in the yard will depend on the predator situation where you live. In a coop/run (if it is built properly) your flock will be protected from predators, whereas free ranging in a yard, they are much more vulnerable to predators. There is a good article at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/07/11-tips-for-predator-proofing-chickens.html on predator proofing your chickens. Also, unless the fence around your yard is 8 ft. or more, you will need to clip the flight feathers on one wing of each chicken to keep them from flying over the fence.

Good to know!

 

[QueenMisha]

Thanks for all the suggestions, they have been very helpful! We do have a good size fenced yard (roughly 1200 sq feet), but when would they need to be roaming free vs in the coop/run?

For clarity purposes, coop = building they sleep in at night. Run = Fenced yard for them to be in during the day. During the day, they should have access to both the run and the coop, and then be shut in the coop at night.

Overall I would say it depends on the size... the recommended size is 10 sq. ft. per bird run space, at a minimum. Larger is always better. If each bird has at least 10 sq. ft., they would be able to stay in the the run 24/7. However, they will love being let out! A lot of people keep them in the secure run when they are not home, but allow them to range when they are. This is a great set up because the birds can be watched, and any issues can be dealt with immediately, and if you need to leave you can put them away and be sure that they are safe.

 

[Toddrick]

In the city I would say getting sex links is your best bet, because winding up with a rooster will cause heartache. There is always a 10% chance or greater of getting a male with most breeds, but sex links are guaranteed to be female.

 

[QueenMisha]

In the city I would say getting sex links is your best bet, because winding up with a rooster will cause heartache. There is always a 10% chance or greater of getting a male with most breeds, but sex links are guaranteed to be female.

The chance is actually around 5%... I work at a poultry specialty store, and the number of accidental roos we get is always approx. 5% or less... usually less. Out of 50 of one breed, we usually get around 1 roo... 100 chicks is more like 2-3 roos.

But x2 on the Sex Links, it's not like there is a HUGE risk of getting a roo when getting other breeds, but Sex Links are a popular city option because they promise 100% sexing accuracy.

 

[Toddrick]

The chance is actually around 5%... I work at a poultry specialty store, and the number of accidental roos we get is always approx. 5% or less... usually less. Out of 50 of one breed, we usually get around 1 roo... 100 chicks is more like 2-3 roos.

But x2 on the Sex Links, it's not like there is a HUGE risk of getting a roo when getting other breeds, but Sex Links are a popular city option because they promise 100% sexing accuracy.

Well in a tractor supply stores it seems like they often get them mixed up in the bins with the straight runs--or at least that's what a lot of people on here complain about. I guess there is still a risk of them selling you the wrong type of bird even if it is labeled sex link, unless you do your research. [DO do your research on whatever breed you decide on so you know what your chicks should look like, and if possible which ones are most likely females .]

An even better way to ensure you get all females is to order started pullets. They come at laying age so there is no doubt they are female, and they don't have to be sex links, you can get any breed you want. This is a good time of the year to find those, however, not many hatcheries seem to sell them that way, so I guess it depends on where you live. It will cost a lot more to ship them if you can't find them locally, but it saves you from buying chick stuff and setting up a brooder, etc. I just ordered some from Meyer Hatchery.

 

[QueenMisha]

Well in a tractor supply stores it seems like they often get them mixed up in the bins with the straight runs--or at least that's what a lot of people on here complain about. I guess there is still a risk of them selling you the wrong type of bird even if it is labeled sex link, unless you do your research. [DO do your research on whatever breed you decide on so you know what your chicks should look like, and if possible which ones are most likely females

.]

An even better way to ensure you get all females is to order started pullets. They come at laying age so there is no doubt they are female, and they don't have to be sex links, you can get any breed you want. This is a good time of the year to find those, however, not many hatcheries seem to sell them that way, so I guess it depends on where you live. It will cost a lot more to ship them if you can't find them locally, but it saves you from buying chick stuff and setting up a brooder, etc. I just ordered some from Meyer Hatchery.

Tractor Supply Co. frequently orders straight run chicks as they are cheaper and fails to label them as such, and I have heard many stories of breeds being grossly mislabeled. Frankly I find TSC to be a poor source of chicks, and frankly given the choice between TSC chicks and no chicks at all I would most likely choose the latter.

Pullets are an excellent choice, if available. Where I work, our best selling birds are the 8 wk. pullets... few people even buy chicks from us, they vastly prefer the juveniles!

 

[Toddrick]

Tractor Supply Co. frequently orders straight run chicks as they are cheaper and fails to label them as such, and I have heard many stories of breeds being grossly mislabeled. Frankly I find TSC to be a poor source of chicks, and frankly given the choice between TSC chicks and no chicks at all I would most likely choose the latter.

Pullets are an excellent choice, if available. Where I work, our best selling birds are the 8 wk. pullets... few people even buy chicks from us, they vastly prefer the juveniles!

I wish there was a place like that around here!!! I even went to the local farmers auction one day to try and get some. I'm glad they didn't have any that day though, because I've since learned that auctions are a pretty good way to acquire sick birds or rejects.

 

[junebuggena]

How accurate the sexing is also depend on the hatchery itself and the individual breeds. It seems even when vent sexed from a hatchery that is pretty accurate with other breeds, Easter Eggers are harder to sex accurately.

 

[Michael OShay]

In the city I would say getting sex links is your best bet, because winding up with a rooster will cause heartache. There is always a 10% chance or greater of getting a male with most breeds, but sex links are guaranteed to be female.

In regards to not getting an accidental rooster, I certainly agree, however in my personal experience if atb9454 is wanting quiet hens (relatively speaking) sex links are not the best way to go. I've raised both Black and Red Sex Links for many years and they are real chatterboxes; among the noisiest hens I've had, and I don't say this with any biasness against sex links. I've made no secret of the fact that Black Sex Links are my personal favorite chickens as they are very friendly and hardy egg laying machines, but being quiet is definitely not their strong suit. )