What chickens to get?

[SilkiesRcool]

I have two silkies at the moment a roo and a hen I wanted to get some other breeds to add to my flock like 3 of the other breed probably. Egg production can be moderate and I want a breed that is calm and will get along with them and is ok with children. Thank you

 

[Ridgerunner]

In my opinion “good with children” has a lot more to do with the individual chickens and how they are tamed or managed than it does with specific breed. Still, you might go through Henderson’s Breed Chart to see what traits the breeds are supposed to normally have. If you look them up on Feathersite you can see pictures. That way you will have done your due diligence. I’d look for “takes confinement well” and “not flighty” among other traits.

Henderson’s Breed Chart
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

Feathersite
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html#Chickens

Are you happy with your Silkies? Why not just get more, maybe different colors? A lot of people have Silkies in their flocks that also contain full sized dual purpose breeds and don’t have problems. Some people say their other birds pick on their Silkies. I think a lot of that comes from how much room they have and the personality of the individual birds, but it does seem to be reported more often than some other combinations.

Another issue is that Silkies cannot fly. You have to set up your coop with that in mind. You may need to modify your coop if you mix Silkies with birds that can fly.

My next thought would go toward other decorative breeds like Polish or Cochin, especially bantam Cochin if you are OK with the egg size. These decorative breeds tend to go broody a lot, like Silkies, but they have been bred to be pets, not production breeds.

Are you planning on hatching any eggs? I’m extremely happy with my mixes but my goals are different from yours. If you plan to give away or sell any chicks, it might be easier if they are pure Silkie. But it’s your goals, set-up, and management techniques that count, not mine. Good luck on your decision.

 

[chickens really]

Orpingtons and Speckled Sussex are fantastic Hens......Very docile and happy Birds.......



Cheers!

 

[SilkiesRcool]

My coop is good for silkies and I can add perches for birds that fly and I am happy with them but it's really hard to sex them and then you get attached to a rooster thinking it's a hen to just have to give away another rooster, I did have Cochins in mind because I heard they were good with kids and were ok with being held. I would also possibly just sell some if anyone wanted any if they didn't then I wouldn't try to sell any. Would it be ok to get like 1 polish, a Cochin, and something else instead of all the same breed or should I try to get like 2 or 3 of the same breed instead. Thank you

 

[chickens really]

Stick with Silkies then......I would......


Cheers!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I mix breeds all the time without any real issues. If you don’t have enough room integration could be an issue but that is true whether they are all the same breed or different breeds.

I don’t know where you are getting them but could you get point-of-lay pullets instead of baby chicks. That way they will be old enough so you can be sure they are pullets. Most hatcheries will not even try to sex bantams.

 

[SilkiesRcool]

I wanted chicks because my aren't grown yet but they're too small to have adults I was just wondering if like 1 polish 2 silkies and 2cochins or something would be ok or if the minority chicken would get picked on.

 

[chickens really]

I wanted chicks because my aren't grown yet but they're too small to have adults I was just wondering if like 1 polish 2 silkies and 2cochins or something would be ok or if the minority chicken would get picked on.

Birds of a feather, flock best together..........Keep that in mind also........



Cheers!

 

[SilkiesRcool]

What does that mean?

 

[junebuggena]

What does that mean?

It means that birds that look dramatically different can end up getting picked on.