What kind of chicken for a newbie?

[Paraclete]

When I went and got some chicks I just went and said "gimme two of everything you've got," lol then I found this site and read up on what I had gotten. And with the chicks I got, I'm thinking that my Orpington Buffs are going to be my favorite and best girls. Reading the info here, they lay well, they're nice and friendly, if you want to munch on them they're good large eating birds, real broody if you want more, and I think, an all around pleasant looking bird.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/breeds/orpington/478

 

[wingsofglory]

Paraclete, that's really true.

I studied all up on chickens, spending hours going over all the info and pictures and deciding on which was the best one. When I went to the place with chicks, I got two of everything too, and five of the "best" one I'd researched and three of my research runnerup favorite. Thirty some chicks it came to. And I went back for some Welsummers when he got them in.

It all changed when I'd raised the chicks up and got to know them as hens.

My favorite turned out to be the one I'd just tossed in because they had them but hadn't thought much about during research. The "favorite" from all the pictures, I didn't like. The runnerup didn't work out either.

And the ones I liked, I can't imagine life without them. And it was different things I liked about each kind.

So have fun with it. You can always go back and get more chicks!!!

 

[babyrnlc]

We only have two hens laying right now (the rest are chicks.)

My Dark Cornish lays 7 eggs a week. Has since we have had her 3 months. She missed two days, but laid two eggs in one day later in the week. She is not very tame, but does not peck or is not mean, she just wont let you pet her, unless you catch her.

We have a blue Easter Egger, that lays green eggs (used to be olive, now they are a sage color). She lays 5-6 eggs a week, occationally will give us 7 eggs in a week. She is sweet, but you have to catch her to pet her. Then she likes it. She will eat out of our hands and is very pretty.

The chicks we have are sweet. MY favorite is my Barred Rock chick. She follows me around the yard when we have her out. She is 10 weeks old and has adopted 3 of our 6 week old chicks. She is sweet with all the babies when we put them in the pen together to play.

We have 6 week old EE pullets and they are super sweet too. They love to fly into my lap or the kids laps and be petted. We have 4 week old chicks that are sweet, but not as sweet and cuddly as the other chicks. We have a gold sexlink, ancona, ee (which is the tamest of the group!), Black Austraulorp (or Black Sex link?) and a brown leghorn(?). They will let you pet them, but you have to catcc them first.

 

[bigtime400]

That is one thing I am not sure I would like to much.....having to catch the chickens. Are they hard to catch? I think I would definetly prefer a chicken I don't have to chase around forever....... One thing I thoght about doing was letting them loose to eat bugs from the garden after I rototill.


BTW I just want to thank you for all your responses. This is great. And please keep your ideas coming.

 

[Judy]

They will love the garden after tilling, as well as the lawn after mowing.

They're tricky to catch if they don't want to be caught. A long handled fish net will work in a pinch. I never chase mine, though. They know what the treat bucket sounds like -- combine that with "here chicky chicky" or whatever call you like and they will come running whenever you call. At this point they run up to me to beg even if I don't have the bucket. And "treats" are nothing much, table scraps, veggie trimmings, or a handful of BOSS and wild bird seed for 15 of them. You can also pick most any chicken up, off the roost, after dark.

In then end they are individuals, and among any breed, you will probably get some pets and some flighty ones, if you stay with the breeds that are not known to be flighty. Barred Rock may well be best for you, as you wife already likes them, and a lot of people on here have pet ones they are very pleased with. The Orps are also usually docile if you want some variety. Both are commonly found in feed stores.

You might look over the right hand side of Henderson's, and MyPetChicken has a chicken selector tool.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[Susan Mc]

hi BT400,
Do you just want eggs or do you want to breed the chickens?
If you just want eggs, get hybrid layers that were created for the job, they won't let you down.
If you want to breed chickens and have lots of eggs, get Australorp, Sussex, or Wyandotte, they all have great reputations for being family friendly and will raise their own chicks.
If you want a slightly smaller hen try Welsummer, though you won't get as many eggs as the three above and they won't raise chicks themselves, but they are one of the only light breeds that aren't flighty.
If you like tiny eggs, Pekin would be your best choice, I think they're called Cochin bantams there. Kids love them.
Have fun on your new chicken adventure!

 

[schellie69]

I love all the different breeds I have I think each breed has something to offer. I have BR, BO, EE bantams, red sex link, black sex links, austrolops, and a couple of barnyard mixes. I think that if you handle the chicks and raise them to be friendly they will be. good luck and have fun with your chickens.

 

[bigtime400]

Thanks for all the good info. I think we may get a few of diffrent breeds. Defintely the Barred rock. and one or two of some that were mentioned.

My mom said something about my grandma had Banties? Banteys? Not sure of the spelling.

But do most get along with the diffrent breeds ok? mixing bantams with standards?

What are the hybid egg layers?

 

[schellie69]

I have bantams and standard hens, the hybrid are sex-link they are able to be sexed at hatch they are breed for egg laying.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
That's what I thought, too... wanted the dark eggs of the Welsummer and I liked the looks of the hens. Got two, lost one. (Shirley and Laverne Welsummer, Laverne got herself caught in the fence while I was at work and died of panic before I got home...) Shirley went broody a month after she started laying, and raised four chicks. They aren't yet laying, but they're close. And Shirley JUST went broody again, yesterday.