What kind of chickens?

[hopefullchicken]

So I dont own any chickens and my husband and I are planing to get land soon. It will be either near phoenix az or where we currently live in iowa. I was thinking of getting silkies, polish , and a few americana chickens. Are these good choices for a first timer. i have been around chickens and raised geese and other birds. How do these guys do in the heat? cold? can you mix them together. Any idea would be very helpful.

 

[PoultryGirly]

Hi and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined us! Chickens are very fun(ny!) creatures to be around and care for. The breeds you listed are very good breeds. Silkies may not do well, though, in hot places because of all of the fuzz they have. I tried to raise silkies, but it didn't work out so well for me. Since they are bantams, they were weaker than the other chicks. I liked their personality when they arrived, but at around 5 weeks old the larger fowl anged up on my lone silkie and he unfortunately didn't make it. I know lots of other folks, though, who have had great success in raising them!

Americaunas are usually Easter Eggers unless you get them specifically from a breeder. They are also a very good breed. They do well in heat and cold. One cool thing about them is that they lay colored eggs like green or blue. I would highly recommend them!

I've heard good things about Polish but I've never tried to own them before. I love the way they look, though!

Here is a link from a hatchery that has a list of specific characteristics in certain breeds. Just type the breed of chicken in at the search box, scroll down and on the left you will find a big box with the characteristics! Good luck! http://meyerhatchery.com/productinfo.a5w?category=Bantams&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT_ID = 'BLSBS'

 

[hopefullchicken]

Thanks very much great info. so you think it would be better to keep ilkies alone then? they are the breed i wanted most anlong with the polish they r so cute. the easter eggers would be so we can all have good eggs to eat. Polish come in bantam size as well dont they?

 

[PoultryGirly]

I wouldn't necessarily say you had to keep silkies alone. They, in my opinion, do best with other bantams, but lots of folks have had great success raising them with large fowl.

Polish do come in bantam. I think silkies would do great with the polish because they are around the same size so one breed wouldn't have an advantage over the other. The most important thing is that they are together as chicks so they will bond before they know how to hurt each other.

 

[hopefullchicken]

Ok sounds good. so would it be best to get day old chicks? keep then together in the brooder and then add them to the coop? where is the best place to get these types of chickens?

 

[hopefullchicken]

I just say easter eggers come in bantam size too. would there little eggs be enough to feed a family of three? Should I get one rooster?

 

[PoultryGirly]

Yes, day old chicks would be great! I like having them together at a young age so they know each other. And yes, keep them together in a brooder and around 5 weeks later they can be moved all together into their new coop. If you have a local Tractor Supply Co., they are having what's called "Chick Days" now where you can go in and buy the chicks you want, though they won't have the specific breeds you are looking for, most likely. I ordered from McMurray Hatchery 2 times last year and they're great! They have all of the breeds you are looking for, but they won't be show quality. How many bantams are you planning on getting (silkies, Easter Eggers, and polish)? One of each? 5 of each? 10 of each? That would answer your question about feeding your family. About the rooster: roosters are only necessary if you would like to hatch eggs or breed. Hens do not have to have a rooster to lay an egg.

 

[hopefullchicken]

I thought about breeding but I probably wont at first. I think maybe 3-4 of each. Is that to much to start out with. we dont have our land yet and have lots to do before starting the venture but I wanted to collect all the info i can .

 

[hopefullchicken]

Can you intoduce a rooster later in the flock?

 

[PoultryGirly]

No, three or four of each breed isn't too much. In fact, you can never have enough chickens So you would be planning on around 10 chickens, right? They would feed your family of 3. I would go ahead and get a rooster, too, if you're getting all of the hens. It would be hard to introduce a grown rooster to a flock of grown hens.