What's your "Dream Flock"? How many chickens is the perfect amount for you? What breeds do you adore?

[Bonnie Gruenberg]

The birds I have now ARE my dream flock. I have several pens each containing 8 hens and 1 cockbird. I have Black Copper Marans- beautiful calm birds with dark eggs; Swedish Flower hens- colorful, no-two-alike birds who lay lots of big eggs and are very friendly; Opal and cream crested Legbars- autosexing, beautiful blue eggs, super tame; Svart Honas- black through and through with white or tan eggs, very smart, great free-rangers, sweet, soulful eyes with a lot of intelligence behind them; Seramas- incredibly sweet and people-oriented, can live in a rabbit cage, fun to show, and every color known to the world of chickens.

 

[Bonnie Gruenberg]

I get cute babies too. ;-)

 

[bobhoke]

I ask this because I'm growing my flock this year, not merely recouping lost numbers. (We had an issue with predators that caused me to lose over half my flock of 11 last year.) We are in the process of building a bigger, better enclosure with a large shed-type coop that I can easily walk in and clean with a large run. That being said, I've calculated the run and coop can accommodate comfortably about 28 chickens.

Mind you, I'm not aiming for the max number as I like plenty of space and I'm sure my chickens do too. But I was thinking of adding a few more. I'm currently at 15 chickens counting the new batch of chicks that just came in from the hatchery a couple of days ago. So, as I sit here and dream about what sort of breeds I'd like to incorporate into my flock... I'd love to hear about your "dream flock."

My current flock is a mix of Dominicker (Rooster!), Cornish, Black Sexlink, and my new chicks are Easter Eggers. I'd love roughly 20 chickens. If I could find one locally I'd totally snag a Sapphire Olive Egger. I'm keeping a close eye on my local stores and breeders to see what chicks are available, so I can snag breeds on my watch list.

Thats a good marketing question. That’ll draw ideas out from a slew of opinionated poultry owners on this site, thus providing possible new adds to certain contributors here. Great, let’s play.

This chicken flock is a breed of chickens that are self sufficient and know to defecate where they are trained to like our perfect dog. The rooster crows at 9:00 once daily. They don’t eat flowers, nor enter gardens.
They can turn on any predator and scare it away, except us humans though. For they can sense perfectly what conveniences us just to meet our expectations and ideals before we eat them and their children.

 

[Beaglegal]

I think 12 egg laying chickens+a rooster. A mix of cream legbars, BCM and olive eggers (I like color) and probably a second flock of meat birds, chicken or turkeys not sure yet. Then there are the ducks for general entertainment and slug management, different breeds for looks. Probably max 10.

 

[slowloris]

Right now I have three Buff Orpingtons, two white rocks, two barred rocks, one brahma and three isa browns. I will be adding three black jersey giant one year olds very soon. I love having a mixed flock, and have a real soft spot for the isas. They're smallish (compared to my other birds), scrappy, funny and GREAT layers. Sadly, they don't live as long as the others and I hate losing chickens so I won't have a strictly isa flock. All my chickens have great personalities and it's fun to see how they are different.

 

[old_school_farmer]

I ask this because I'm growing my flock this year, not merely recouping lost numbers. (We had an issue with predators that caused me to lose over half my flock of 11 last year.) We are in the process of building a bigger, better enclosure with a large shed-type coop that I can easily walk in and clean with a large run. That being said, I've calculated the run and coop can accommodate comfortably about 28 chickens.

Mind you, I'm not aiming for the max number as I like plenty of space and I'm sure my chickens do too. But I was thinking of adding a few more. I'm currently at 15 chickens counting the new batch of chicks that just came in from the hatchery a couple of days ago. So, as I sit here and dream about what sort of breeds I'd like to incorporate into my flock... I'd love to hear about your "dream flock."

My current flock is a mix of Dominicker (Rooster!), Cornish, Black Sexlink, and my new chicks are Easter Eggers. I'd love roughly 20 chickens. If I could find one locally I'd totally snag a Sapphire Olive Egger. I'm keeping a close eye on my local stores and breeders to see what chicks are available, so I can snag breeds on my watch list.

Try using a electric fence around the coop! Turn it on at night and shut off in daytime hours . That will keep most predators away from them while they are sleeping

 

[Pet Chickens & Ducks]

This may have already been mentioned. I haven't read all the comments yet but please isolate and quarentine new chicks for at least 30 days. I can't stress this enough. I do quarentine. Always. Breeders that are NPIP certified, doesn't mean you can't end up with sick chicks.
I think your best bet is to get whatever strikes your fancy. Egg color, appearance, if you want broody or not broody breeds. Behavior can be different in different flocks. One of my favorites turns out to be a mixed chick born into my flock. After my last experience bringing new chicks in from an NPIP certified breeder, I'll be much happier incubating my own new mixed breeds with the one Easter egger rooster I have.
Have fun. Good luck. Sounds like you're going to have a very nice setup.

 

[Maggpiefarms]

My Dream Flock!
Hi there. I have been quiet for a while. I have a mixed flock! I started a year ago after my husband bought me a chicken coop and all the supplies for my birthday after I had continued to express my interest! And boy have we adapted what we have for them! I was also suppose to start out with 17wk old reds but plans changed as I walked into the local farm store the day after my birthday and walked out with 4 Pekin and 4 Buff Orpingtons at about 2 days old haha nothing like learning on the fly!
I am a pretty handy person. I am a nurse I love love to garden and love animals of all sorts. I have had animals all my life so how bad could this be. Well..... one of my ducks (Olaf) was deformed and I somehow managed to keep him alive for 9 month, 6 of which he was crippled. So now I have 4 Buff Orpington ladies (Elsa, Tilly, Bell, & Wilhelmina) that are just beautiful! And 2 lady pekin ducks (Millie & Anna) and 1 drake (Fork McGork)!
After that fiasco with Olaf I was totally heart broken and decided I would focus my efforts on adding to my chickens and not add anymore ducks (plus they are super messy).
In the fall I researched local breeders and decided I would add to my flock for looks (I know so vain) and personality!
So this May we will add....
Araucana
Golden Laced Wyandotte
2 Polish
Blue Cochin
Olive Egger
Dark Brahma
I decided I didn’t want them living inside my house this time so we went for 10wkers! Maybe next year we will do chicks again!
So this year I will have a flock of 11 chickens and 3 ducks! We have moved from small store bought coops to a large shed type coop we built ourselves before the winter came (which was disappointing this year) and a 10x10 attached run! Once spring hits and trees and protection are back in bloom they will have free range of our 2.5acres during the day! I always love to see what others have too so I will post some pictures for your viewing!!!

 

[Reedo5]

I roll with a flock of 12 manly cus my coops set up for that many, i would eventually like to get a few Easter Eggers have cream colored, light, dark brown, an blue eggs. Id like some olive an white tho

 

[JoanisaBelle]

Currently have a mixed flock of 35 chickens: from Ameraucana to OE, Australorp to Plymouth Barred Rock, Marans to RIR and more.

Just acquired 30 black australorps, 5 Speckled Sussex (the Sussex were from rogue trip to Farm & Home Service), and will be obtaining 25 Icelandic Chicks in April. I am most excited for the Icies (aka Viking hens) and look forward to implementing a breeding program for the first time.