Your Ideal Flock....of only 4 birds!

[cmom]

Well, everyone is going to tell you something different because everyone has different goals and priorities when getting chickens... You have to ask what your primary purpose is in having the chickens so you can prioritize those qualities above others... I don't think you need to worry about the heat as much at 4000 feet, maybe you will have snow in winter, so will need a better chicken house up there. Definitely will have predators, so will need that good chicken house and lock up at night. Are you more interested in egg production, personality as pets, should they be colorful/pretty/unusual? Are you more interested in classic or Heritage breeds? Do you want large birds or bantams? How involved will your children be? You can help us advise you if you can be more specific about your expectations for the 4 you can have... Glad I can have more than 4 and roosters, too. Some birds, like Cochins lay more in the winter months, so if egg laying is more important year round, add one of those. Maybe you will want one of each from each category?

This is good advice. Everyone is different. This may help. There is a lot of good information on the different breeds.
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html#Chickens

 

[Trish1974]

Whatever breeds you decide on I would suggest buying from a breeder rather than a hatchery, if that is an option. My hatchery birds have foul attitudes (towards each other, but they are human friendly) and the chickens I have from breeders are sweet and well mannered.

 

[robinwhiskers]

I'd get all Orps, they're so friendly! Four different colors of Orps!

JK, I'd probably have an Orp, a Wyandotte, a Cochin, and a white Leghorn.

 

[PachecoPeeps]

I would want breeds that lay different colored eggs but as stated by other posters it really depends on what you want. I would have cream legbars, olive eggers, black copper marans or a barnevelder, and a blue andalusian.

I currently have buff orpingtons and they are super friendly and still laying after 4 years but I do feel dreadful for them in the summer heat. I am in the central valley of California and they have been struggling this summer with the heat. I probably won't get the breed again because I feel so bad for them in the summer compared to others.

Lastly if you want chickens who will lay for a long time try and stay away from high producing sex linked chickens. They tend to burn out quick.

Good luck with your decision and with the move!

 

[lazy gardener]

Assuming that you would not want to be dealing with a broody hen, and hatching chicks b/c of your flock size limitation, I can suggest that you AVOID BREEDS THAT ARE KNOWN TO BE SERIAL BROODIES.

And assuming that you want your birds to be long term flock members, I can suggest that you AVOID HATCHERY HYBRIDS AND PRODUCTION BIRDS.

With your climate, you can get away with just about any comb style. Generally, large combed birds excel in warm climates, and small combed birds have an advantage in cold climates. What will your typical summer weather, and your typical winter weather be like?

Temperament: look for birds that have a reputation for being docile and doing well in confinement. To that regard, you might want to stay away from the Mediterranean breeds.

I would not have a flock without Easter Eggers or Ameraucanas. An other bird that matches the EE in her docile behavior is the Dominique, though the Dom is much more mellow. You'll never meet a friendlier bird than the Dom. IME, Plymouth Barred Rocks are nice birds and excellent layers, but a bit more assertive. Mine have also been quite broody. Black Australorpe is also a nice bird. Not prone to aggression, good layers. Plays well with others.

Check out Henderson's Chicken Breeds chart for a nice run down of some of the many choices.

If only allowed 4 birds, I'd choose 2 of one breed and 2 of an other breed. Birds of a feather do tend to flock together.

 

[ChickenRelatedUserName]

I'm going to depart from the group and say that it almost doesn't matter what you pick. If you've never had chickens before, every thing will be brand new to you and you'll have nothing to compare against. You're going to be attached to whatever you have anyway, and unless a chicken is trying to kill you every time you come near it, the temperament may not be that big of a deal. Good luck and have fun.

 

[sourland]

Leghorns - light brown, dark brown, buff and black - yeah, I really like leghorns.

 

[chickencheeper]

Buff Orpington
Lavender Cochin
Light Brahma
Barred rock

 

[child_of_air]

Well, everyone is going to tell you something different because everyone has different goals and priorities when getting chickens... You have to ask what your primary purpose is in having the chickens so you can prioritize those qualities above others... I don't think you need to worry about the heat as much at 4000 feet, maybe you will have snow in winter, so will need a better chicken house up there. Definitely will have predators, so will need that good chicken house and lock up at night. Are you more interested in egg production, personality as pets, should they be colorful/pretty/unusual? Are you more interested in classic or Heritage breeds? Do you want large birds or bantams? How involved will your children be? You can help us advise you if you can be more specific about your expectations for the 4 you can have... Glad I can have more than 4 and roosters, too. Some birds, like Cochins lay more in the winter months, so if egg laying is more important year round, add one of those. Maybe you will want one of each from each category?

A fair point. At first, I wasn't at all concerned about egg color, but after talking to a friend I thought about how nice it would be to have different colors for eggs from each hen. That way, I can also keep track of who is laying and who is not, which could be useful information to a first time owner such as myself. In an earlier post I mentioned that I wanted to have friendly, sweet birds, but I wouldn't mind having a bird that was good with predators and great at keeping pests out of the garden too. No, I don't want a broody hen because I'm deathly afraid of getting a bad mother! (Although having chicks from time to time would be okay, but I wouldn't be able to keep them.)

I'm very attracted to birds that are unusual looking, such as the Lavender Orpington and the Phoenix birds, as well as some of the more exotics such as the Ayum Ceymani or it's cousin, the similar Swedish all black hen. Since I don't currently have any children (that's the NEXT step!), I am only looking to please myself. My husband is happy with any and all chicks I would get.....as long as they don't peck him too much.

That's why I'm interested in knowing everyone's experiences and their reasons for picking birds for an ideal flock, so I can get firsthand knowledge from customers rather than hatcheries and really make a good decision.

 

[Jenniedot777]

You are going to struggle... I just started in May and have 24 birds... i had chicks so I’m just starting to cull out the roos (7 out of 11) older kids... I’m hoping for around 10 birds in all. 9 hens - 1 roo

Buff/Lav/Splash Orp; Blue and Black Cooper Marans; Easter Eggers; Dominiques... and a few kindergarten class barnyard mixes