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

[Nimueh Alene]

Any of the rocks
Sapphire gem
Black sex link, mine lays a dark egg
Any wyandotte .

 

[Nimueh Alene]

I will! I wish I could have more....but I don't want to piss off my neighbors....until I at least meet them.

Promise them some eggs .

I will! I wish I could have more....but I don't want to piss off my neighbors....until I at least meet them.

 

[AlleysChicks]

What kind of bird laid that blue egg? It is absolutely gorgeous!

my splash Easter Egger, she came from a breeder.

 

[ChickenRelatedUserName]

To how much land are you moving?

 

[SueT]

Why?

Why?

I've gotten a few chicks each year for 4 yrs., they were all picked up at a nearby hatchery, on hatch day and so they've all been nurtured the same --but they had very different personalities. In my experience, the Rhode Island Red was a terrible bully, but I've only had the one. My Buff Orpington was sweet, lovable, and very pretty but only laid about 4 smallish eggs a week. She weighed about 8 lbs. Sadly she was snatched by a predator. I'm getting away from the heavy breeds now, lighter chickens appeal to me.

Brown leghorn hens are about 5.5 lbs. They are among my favorites because they are lovely, the ones I have aren't neurotic or mean to others like some of my previous hens were. I have 3 of these leghorns, and they each lay large white eggs 5- 6 days a week. They are said to be good choice for free ranging as they are good at evading predators.

Appenzeller Spitzhaubens are my latest chickens, I got them this Feb. They are compact,--hens get to about 5 lbs, they are cute, friendly, smart. My pullets recently began laying and they seem to be good layers, maybe 5 eggs a week. They lay white eggs. Supposedly they are good as free rangers too. They are crested birds, but the crests don't obstruct their vision. This color is silver spangled.

The Sebright is a bantam and the one I have, Moonshine, is my friendliest and also my very favorite chicken. She lays about 5-6 tiny eggs each week. What a personality! She's very opinionated and talks to me a lot, she can sound like a song bird, she can sound like a little goose. I have taught her to fly up onto my arm on command. These little hens weigh about 20 oz. I'd like to have more. It looks like I may end up w Sebright/Spitzhauben crosses....that might be interesting.....

 

[lazy gardener]

Consider this: if you buy from a local feed store, guess what? Those chicks were most likely shipped half way across the country!

 

[IamRainey]

We have lots of pine trees in our back yard, being in the mountains, and a nice breeze from the lake almost always. So.....it typically feels cooler than what it is reported to be. Those are really good choices though- where did you get your chicks? From a breeder or a hatchery? And what were you experiences like?

Good for you!

I've only been about this for a year and I didn't know what I was doing when I ordered my first 6-wo chicks. Still, it's been great and I'd do it again -- taking the heat and breeds into account the next time though!

I got mine -- the 6-wos and a more recent order of 1-dos -- from My Pet Chicken. It was great dealing with them both times. You can get exactly what you want regarding sex and breed. They are *very* responsive! I was most impressed the first time around that they indulged an anxious uninformed new owner tirelessly. I always got a quick personal reply and advice I felt good about. ...though I could wish they had warned me that Orpingtons weren't right for this convection oven I live in 2-3 months a year but then I didn't t ask and they're in CT so they probably have no idea what the SFV is like!

Their site has filters that can help you to select by type of bird -- egg layers, meat birds or dual purpose birds -- egg color, disposition, size and heat or cold hardiness as well as availability. That's a lot to account for so those filters are invaluable when you're making selections.

 

[IamRainey]

Have tried keeping a mix "flock" but have learned all of one breed or at least two of a kind works best, no odd man out and never an odd number flock.

Keeping an odd number flock, two get cliquish although they get along
Same as when you have 3 of a breed & 1 differ
Keeping a pair of 2 breeds, seemed balanced
What works best for me is 4 of a kind, so maybe if you chose a breed that has different coloring, that may keep it colorful.

You sound much more experienced than I am so I wouldn't discount your advice for a second. But I will say that my limited experience is different.

My first order was 6-wo chicks. Three of them: a Cream Legbar, a Barnvelder and a Plymouth Rock. Right off the bat it was clear who was the leader of the pack -- the Cream Legbar who ended up the smallest of the 3. Still, at a year old, they're good company for one another and very much a "flock" of 3.

My second order was five 1-dos: 2 different colors of Orpingtons, a Sicilian Buttercup, a Marans and a Wyandotte. No clearly dominant chick in this group and they all do very well together. They're 4 weeks old now. They've been living in a wire kennel inside the coop. This weekend I've going to let them down in the run with the big girls. My fingers are crossed but I'm expecting the best and if they always remain 2 "flocks" sharing the same space I'll be find with that.

Maybe I got lucky. 'Cause I certainly was naive! But so far, so good!

I think the thing is that everyone's experience is going to be different. If you've got the space for a big flock could make great sense to have multiples. These 2 deliveries are probably the only chickens I'll have. ...maybe forever. My husband will be retiring in a couple years and we'll be moving to who-knows-where and who-knows-what. So I wanted all the variety and good looks I could get. I'm sure other people are choosing under the influence of a million other variables.

 

[child_of_air]

Sounds like you've got considerable space in Woodland Hills, good for you. If you do move, perhaps you should consider somewhere a bit cooler. If I had the money, I'd get some property near Rolling Hills or Palos Verdes.....but alas we are not that rich! I wish I could have more than four already, and I haven't even got one yet! I'll be ordering in the middle of August, because the breeder that has Lav Orps is in Redding and his chicks are hatched to order. They are straight run so the odds I will get at least one roo are high, and I'll have to either sell him or take him to a Farm Sanctuary. Neither my husband or I would be able to kill a roo just for being a roo. I don't even kill spiders, most bugs or mice (whom I especially adore). I let my cats take care of em, and let nature do her thing. It's a pain but I want a lav orp badly enough to go through raising a roo- at least he'll know he was loved.

Consider this: if you buy from a local feed store, guess what? Those chicks were most likely shipped half way across the country!

Not true, at least in my case. The feed store I know of gets their birds from several local breeders. But I'm actually going to try and get birds directly from breeders too. I'm okay with the bird being in the box for one day, which is what it will take to get to me from Northern CA. Anything else I think is too risky, and it just doesn't sit well with me. I may reconsider this if I am forced to, but for now.....I don't have to yet.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Living in HI has many disadvantages